Human Needs

Exploration: Then and Now

Essential Questions
How do people adapt to new
environments?
 

"
How will basic needs be met in new
worlds? 







Lesson Overview 

  

This lesson investigates human needs and

 
how humans adapt to new environments.
Students experiment to understand the 
 
effects of physical stress on muscles. They !
  



also identify food properties that make foods 





suitable for space flight and travel during
colonial times. Using the new food-guide National Science Education Standards
pyramid, students create a food and activity Science as Inquiry
plan for healthy eating and then modify this Physical Science
plan based upon what they learn about past
and present exploration. Science and Technology
Science in Personal and Social
Background Information Perspective
Human beings have certain basic needs. We National Health Education Standards
must have food, water, air, and shelter to
Demonstrate the ability to practice health-
survive. If any one of these basic needs is not
enhancing behavior and reduce health
met, then humans cannot survive. risks.

Before past explorers set off to find new lands Demonstrate the ability to use goal-
and conquer new worlds, they had to make setting and decisionmaking skills to
enhance health.
sure that their basic needs were met.

Supplies of food and water were brought on

the journey or were gathered along the way. Shelter, such as a tent, was either carried

or built to protect explorers from the weather or other dangers.

Basic human needs have not changed much since the 17th century. We continue to

explore to better understand our own world and to address the modern challenges that

face societies in general. Beyond the boundaries of Earth, 21st-century explorers will

face a unique set of challenges as they return to the Moon, travel to Mars, and scout

the far reaches of the solar system.

Instructional Objectives
Students will:
• explore the effects of physical stress on muscle;
• identify food properties and design tests to select suitable foods for travel during
colonial times and space flight;
• create a food and activity plan for healthy eating and modify the plan for 17th-
century travel and 21st-century space travel; and
• compare the differences in challenges faced by 17th-century and 21st-century
explorers.

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Materials
(Students will need journals and class charts in order to organize information
throughout this lesson.)

Engage
Per partnership:
• Spring-hinge clothespin
• Stopwatch

Explore
Per group:
• Different food samples. Food samples may include fruits, vegetables, breads,
crackers, drinks, meats, or any other readily available food.

Explain
Per student:
• “NASA and Jamestown Human Needs Chart: Food/Water”
• “NASA and Jamestown Human Needs Chart: Health Concerns”

Extend
Per group:
• Internet access

Vocabulary
atrophy: a decrease in size or wasting away of a body part or tissue

bloodletting: a common medical practice of the 17th century consisting of draining

blood from a person’s body to cure specific diseases

brackish water: water that is a mixture of freshwater and saltwater

circadian clock: often referred to as circadian rhythm, an internal biological timer with
a set number of hours; each individual has their own internal clock that appears to
control biological processes, including sleep, hunger, and hormone production

dysentery: an infection of the intestine that causes severe diarrhea

famine: extremely low food supply that leads to starvation

irradiated food: food that has been preserved by exposure to specific heat or light
radiation

natural form foods: foods that can be eaten without additional processing

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proprioceptors: sensory receptors found chiefly in muscles, tendons, joints, and the
inner ear that detect the motion or position of the body or a limb; some proprioceptors
are found on the bottom of your feet

rehydratable food: food that has been preserved by removing the water; water is
added to the food before it is eaten

resistive exercise: an activity that strengthens bone and muscle by pushing against a
force using your own body weight

thermostabilized food: food that has been preserved using heat to destroy harmful
bacteria

typhoid fever: an acute infection of the intestines

vestibular system: a bodily system that helps regulate balance and motion and is
involved with equilibrium

Suggested Pacing:
Engage Explore Explain Extend Evaluate Total
50-minute Completed
class 1 class 2 class 1 class 1 class throughout 5 class
period period periods period period the lesson periods

Instructional Procedure
Teaching Suggestion: Prior to beginning this lesson, create a chart that will be
displayed throughout the lesson to help organize student learning. Ask the students to
create similar charts in their journals. The charts may be formatted as follows, but
should be large enough to organize information.

