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Students watching the History Channel on Feb. 5 may have caught a glimpse of a face that they recognized. Author, astrophysicist and professor of physics Neil Comins was featured on the channel’s Space Travel show, a part of “The Universe” production.
Comins spoke mainly of his knowledge regarding the dangers of space travel.
“I was interested in looking at all of the possible hazards of space – from radiation, collisions, problems on actual planets, medical and psychological problems experienced by space travelers and mechanical failure,” Comins said. The motivation to write a book on these issues came from good friend and editor Cliff Mills, who became sick during the writing of the book and was forced to retire.
Comins noted that the hazards to space travelers can be severe and wide-ranging. Many astronauts will initially experience limited muscle control upon arriving in space.
“The loss of muscle control is a similar experience to that of someone who has had too much alcohol,” Comins said. “As adaptable as we are as humans, though, most space travelers learn fairly quickly how to adjust to accommodate this.”
Other physical effects of space travel include the loss of bone density and bright flashes of light caused by particles coming into contact with the retina or optic nerve.
Also in space, digestion sometimes fails and medicines have a much shorter shelf life, which can be problematic for someone dealing with a chronic disease.
Many times, travelers become bored and lose interest in tasks and their reason for being in space. It is also common for astronauts to form cliques, which is dangerous when everyone must be working together for a safe and successful journey. The disinterest usually dissipates toward the end of the trip, said Comins. The travelers remember the excitement they felt when departing for space and realize what a great thing they are a part of and the enthusiasm tends to reemerge.
He is also the author of several textbooks, including what is currently the largest-selling astronomy textbook in the world.
“A lot of our professors are just really cool people, they have these interesting lives outside of their jobs here that we don’t even know about,” said first-year journalism major Betsy Caron when she heard about the work Comins has done.
Comins became a professor at the University of Maine after having first earned his undergraduate degree at Cornell University and his Ph.D. at the University College in Wales.
