Do Astronauts Have to Wear Sunglasses in Space?
Mood:  cool
Topic: eyeglass frames

There’s a lot of news buzzing online regarding Mars One’s goal to establish a human settlement on Mars and if they should put the crew in deep sleep on the way. One question that comes to mind is whether astronauts will have to wear sunglasses while in space. Can they still be blinded by the sun and/or other stars?

 The answer is a very strong yes.  According to Quora, the sun can still be blindingly bright for space travellers. Their spacesuits are designed to adapt for extreme brightness. If you think of a space suit, you most likely picture the bubble-like piece that fits around the astronaut’s head. This headpiece is equipped with a primary transparent visor. If the sun gets too bright, the astronaut can pull down the outer visor much like putting on a pair of eyeglasses.

 Additionally, astronauts are not looking through the Earth’s atmosphere which adds an additional layer of protection. The additional visor is most definitely needed.

If you are considering joining the crew to Mars, remember to bring your sunglasses as you’ll definitely need them! Here are a few interesting facts regarding this topic:

1. The outer visor of the spacesuit is covered in a thin layer of 24 carat gold.
2. It’s a natural human reflex to look away from the sun.
3. Eight low-risk cargo missions will travel to Mars before they send the crew.
4. If the Mars crew survives, a new group of people will arrive on the planet every two years to form a small village.
5. Living on Mars is commonly compared to living in Antarctica. It’s tough to do, but possible.
6. It will take approximately seven months to travel to Mars. This is a little bit longer than astronauts currently stay at the International Space Station.
7. Mars has two moons and takes 1.88 Earth years to travel around the sun.
8. Mars was first recorded by Egyptian astronomers in the 2nd millennium BC.
9. You could leap nearly three times higher on Mars than you could on Earth because their gravity is only 37% of the Earth’s.
10. As of August 2013, only 16 missions to Mars have been successful (they have tried 39 times).

 So there you have it, Astronauts do need to wear sunglasses while in space. With all this talk about setting up a colony on Mars, we have to ask, would you do it?

 Don’t forgot, 20/20 Eyeglass Superstore sells thousands of frames and sunglasses. We have a frame for every face and a price for any budget. We also have Independent Doctors of Optometry at each location. No appointment is needed, just come down 15 minutes earlier than your desired appointment time to fill out the required paperwork. We look forward to seeing you!