How do people adapt to new environments?

How will basic needs be met in new worlds?

JAMESTOWN MOON

FOOD/WATER

HEALTH CONCERNS

Engage
Generally, when we think of stress, we think of emotional stress, such as being
overworked, mentally tired, or overwhelmed by our daily lives. You would imagine that
exploring and settling new worlds would be emotionally stressful for both 17th-century
explorers and 21st-century explorers. Too much emotional stress is not good for
anyone.

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Emotional stress is not the only kind of stress. Our bodies, including our muscles and
bones, need some physical stress to be healthy and to grow. Gravity’s pull is a force
that creates physical stress for everything on Earth. Living and working in a reduced-
gravity environment eliminates some physical stress.

Physical stress occurs when bones and muscles work against a force. It occurs when
we pick up something heavy, like a large bag of potatoes. Gravity pulls down on the
bag and we have to work to overcome that force to lift the bag. The resistance of water
when swimming also creates physical stress. Muscles and bones have to work against
the water to move the body. Gravity pulls on our bodies and our muscles and bones
work to counteract that force and keep us balanced.

Stress from physical activity is necessary for bone growth and maintenance. The body
builds bone based on its needs. Muscles also rebuild and grow as a result of physical
stress. Stress can lead to change in either muscle strength or muscle stamina (the
ability to perform an activity for a long time without becoming tired). High-intensity,
short-duration exercises (or stresses), like weight lifting, cause the muscles to increase
in strength. Low-intensity, long-duration activities, such as running and swimming,
cause muscles to increase in stamina.

Much more is understood about the human body and how it adapts to new
environments today than was understood during the 17th century. The Jamestown
settlers lived in cramped spaces when they traveled from England. Movement and
exercise was limited. Although these cramped quarters compromised the health of the
Jamestown settlers, their bodies still benefited from physical stress.

This activity helps your students understand some of the benefits of gravity and
physical stress.

1. Discuss the following questions as a class or ask students to write their thoughts in
their journals:
• Imagine that you are an explorer ready to begin a new adventure. What feelings
might you have before you begin your exploration?
• Would you be worried about having enough food, water, and air?
• Would your feelings be different if you were a 17th-century explorer compared to
being a 21st-century explorer?
• What is stress?
• Would you feel stress in both situations?
2. Discuss the differences between emotional and physical stress and discuss how/why
the body needs physical stresses, such as exercise, to be healthy.
3. Explain to students that they will be exploring the effects of physical stress on the
muscles in their hands.
4. The first trial will test each student’s initial muscle strength and stamina. Students
will work with partners to conduct the activity following these directions:
• Before each trial, the first person will predict the number of times he or she will
be able to click the clothespin in 1 minute.
• Students will create their own data chart to organize their predictions and

observed data.

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 • One partner will hold a clothespin in his or her nondominant hand between the
thumb and index finger.
• The other partner will time 1 minute and count the number of times the first
partner is able to click the clothespin.
• The first person running the test will rest for 1 minute and then click the
clothespin for another minute. This step will be repeated a total of three times.
• Partners will switch roles.
5. After students have completed all trials, ask the following questions:
• How do the muscles in your hand feel?
• How did your hand feel after the first minute? The second minute? The third
minute?
• Why do you think this happened?
6. Every other day for the next two weeks, have students repeat this exercise. This
repetition is the conditioning period. The stress induced by the clothespin on the
muscles of the hand will cause the muscles to become stronger and increase stamina.
Students should predict and report their results each day.
7. Discuss these questions as a class or ask students to write their thoughts in their
journals:
• What is the difference between muscle strength and muscle stamina?
• How did strength and stamina change in your hand over the conditioning

period?

