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This is today's freebie, inspired by discussions with
justanorthernlight. It also fills the "Go Exploring" square in my 2-1-22 card for the Valentines Bingo Fest.
"The Unstable Polarity of Disability"
On Earth, most people
wake and sleep on
a 24-hour cycle.
Those sleeping on
a different cycle have
non-24-hour disorder,
a serious disability.
On Mars, a day is
just over half an hour
longer than on Earth.
People locked into
Earth's 24-hour cycle
are suddenly miserable
on Mars, as advantage
unexpectedly flips
into disadvantage.
The unstable polarity
of disability catches
everyone off guard.
Bowing to the inevitable,
NASA prints colorful posters
to recruit colonists whose
non-24-hour disorder will
match the pattern of Mars.
Below a rocket blasting off,
the recruitment posters read,
Immigrate to Mars! Leave
your disability behind on Earth.
It is everything that they
ever dreamed of and more.
Suddenly they're no longer
sleepy in the middle of the day
or restless late into the night.
They watch the small pink sun
rise and set over the Martian horizon,
like clockwork, perfectly matching
the clock inside their bodies.
They're Martians now --
but then, in a way,
they always were.
* * *
Notes:
Compare the features of Earth and Mars. Earth has a day of 23 hours 56 minutes, while Mars has a day of 24 hours 37 minutes.
Non-24-hour disorder is one of several names for a condition in which a person's circadian rhythm does not match Earth's day/night cycle. A difference of roughly half an hour longer is quite common, so many people with this condition would match Mars quite comfortably. In many cases, the condition only functions as a disability if people try to force their body into an unsuitable sleep cycle to match social context; if they follow their body clock, they sleep fine. Lifestyle changes, like a job with fluid hours and having a combination of early bird and night owl friends, can also help. However, a different version of the disorder occurs when the separate aspects of a person's body clock disagree with each other, and that leaves them uncomfortable no matter what they do.
My own sleep cycle is whimsical, but leans toward roughly a second-shift pattern. It tends to creep later, but if I pay attention, I can keep it mostly in a second-shift range and mostly functional. So I work from home because freelance writing/editing is a job I can do whenever my body feels like being awake. Having friends around the globe means that somebody's usually awake and online when I am.
People's exact wake/sleep cycle can vary somewhat from 24 hours without causing too much trouble, and some people have more flexibility than others, so there's some chance of colonists adapting to Mars. But anyone who's firmly locked into a 24-hour cycle is likely to be unhappy there.
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"The Unstable Polarity of Disability"
On Earth, most people
wake and sleep on
a 24-hour cycle.
Those sleeping on
a different cycle have
non-24-hour disorder,
a serious disability.
On Mars, a day is
just over half an hour
longer than on Earth.
People locked into
Earth's 24-hour cycle
are suddenly miserable
on Mars, as advantage
unexpectedly flips
into disadvantage.
The unstable polarity
of disability catches
everyone off guard.
Bowing to the inevitable,
NASA prints colorful posters
to recruit colonists whose
non-24-hour disorder will
match the pattern of Mars.
Below a rocket blasting off,
the recruitment posters read,
Immigrate to Mars! Leave
your disability behind on Earth.
It is everything that they
ever dreamed of and more.
Suddenly they're no longer
sleepy in the middle of the day
or restless late into the night.
They watch the small pink sun
rise and set over the Martian horizon,
like clockwork, perfectly matching
the clock inside their bodies.
They're Martians now --
but then, in a way,
they always were.
* * *
Notes:
Compare the features of Earth and Mars. Earth has a day of 23 hours 56 minutes, while Mars has a day of 24 hours 37 minutes.
