• Question: Could we get disease from space

    Asked by Baggins123 to Ajay, Kate, Kuntal, Pip, Reka on 8 Nov 2016.
    • Photo: Reka Nagy

      Reka Nagy answered on 8 Nov 2016:

      We haven’t yet discovered any living organisms or viruses in space (that didn’t come from Earth), so it’s unlikely we would get diseases from these – until we discover a planet with living organisms, anyway.
      However, there is no atmosphere in space to protect us from the radiation of the Sun – so astronauts need those space suits to protect them (and allow them to breathe, and not freeze, among other things), or they would get radiation sickness, which can lead to death if it is very severe!

    • Photo: Pip Millington

      Pip Millington answered on 8 Nov 2016:

      The main reason that humans age and get diseases like cancer is due to the way our cells and their DNA is affected by radiation. We get exposed to a small amount of radiation every day but not usually not enough to cause any immediate problems. Over time this exposure accumulates and can cause disease. In medicine, we call this background radiation. Some of it comes from radioactive elements found in the Earth but a portion of this comes from cosmic rays from space.

      So in a way, yes, we can get disease from space but not things cause by infections like coughs and colds.

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