• Compare your predicted results and actual results. Did your predicted results
improve over the course of the experiment?
8. Some current countermeasures for bone and muscle loss during long-duration space
flight include nutrition and exercise. Without adequate nutrition, problems can arise for
every system in the body. Ensuring that astronauts have the right nutrients in their food
is critical for their health before, during, and after flight. At the same time, performing
daily exercise also helps astronauts decrease bone and muscle losses. Continue the
class discussion by asking these questions:
• What do astronauts do to counteract bone and muscle deterioration during long-
duration space flight?
• How would a long-duration space flight compare to the trip from England to
Jamestown in 1607?
• What must all explorers do to prepare to live in unfamiliar worlds?

Teaching Suggestion: You may want to show the 30-minute NASA CONNECT™
video “Good Stress: Building Better Muscles and Bone” to your students, found at
http://connect.larc.nasa.gov/programs/2004-2005/good_stress/index.html.
You will find an expanded version of this activity in the NASA CONNECT™ educator
guide at this site. This activity originally appeared in From Outer
Space to Inner Space/Muscles and Bones: Activities Guide for Teachers created by
Baylor College of Medicine for the National Space Biomedical Research Institute under
NASA Cooperative Agreement NCC 9-58. This activity is used with permission of
Baylor. All rights reserved. A copy of this guide can be downloaded at
http://www.nsbri.org/Education/TG/TG_Muscles.pdf

9. Ask students to add information to the charts they created earlier. Return to the
class chart and add information learned during this activity.

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Explore
Food is a basic need. Having enough food and meeting nutritional requirements while
traveling has always been a problem for explorers.

In 1607, the Godspeed, the Discovery, and the Susan Constant journeyed with 104
settlers for nearly five months on a voyage from England to Virginia. Food and water
were carried with the travelers. Limited space and lack of preservation techniques
reduced the types of food that could be carried. Early explorers dried and stored food in
cool places. They also used sealed containers.

Astronauts must also take their food with them when they travel. Some of the same
methods used by early explorers are still being used to store food aboard the Space
Shuttle and the International Space Station. Preparation varies with the food type.
Some foods can be eaten in their natural form, such as fruit. Other foods require
adding water to rehydrate them, such as broccoli in cheese sauce.

With no food refrigerators in space, food must be specially prepared and preserved to
avoid spoilage. Settlers in 1607, during the time of Jamestown exploration, faced the
same obstacle.

Teaching Suggestion: Gather a variety of food samples to be tested and identified as

suitable or not suitable for space travel. You should have at least two different food
samples for each test group. Make sure each group has a different combination of
food.

1. Brainstorm as a class to create a list of foods that students might take with them in a
sack lunch on a field trip and discuss reasons for choosing these foods.
2. Review this list to identify foods that astronauts might also take on a trip into space.
Discuss some criteria about food suitability for space flight. Some criteria might include:
• easy to package
• fits into acceptable size packages for portion control
• provides proper nutrition
• acceptable taste and odor
• travels well and fits into storage compartments
• does not produce crumbs (crumbly or loose foods can float and
contaminate the inside of a spacecraft and become an annoyance or
even a hazard to crews and equipment)
• stores well for long periods of time without spoiling
• simple to prepare for eating

Teaching Suggestion: You may want to show the 30-second NASA KSNN™ (Kids
Science News Network) video, “Why do astronauts eat tortillas instead of bread?”
found at http://ksnn.larc.nasa.gov/21Century/p2.html. You will also find an expanded
version of this activity and more explanations about food preparation for space travel
on this site.

3. As a class, develop a list of properties that your class will use to determine food
suitability for space flight. Use these properties to create a data chart in the journals.

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 4. Break students into small groups and ask them to develop tests to evaluate food
samples for the properties that would make them suitable for space flight. Tests might
include:
• handling the food to test for crumbs
• wafting the food to test for desirable smells
• conducting a simulated bite test to produce crumbs
• reviewing the food label to test for proper nutrition and portion size
5. Ask students to describe test procedures in their journals. Give each small group
one or two foods to test for space flight suitability.

