So far, all the pre-existed human species, including us, were born on the Earth. Logically, we all are born in space. Now the questions arise here is, “how the person will look if he was born in outer space?” “Will the baby be able to survive that environment?”
Well, the ‘outer space’ is the space that exists above the earth’s atmosphere. At 400 kilometers above the earth’s surface, the International Space Station (ISS) is orbiting the earth at a high speed of 7.6 km/s in outer space.
This high speed creates a Zero-G environment. This means the gravitational force is not present there. The Zero-G does not define the zero-gravity. Gravity cannot be zero. The gravity is present everywhere in the form of space-time curvatures, as proposed by Einstein’s general theory of relativity.
Birth of a baby in the space
We have discussed the information that will help you to understand that you’re lucky enough to be born on the earth. No pregnant woman will be able to go space station to giving birth to a child. Assume that a pregnant woman went to space. First of all, she won’t be able to carry such a heavy spacesuit on her body.
Then the motion of the fluids necessary for the child development will be disoriented due to this zero-G environment. Her body will face several changes in her mind and body. These changes will affect the baby’s body structure as well. The mother’s bone structure and muscles will get weak. Even if she follows proper space diet and regular exercise, these problems cannot be handled effectively.
At the time of delivery, the mother has to give a push to her womb. Due to the absence of gravitational pull, she won’t be able to do so. Moreover, her pelvic bones can be broken easily due to its weal strength. So, it is nearly impossible for a woman to give birth to a baby. Hypothetically, despite all these difficulties, she gave birth to a baby.
After the birth
Will the baby look like the earthborn baby? Will he have the same body structure as other babies have? The answer to these questions is, definitely not. The body structure and the skeletal framework of the baby will not be the same as the earth-born baby. He will suffer a lot of difficulties for his survival.
- The improper flow of the fluids and blood in his body will take place. The body needs a proper flow of the fluids for its strength. This flow is due to the gravitational force, which pulls the fluids downwards. Since the baby has to live in a Zero-G environment, this improper flow will make him visually sick. He will also suffer from disordered balance. This has been observed in the astronauts as well and called space adaptation syndrome.
- Now, talking about his looks, he won’t look like an earth-born baby. “A biologist in his studies suggested that the human born on the space station will not a fully human species”. The baby will have a puffy face and an inflated body. The upper part of the body will be more expanded than the lower part.
- The eyes will bulge out. The skull will be larger than the earthborn baby. The reason behind this is the improper flow of fluids and the absence of the stress on the bones and the muscles because of the effect of zero-G.
- Taking the internal body into consideration, our pumping organ, the heart, which is the reason for the life of the human body, won’t have to pump against gravity. The blood pressure will be higher in the upper body. The flow of blood will be affected badly and result in blood loss. The skin will get pale and the body will get weak. The body will lose its tolerance against the gravitational force. The brain’s working efficiency of the child will be off.
- Since the baby is out of the earth’s atmosphere, there will be no layer to protect the baby from harmful electromagnetic radiation. Exposures to these harmful radiations will make the immune system of the baby weaker. His body will not be able to fight against disease-causing micro-organisms. The white blood cells will not be functional anymore.
- One of the major problems lies with bone mass and muscular strength. The muscles need gravitational pull for their development. This stress makes the muscles strong and capable of tolerating external stress. The bones also need gravitational pull for their proper growth and strength.
- To maintain body strength, the astronauts have to follow a strict exercise and diet. They have to take several precautions to survive. Taking such precautions is not possible for a baby at all. The baby can’t do exercise like an adult human being. So, his muscles will be so weak that he won’t be able to withstand the external forces.
- The bones of the lower body won’t grow much due to the absence of downward pressure because of the gravitational pull. As a result, the skull will be larger and stronger than his legs. His body will have an irregular shape and curved vertebral column. This is similar to suffer from rickets. The bone strength will be less. They can be broken easily.
“Overall, if the baby returned to the earth, he has to face a strong gravitational pull. Since his body is too weak due to the absence of the gravitational pull, his body won’t be able to withstand such a strong gravitational pull of the earth’s surface. Therefore, he won’t be able to survive for longer periods.”
