ASR Manual Chapter 6: Science: Difference between revisions

Vacuum suits have largely replaced the bulkier environmental suits.  Most ships till carry at least a few environmental suits for passengers without vacuum suits.  All personnel, including civilians, remaining onboard for an extended stay are required to have a fitted vacuum suit constructed.  

During combat operations it is normal for all members of a starship's complement to wear light duty vacuum suits in case of decompression and atmosphere loss.  While forcefields and emergency doors can usually seal off sections of a ship and prevent the loss of large ammounts of atmosphere, failures in these systems can result in substantial depressurization that would kill unprotected personnel.  Since such failures are not uncommon when a ship has been substantially damaged in combat, all personnel on starships, military and civilian alike, are expected to wear vacuum suits whenever combat is likely.  Suits are normally kept with a crew member at their duty station.  

Vacuum suits are custom fitted to an individual.  This allows them to fit precisely and to have sensors imbedded in the suit which conveys sensation through the suit to allow the wearer the tactical sensation necessary to perform any task needed while still wearing the suit.  The tactical sensation is so accute that a medical officer can perform surgery on an injured crewman in a bubble-pack operating pod in zero atmosphere while wearing a vaccum suit.  

Vacuum suits consist of a ruberized fabric suit with a built in oxygen scrubber which allows the user to survive for 36 hours without other life support.  The suit has a large, clear helmet.  Naval issue light duty suits are black.  Naval issue heavy duty suits have a 72 hour life-support capacity and are more resistant to damage.  However, they have reduced tactal senation.  They are used in operations where a more resistant suit is needed and the reduced tactal sensation is acceptable.  Either type of suit can be patched with special quick seal patches that are always stored in pockets on the suit.  

=== Twenty Fifth Century Federation Medicine ===

In 2369, the United Fedeation of Planets made a landmark decision with remarkable implications for the field of medicing. It admitted the planet Gefion to the Federation. Gefion, a Terran colony, had refused to give up the study of genetic engineering as Earth herself had virtually abandoned in the wake of the Eugenics Wars. In so doing, the Federation made a quantum leap in certain areas of medical technology overnight. While Gefion staunchly opposed the use of genetic engineering to create the "perfect human," they accepted use of genetic engineering to eliminate genetically-influenced diseases and to extend the natural life-span of humans. The true impact of this revolutionary change in previous Federation policy has just begun to be felt as those who received the first generational anti-aging treatments are not entering the last decades of their life, but rather the sixth and seventh decades of a two or three century life span.  

Now, modern medical science has greatly extended life spans and improved quality of life. Most diseases, including such things as cancer, have long been cured. Broken bones may be healed in a matter of seconds. Regenerative therapies, also inspired by the research of Gefion, have even been developed. While these techniques are still imperfect and do not work on parts of the population, they have allowed the human body to regenerate damaged organs and even nerves cells. For those that do not respond to regenerative therapies or for organs too badly damaged, biogenetic organ replacements allow remarkable recoveries from injury and make transplant rejection extremely rare. Electronic nerve replacements are also possible. Within the last 45 year, anti-aging treatments have been developed for a number of races, including humans, that slow the aging process. Average human life expectancy is approximately 250 years. Ultimate human life-span has been increased to nearly 300 years. All of these technologies have resulted in an a greatly improved quality of life.