Teaching Suggestion: Stress safety issues. Ask students to wear safety glasses and
demonstrate rules of the science laboratory regarding smelling (wafting).Tasting is not
allowed in the science laboratory. Discuss proper clean-up procedures.

6. Based upon test results, create a list of foods suitable for space flight.
7. Discuss these questions as a class or ask students to write their thoughts in their
journals:
• What qualities make the best foods for space travel?
• Would the same types of foods have been suitable for the Jamestown
journey?
• How would you package these foods for a long-duration space flight?
• How would you package these foods for the 1607 Jamestown journey?
• Compare the way the food is packaged in the grocery store to the way
it was packaged in 1607?
• How is this different than the packaging used for space flight?
8. Ask students to add any new information to the charts they created earlier. Return to
t the class chart and add any new information learned during these activities.

Explain
Food and water are essential for human survival. Although the human body usually
cannot live more than two weeks without water, the length of time that a person can
live without food varies depending on the size of the person. The body will use its fat
and stored protein (muscles) to survive.

Maintaining good health requires proper nutrition, exercise, adequate sleep, and proper
medical care. To further protect astronauts’ health, NASA scientists are studying how
space flight and changes in gravity affect the human body. If humans are going to
make long-duration space flights, researchers must learn more about bone loss and
muscle atrophy and how to reduce the effects of an extended stay in a reduced-gravity
environment.

1. Ask students to read the two “NASA and Jamestown Human Needs Charts” to find
out more about the importance of food, water, and health concerns for NASA and the
early Jamestown settlement.
2. Identify key ideas in the readings.
3. Help students add this information to both the class chart and their own charts.

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 Food and Water Chart Health Concerns Chart

Extend
Healthy eating is a concern for everyone. A new food-guide pyramid was released by
the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) in 2005 that encourages
consumers to make healthier food choices, to be active every day, and to make
personal choices that fit their needs.

1. The new food pyramid is not a one-size-fits-all plan. Take your students to the food
pyramid Web site, http://www.mypyramid.gov/, for a quick estimate of what and how
much they need to eat. Posters, interactive computer games, and education resources
are also available at this site.

Teaching Suggestion: An interesting game to introduce the new food pyramid can be
found in the NASA SCI Files™ Educator Guide for “The Case of the Physical Fitness
Challenge.” This game can be found at
http://scifiles.larc.nasa.gov/educators/episodes/2005_2006/fitness/fitness_seg3.pdf, on
page 65.

2. Give students the following tasks to respond to in their journal:

• Create a food and activity plan for your own healthy eating.
• Use the plan for the following explorations:
• How would this plan change if you were a 1607 Jamestown settler?
• How would this plan change if you were to travel and live on the
Moon?
3. Ask students to develop a multimedia presentation that shows the parallels between
past and future exploration. They must focus on the theme of human needs but may
include other themes of exploration, such as transportation, settlement, and the hunt
for water.
4. Complete other lessons from the “Exploration: Then and Now,” NASA and
Jamestown Education Module.

Evaluate
Choose one or more of the following activities to assess student understanding.
1. Evaluate the students’ charts. Look for an increase in understanding about how
people adapt to new environments. How were basic needs met for the Jamestown
settlers? How does NASA provide for an astronaut’s basic needs?
2. Ask students to apply what they’ve learned to other environments. How do people
adapt to other environments? How are basic needs met in new situations?
3. Assess students’ journal responses.

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4. Work with students to create a rubric to evaluate the multimedia presentations
created to parallel past and future exploration.

Additional NASA Resources

Sections of this lesson were adapted from existing NASA educational products.
These additional NASA resources may extend student understanding about ways that
human needs are met and how humans adapt to new environments.

Food and Water

Designed for Grades 3–5
The NASA SCI Files™ “The Case of the Great Space Exploration”
Design a nutritionally balanced diet for long-duration space flight.
http://scifiles.larc.nasa.gov/educators/episodes/2004_2005/gs.pdf
Page 90

NASA KSNN™
Visit the KSNN™ Web site to watch a 1-minute newsbreak to learn more about how
space explorers will provide for the basic needs of food and water. Each newsbreak
has accompanying background information, an activity, and additional resources.

