One problem mentioned here is the circulation of the blood inasmuch as the
heart muscle won't be under enough stress to work properly. How about, for
those expecting to spend a whole lifetime in space, replacing the organic
heart with a mechanical pump powered by a long life battery? If the body
stops functioning for some reason, the pump would automatically shut off,
but only after the cessation of electrical brain activity which would be
monitored by the mechanical heart. If the brain activity stops (brain
death), then the heart stops. That would ensure that the mechanical heart
wouldn't keep pumping blood after the body has died. I don't think this
particular bionic symbiosis is that far out, especially since artificial
hearts have been working well for some time now.
Now, you will ask, "If we put in a mechanical heart, and artificial limbs,
or no legs at all, or other bionic combinations, why not just create robots
to go into space?" Well, we'll probably do that for some routine activities
such as minding the temperature, sounding collision alarms, monitoring the
communications, et al., (you all know "Al", don't you?), there will be some
functions that will require the imagination, originality, and creativity
that only the human brain is capable of. Therefore, while AI (not Al) is
rapidly improving, it seems unlikely that the human presence will ever be
unnecessary. Read any of the stories where the human and the ship are melded
into a symbiotic unit? Fascinating concept.
I don't know about the "legless astronaut" idea. Have to give that some more
thought.
Watch the skies!
G. B. Leatherwood
----- Original Message -----
From: <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
To: <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
Sent: Wednesday, March 14, 2001 9:42 AM
Subject: Re: Gadfry!
>
> In a message dated 3/13/2001 4:46:13 PM Alaskan Standard Time,
> [EMAIL PROTECTED] writes:
>
> > My God. To say that this is an extreme solution is the understatement
of
> > the century. Prosthetic bone replacements aren't attached to the
muscles
> --
> > they can't be, since the connective tissue cells that make up the
ligaments
> > blend in directly with the living bone cells. As surgeons are fond of
> > pointing out, joint replacements are actually much more vulnerable to
> > breakage than living bone because the latter is a living tissue that
> > regularly repairs developing damage in itself. And I haven't heard of
any
> > compound anywhere on the horizon that could be used to strengthen
> atrophying
> > bone -- if there was, every woman with ostoporosis would be clamoring
for
> it
> > right now. I don't see any practical way to completely replace even a
> > single bone in the human body (unless you're Wolverine from "X-Men").
We
> > simply have to keep bones from losing calcium in 0-g in the first
place --
> > and since exercise, from what I hear, doesn't seem to do the trick,
unless
> > and until we discover a really effective and safe anti-osteoporosis
drug
> > we're stuck with artificial gravity for long-duration spaceflight.
> >
> Robert Bradbury, of nanotechnology applications fame, might suggest
somehow
> using blood circulation nanomachines to do the trick.
>
> -- JHB
> ==
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