In the two decades since these two studies were done, airline safety has improved even further, with fatal accidents steadily declining. Flying is statistically less risky than other modes of transport, but that doesn't stop some of us worrying.
It could be because we mostly see dramatic and fatal incidents on the news, or dramatised by Hollywood. Tom Farrier, former director of safety at the Air Transport Association, explained on the website Quora that three general conditions help determine whether an accident is survivable :.
In short: how bad any impact was for the body, how much damage was done to the aircraft, and whether the wreckage and environment around it are safe. In the case of Mexico, the plane crashed shortly after take-off and most of the injured passengers were able to get away before the aircraft caught fire. Asked if it was worse to crash on land or sea, aviation consultant Adrian Gjertsen says it has more to do with the proximity of rescue services than the surface.
But if you're in the middle of an ocean there's going to be more of a problem because of simply getting back to dry land," he told the BBC. The internet is full of advice on this topic: wearing your seatbelt, not wearing flammable clothes, and counting the seat rows in advance in case the lights fail.
People also debate where in an aircraft it's safest to sit, and some research suggests crash records show the rear could be marginally safer. Mr Gjertsen says it is not that simple, and that it all depends on the aircraft and the individual incident. See more stories and videos like this. To be able to boil the world's oceans the burst would need to be no more than 40 light-years away, and the likelihood of a burst occurring so close is again, minor.
Subtle changes in our environment impact us dramatically. There are many more resilient species' on earth. Life on this planet can continue long after humans are gone. In this context there is a real case for looking for life on Mars and in other areas of the solar system in general. If Tardigrades are earth's most resilient species, who knows what else is out there. Dr David Sloan, Co-author and Post-Doctoral Research Associate in the Department of Physics at Oxford University, said: 'A lot of previous work has focused on 'doomsday' scenarios on Earth -- astrophysical events like supernovae that could wipe out the human race.
Our study instead considered the hardiest species -- the tardigrade. As we are now entering a stage of astronomy where we have seen exoplanets and are hoping to soon perform spectroscopy, looking for signatures of life, we should try to see just how fragile this hardiest life is. To our surprise we found that although nearby supernovae or large asteroid impacts would be catastrophic for people, tardigrades could be unaffected.
Therefore it seems that life, once it gets going, is hard to wipe out entirely. Huge numbers of species, or even entire genera may become extinct, but life as a whole will go on. In highlighting the resilience of life in general, the research broadens the scope of life beyond Earth, within and outside of this solar system. Professor Abraham Loeb, co-author and chair of the Astronomy department at Harvard University, said: 'It is difficult to eliminate all forms of life from a habitable planet.
The history of Mars indicates that it once had an atmosphere that could have supported life, albeit under extreme conditions. Organisms with similar tolerances to radiation and temperature as tardigrades could survive long-term below the surface in these conditions. The subsurface oceans that are believed to exist on Europa and Enceladus, would have conditions similar to the deep oceans of Earth where tardigrades are found, volcanic vents providing heat in an environment devoid of light.
How far apart would they have to be to keep claustrophobia at bay? In a space station, where crewmembers are onboard for a much longer time typically 6 months , we have found that crewmembers simply need more space.
Science fiction also does a great job helping the public imagine what this future mission will look like. Nine pieces of technology showcased in the movie are accurate to the kind of equipment astronauts on the planet will use.
When you think of astronauts on Mars, what comes to mind? Did you picture a red planet turning green with time and continued human colonization? Unfortunately, those days are far in the future, if they even happen at all. The first few trips to Mars will only include the essentials. Since it differs greatly from Earth, survival is an important skill for astronauts to master. Microbial life is another threat to astronauts. With this in mind, all scientists involved with the Mars mission will take these and other potential risks under consideration.
After the NASA base is well established and the astronauts learned survival basics, things get more interesting. Davis said that his team calls this soil regolith and it will need to be cleansed of some toxic materials. And NASA scientists can get the job done. Before speaking to Davis, I believed that future Martian farms would be equivalent to greenhouses here on Earth. It seemed logical. In fact, we can pressurize the greenhouse with carbon dioxide, which is the main component of the Martian atmosphere.
Maybe one day it will, but for the time being, it just has to function for NASA scientists to live and work. Mars has captured the imagination of humans for decades. Others are already coming up with their own plans for the red planet. Mars is hopefully just our first step into the universe. As it is technology is the Achilles heel of the mission now.
We might have a way to get to Mars before we have a means of safe exploration. When she isn't writing, Megan enjoys hiking, swimming and going to the movies. She invites you to follow her on LinkedIn and subscribe to her blog here. Receive news, sky-event information, observing tips, and more from Astronomy's weekly email newsletter. View our Privacy Policy. By signing up you may also receive reader surveys and occasional special offers. We do not sell, rent or trade our email lists. Login or Register Customer Service.
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