“Are there grocery stores in space?”

http://ksnn.larc.nasa.gov/webtext.cfm?unit=food

“Did you know astronauts will recycle water in space?”

http://ksnn.larc.nasa.gov/webtext.cfm?unit=water

Health Concerns
Designed for Grades 3–5
The NASA SCI Files™ “The Case of the Biological Biosphere”
Perform this experiment to simulate an epidemic in your classroom and learn how
quickly illness and disease spreads.
http://scifiles.larc.nasa.gov/docs/guides/guide1_03.pdf
Page 34

The NASA SCI Files™ “The Case of the Biological Biosphere”

Germs are everywhere. You can’t always see them, but they are there. In this activity,
you will learn how to prevent the spread of infectious diseases.
http://scifiles.larc.nasa.gov/educators/activities/2002_2003/inclass/stop_germ.html

NASA KSNN™
Visit these Web sites to watch a 1-minute newsbreak to learn more about how space
explorers will stay healthy in space. Each newsbreak also has background information,
an activity, and additional resources.

“What challenges will we face on a crewed mission to Mars?”

http://ksnn.larc.nasa.gov/webtext.cfm?unit=challenges

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“Did you know that astronauts’ bodies change in space?”
http://ksnn.larc.nasa.gov/webtext.cfm?unit=body

“What do astronauts do if they get sick in space?”

http://ksnn.larc.nasa.gov/webtext.cfm?unit=astrosick

“Do astronauts need calcium in space?”

http://ksnn.larc.nasa.gov/webtext.cfm?unit=calcium

“How would your body change in space?”

http://ksnn.larc.nasa.gov/21Century/p3.html

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 NASA and Jamestown Human Needs: Food and Water Student Handout

JAMESTOWN NASA
In 1606, King James I granted a charter to Having adequate, nutritious food and
the Virginia Company, a group of London sufficient freshwater while traveling has
entrepreneurs, to establish an English always been challenge for explorers.
settlement in North America. Before Before astronauts travel into space, NASA
beginning the long journey, the settlers scientists determine how much food will
estimated how much food and water they be needed for each mission. For example,
would need for the voyage and for an astronaut on the International Space
sustenance once they arrived in the New Station (ISS) uses about 1.83 kilograms (4
World. John Smith stated, “What could be pounds) of food per meal each day. About
thought fitting or necessary we had, but 0.27 kilograms (0.6 pounds) of this weight
what we should find or what we should is packaging material. Longer-duration
want or where we should be—we were all missions will require much more food. The
ignorant, and supposing to make our trip to Mars and back, for instance, may
passage in two months, with victual to live take more than three years. Based on
and the advantage of the spring to work. these numbers, a crew of four on a trip to
[But] we were at sea five months, where Mars eating only three meals each day
we both spent our victual and lost the would need to carry more than 24,000
opportunity of time and season to plant, kilograms (nearly 53,000 pounds) of food
..." Based upon Smith’s words, we can and packaging with them.
estimate the time he believed they
planned for living in the colony before Food for the early astronauts consisted of
relief arrived from England to be about freeze-dried powders, bite-size cubes, and
three to four months. Unfortunately, semiliquids in tubes. As NASA scientists
Captain Christopher Newport left learned more about the space
Jamestown for England on June 22, 1607, environment, better ways to prepare and
and did not return until January 2, 1608, package foods were developed. Today,
over six months later. the types of foods available include
rehydratable, thermo-stabilized, irradiated,
The voyage lasted nearly five months. and natural-form foods. Most foods are
With limited space aboard the ships and ready to eat simply by adding water and/or
few methods for preserving food, the by heating. All food is precooked and
selection of food to be stored and carried processed so it requires no refrigeration.
was restricted. No cooling or refrigeration Food for the ISS is similar to that on the
was available, so all food was salted, Space Shuttle except that fewer foods
dried, or pickled in vinegar to help prevent require rehydration because of the limited
spoiling. These foods, which could be amount of water available on the Station.
used for weeks or even months, were
often unappetizing. Astronauts work with nutritionists to select
menus that appeal to their individual
During the voyage, basic daily rations for tastes. Five months before flight, menus
each traveler included dried hardtack are selected and analyzed for nutritional
(biscuits that were baked until all moisture content by food scientists and the
was removed); salted, dried, or pickled nutritional biochemistry team. Meal times
meats and fish; cheese; oatmeal or barley; and the amount of food consumed by the
and a gallon of beer or wine. Water was astronauts are closely monitored in order
stored on the ships, as the colonists to ensure proper nutrition.

