How to keep the Sars-CoV-2 coronavirus away from the International Space Station

• While on earth that Coronavirus Sars-CoV-2 is circulating ISS has so far been spared
• Expert: “The ISS is currently one of the safest places “
• What is done to that Corona virus of the International space station keep away

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The Sars-CoV-2 * coronavirus causes an emergency in many nations on Earth. At the moment there is probably only one place inhabited by humans, which is guaranteed to be free of Coronavirus Sars-CoV-2 is the International Space Station. “I would say the ISS is currently one of the safest places,” Luis Zea, who does research at the BioServe Space Technologies research center at the University of Colorado, told Newsweek.

Keep Coronavirus Sars-CoV-2 away from the ISS: These measures exist

But how does it succeed? ISS also free from Corona virus to keep? The pandemic * is in full swing on Earth – but should already be on April 9, 2020 Astronauts to International space station set out.

It is impossible to imagine how the situation on board the ISS could develop, would be one of the astronauts with Sars-CoV-2 infected: the astronauts live and work together in a small space, besides that it will immune system Impaired by weightlessness – theoretically, the best conditions for the coronavirus on the ISS prevail. Medical assistance on board is also only possible to a limited extent – in an emergency, the astronauts would first have to cope with the exhausting return trip to Earth.

ISS: Strict security measures were in place before the coronavirus pandemic

But that doesn’t just apply to that Coronavirus Sars-CoV-2but also for each other illness of astronauts on the ISS. In order to prevent this, they were in place before the new one broke out virus Strict security precautions: The astronauts go in for two weeks before launching to the ISS quarantine. There, the astronauts are tested for diseases and monitored to see whether they show symptoms of the disease (more on the symptoms of the Sars-CoV-2 coronavirus and the Covid-19 * lung disease). “It’s a good filter,” says Zea.

The quarantine make sure the astronauts are not sick and none Diseases “Hatch,” said a spokeswoman for the US space agency Nasa. This process called “health stabilization” is an “important part to protect the health of the crew”.

Astronauts go into quarantine before launching – not only because of the corona virus

Not only the astronauts become before ISS exactly checked: freight for the space station is cleaned before the start, but usually not sterilized. But that’s not a problem: that Corona virus can only survive on surfaces for a limited time – by the time the cargo arrives on the ISS, the virus on the surfaces would have died long ago.

Should it be on board the International space station but if there is an emergency – a coronavirus outbreak or another health problem – there are always enough “Soyuz” capsules with which the astronauts can return to Earth. In addition, all astronauts have undergone emergency medical training and have regular contact with doctors on earth who do the health watch the astronauts closely.