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recorded getting freshwater in the
Caribbean; however, it was not a staple of Food eaten during space flight is much
their diet. John Smith once wrote, “…the like the foods the astronauts would eat at
sack, aqua vitae (alcoholic beverages home. Astronauts in space may choose
made from grain or grapes) and other from foods such as cream of mushroom
preservatives of our health … were soup, macaroni and cheese, chicken,
necessary commodities for the welfare of beef, ham, scrambled eggs, and cereal.
the colonists.” In bad weather, no cooking
was allowed aboard the ships, so the Foods such as nuts, granola bars, and
settlers soaked the biscuits in water to cookies are classified as natural-form
make them edible. Cheese and cold foods. They are ready to eat and are
pickled meats completed these meals. packaged in clear, flexible pouches that
are cut open with scissors. Beverages
During this time in history, ships crossing come in powdered form and include
the Atlantic Ocean en route to the New coffee, tea, apple cider, orange drink, and
World often stopped at the Canary Islands lemonade.
or other Caribbean islands to trade for
fresh provisions. Fruits, vegetables, and On Earth, the average American uses
sea tortoises could be added to the about 132 liters (35 gallons) of water
normally bland diet, but fresh supplies every day. Water is heavy, so attempts
needed to be used quickly before they are made to minimize the amount of water
spoiled. carried aboard spacecraft. On the Space
Shuttle, water is produced as a byproduct
A wonderful sight greeted the Jamestown from fuel cells. Fuel cells make electricity
settlers when they finally reached Virginia. when hydrogen and oxygen are
George Percy, one of the settlers, wrote combined. Water is produced as a
about the beautiful trees and freshwaters. byproduct, and this water is then used by
The area appeared to be filled with wildlife the astronauts.
and edible plants. When Captain Newport
returned to England for fresh supplies, the The situation on the ISS is different.
settlers were instructed to trade for food Electrical power for the ISS is generated
with the native inhabitants of the area, the from solar panels rather than from fuel
Powhatan Indians. Unfortunately, relations cells and no water is produced. Small
with the Virginia Indians were often amounts of water are recycled aboard the
unpredictable. ISS, and each astronaut limits water use
to only about 11 liters (3 gallons) per day.
Weather conditions and inexperience
worked against the settlers, and soon they Recycling in space is different from
had little fresh food or water. With the recycling that may take place in your
beginning of a drought that lasted for home or school. Astronauts recycle as
several years, even the Powhatan crops much of their water as possible, including
failed, limiting the settlers’ chance to trade the moisture they exhale and sweat and
with the natives for food. The settlers did the water they use to shower and shave.
not know how to hunt and fish the strange These wastewaters are purified and then
species of animals they found in this new used as drinking water. The ISS uses
environment. Captain Newport’s return trip filtration and temperature sterilization to
with fresh supplies was delayed by ensure that the water is safe to drink.
several months. From 1609 to 1610, a
period known as the “starving time,” the Recycling water will be imperative for

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settlers resorted to eating the few horses long-duration missions, such as on the
they had, snakes, rats, mice, and even ISS or possible trips to the Moon and
leather shoes. Some reports tell of settlers Mars. A spacecraft on a lengthy trip to the
trying to survive by rationing barley Moon and Mars would be limited to the
soaked in water. George Percy stated, amount of water it could carry within its
“Our food was but a small can of barley weight restrictions. Additional water would
sod in water to five men a day; our drink need to be provided through recycling,
[was] cold water taken out of the river, limiting the use of water, and by
which was at a flood very salt [y], at a low developing new ways to create water.
tide full of slime and filth, which was the
destruction of many of our men.” John
Smith wrote, “… half a pint of wheat and
as much barley this having fried some 26
weeks in the ship’s hold!—contained as
many worms as grains … Our drink was
water … From May to September [1607]
those that escaped lived upon sturgeon
and sea crabs; fifty in this time we buried.”
No matter who was the source, it is clear
that there was very little food that first
summer in Jamestown.

Water near the settlement was brackish,

containing not only large amounts of salt
but also the contagions Salmonella
typhosa that caused typhoid fever and
other diseases. Many historians believe
that the lack of freshwater was the leading
cause of many of the settlers’ deaths.
George Percy wrote, “Our men were
destroyed with cruel diseases, as
swellings, burning fevers [typhoid fever],
and by wars, and some departed
suddenly, but for the most part they died
of mere famine.”

Eventually, the settlers adapted to this

new environment and learned how to find
freshwater. By 1610, about half of the
meat sources for the settlers came from
hunting local wildlife.

The settlers established friendlier relations

with the Virginia Indians who shared their
knowledge about food, water, and shelter.
They taught the settlers to use tuckahoe,
an edible plant root, to make bread and
prepare a nutritional meal of succotash.
Succotash was a mixture of beans, corn,

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squash, and meat. The settlers also
traded coins, beads, and metal products
with the Virginia Indians for deer,
waterfowl, melons, beans, squash, and
berries.

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NASA and Jamestown Human Needs: Health Concerns Student Handout

JAMESTOWN NASA
The success of the Jamestown settlement A carefully constructed and enforced
seemed promising when Captain program helps monitor the health of the
Christopher Newport returned to England astronauts. At least one week prior to
for more supplies and settlers. launch, astronauts move into isolation in a
Unfortunately, the situation deteriorated closely controlled living environment that
quickly. includes bacterial filters. Personal contact
with people who are likely to carry
Although the settlers built a fort for infectious disease is minimized for up to
protection from hostile Virginia Indians six months prior to launch.
and the possibility of Spanish attack, the
walls did little to stop the summer’s Concerns about the health of the
blistering heat and swarms of insects. The astronauts increase as they travel farther
swampy waters near the fort were unfit for from Earth and away from medical
drinking and, sadly, the settlers dug no assistance. NASA is studying how germs
freshwater wells, believing the river water and the human body may interact
was relatively fresh. The water was fresh differently in space than on Earth.
when they arrived in the spring but,
unfortunately, the settlers did not realize The human body is affected by space
that the river water became saltier during travel. About 40 percent of the astronauts
the dry summer months. Less rainfall who go into space report symptoms of
meant less freshwater in the river. The motion sickness, such as dizziness or
tidal action of the Atlantic Ocean, which is nausea. Motion sickness is caused by a
only 92 kilometers (57 miles) to the east, variety of factors. The most likely cause in
increased the concentration of salt in the space is sensory conflict among what your
water near Jamestown. The higher salinity eyes are seeing, what the nerve endings
levels meant contagions became trapped in in your feet (proprioceptors) record, and
the river water near the fort. By summer, what your vestibular system is telling you.
the settlers were too weak to dig freshwater Symptoms from motion sickness generally
wells, forcing them to drink from the river. disappear after two or three days, as the
This led to epidemics of typhoid fever, astronaut’s body adjusts to the new
dysentery, and other ailments such as salt environment.
poisoning.
Following Earth’s 24-hour light/dark cycle,
A lack of personal hygiene and unsanitary the human internal clock controls sleep,
conditions increased the spread of wakefulness, digestion, and hormonal
disease. Trash was thrown around and activity. This clock, known as the circadian
near the fort. The cramped quarters forced clock and often referred to as circadian
the settlers to live near people who were rhythm, is affected by space travel. As the
sick. The dead were buried inside the fort. Space Shuttle orbits Earth, the astronauts
on the flight deck are exposed to 45
The original group of settlers included two minutes of light followed by 45 minutes of
physicians, William Wilkinson and Thomas dark. Excitement, stress, noise, and
Wotten, and one barber, Thomas Cooper. different environmental light and dark cues
Barbers in 1607 would cut hair and shave may all contribute to changes in the
gentlemen clients, just as they do today. astronaut’s circadian rhythm, making it

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However, they also had medical training, difficult for them to sleep.
usually on-the-job from a colleague, that
taught them not only how to bloodlet but Astronauts face other health challenges
also how to pull teeth. Physicians of the while in space. On Earth, the heart
17th century completed 14 years of distributes blood evenly throughout the
training and schooling before providing body, working against the force of gravity
medical services; however, they had no to push fluids to the upper parts of the
knowledge of bacteria, germs, or viruses. body. In space, the heart pumps the same
No one understood how disease spread, way as it does on Earth, but gravity does
and doctors did not sterilize equipment or not pull fluids toward the lower parts of the
wash their hands. Medicines common body. The fluids in the body redistribute in
today, such as penicillin, did not exist in the reduced-gravity environment, causing
1607. Plants and herbs were used to fight head congestion; headaches; and puffy,
illnesses. Bloodletting was a common swollen faces. This fluid redistribution
practice of the day. Doctors believed that takes water from the legs, so the legs
disease was caused because a person’s become thinner. This condition is known
body held too much blood. as “puffy face, chicken leg” syndrome. In
addition, some lesser-used muscles can
The barber, who may have had some lose tone and mass because they no
surgical experience, was responsible for longer have to work against gravity.
the bloodletting procedure. He would open
a vein in a person’s arm and drain some During space flight, the force of gravity no
of the blood out of the body until the longer compresses, or pushes down on,
person either got well or died. the vertebrae in the spine. As a result, the
vertebrae can separate slightly from one
The Jamestown settlement was nearly lost another and the spine can lengthen up to
to illness, disease, and famine. Eventually, 7 centimeters (about 3 inches). The spine
the settlers adapted to their new home. returns to normal size when the astronaut
The English referred to a “seasoning time” returns to Earth, but the change in height
for new settlers. If a new settler lived plays a critical role in designing flight suits
through two summers in Virginia, they and Extra Vehicular Activity (EVA) suits.
were considered “seasoned” and likely to When working outside the protective
survive. environment of the ISS and Space
Shuttle, EVA suits must be flexible enough
Ships traveling from England to Virginia to accommodate the height change while
timed their departures so the new settlers providing a tight seal to maintain the
would arrive in late winter or early spring. pressure needed to survive in an
This arrival time gave the new settlers the environment with little or no atmosphere.
opportunity to gradually become
acclimated to Virginia’s climate and NASA researchers and scientists are
allowed time to plant crops to feed the working on methods to protect the health
newcomers. of astronauts while they are on long-
duration space missions, while working on
To help stop the spread of disease, the the Moon or other planets, and when they
English built a hospital in 1612 to isolate return to Earth. NASA scientists have
the sick colonists from the other settlers. studied the effects of exercising in space,
The hospital, named Mount Malado (or and astronauts now train daily on resistive
Malady), was built at a location up the exercise equipment.
James River, completely separate from

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Jamestown.

As the settlers adapted to their new

environment, their health improved. With
determination and perseverance, the
original settlers left their mark in history,
and Jamestown became the first
permanent English-speaking settlement in
the New World.

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