Non-24-hour disorder is one of several names for a condition in which a person's circadian rhythm does not match Earth's day/night cycle. A difference of roughly half an hour longer is quite common, so many people with this condition would match Mars quite comfortably. In many cases, the condition only functions as a disability if people try to force their body into an unsuitable sleep cycle to match social context; if they follow their body clock, they sleep fine. Lifestyle changes, like a job with fluid hours and having a combination of early bird and night owl friends, can also help. However, a different version of the disorder occurs when the separate aspects of a person's body clock disagree with each other, and that leaves them uncomfortable no matter what they do.
My own sleep cycle is whimsical, but leans toward roughly a second-shift pattern. It tends to creep later, but if I pay attention, I can keep it mostly in a second-shift range and mostly functional. So I work from home because freelance writing/editing is a job I can do whenever my body feels like being awake. Having friends around the globe means that somebody's usually awake and online when I am.
People's exact wake/sleep cycle can vary somewhat from 24 hours without causing too much trouble, and some people have more flexibility than others, so there's some chance of colonists adapting to Mars. But anyone who's firmly locked into a 24-hour cycle is likely to be unhappy there.
(no subject)
Date: 2022-02-02 03:46 am (UTC)That's how long it takes between a star crossing the meridian and the next time it crosses the meridian.
Mars's solar day is 24 hours, 39 minutes and 35 seconds.
Mars's sidereal day is 24 hours, 37 minutes and 22 seconds
The difference between solar and sidereal day is due to the motion of the planet along its orbit. It has to rotate a bit farther to get the sun to cross the meridian.
That's also why the difference between the two on Mars is smaller, because if moves more slowly in its orbit.
Well ...
Date: 2022-02-02 04:02 am (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 2022-02-02 05:55 am (UTC)Hmm ...
Date: 2022-02-02 06:03 am (UTC)True. If the brain can't track light cycles, that can undermine circadian rhythm.
>> Does this 'verse have blind astronauts/emigrants?<<
I don't think this one does, but I'm sure I've done a piece at some point where space travel made people blind, so they just used blind astronauts in the first place. That came from an article about how space can damage vision.
(no subject)
Date: 2022-02-02 06:01 am (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 2022-02-02 11:40 am (UTC)I remember you mentioning your sleep patterns before. Mine are getting stranger and stranger lately. I just go with the flow anymore. I don't know if that's a good thing or not. I know everything that I've read says I should have a sleeping schedule and I used to, but lately that's just not working.
Resources
Date: 2022-02-03 02:55 am (UTC)So NASA Ames and JPL probably have a respectable bit of experience in that regard, and data on how people react to it.
Re: Resources
Date: 2022-02-03 03:00 am (UTC)That is so awesome. :D
>> The first six months after landing, they were down at JPL keeping Mars time.<<
Clever solution.
>> They fell into it fairly quickly, and all too often collided with Terran cultural expectations of what food might be available vs. what time of Mars day it was for them.<<
*ponder* Well, if you're planning to do it for that long, make a housing area with cafeteria for those workers. There are companies that provide worksite units.
>>So NASA Ames and JPL probably have a respectable bit of experience in that regard, and data on how people react to it.<<
Good to know.
Re: Resources
Date: 2022-02-03 11:57 am (UTC)Re: Resources
Date: 2022-02-06 11:13 pm (UTC)Re: Resources
Date: 2022-02-06 11:38 pm (UTC)Re: Resources
Date: 2022-02-07 01:46 am (UTC)Thoughts
Date: 2022-02-03 03:39 am (UTC)I don't know, but it needs attention.
>> I remember you mentioning your sleep patterns before.<<
Yeah, it's been a jumble since late December, but getting better now.
>> Mine are getting stranger and stranger lately. I just go with the flow anymore. I don't know if that's a good thing or not. <<
It can be a good thing, if it works for you.
>> I know everything that I've read says I should have a sleeping schedule and I used to, but lately that's just not working.<<
This is a falsifiable hypothesis. Keep a sleep journal for a while and measure how much sleep you get and how good it is, while on a schedule. Then do the same while going with the flow. See which gets you more and better sleep.
Me, I do badly on a rigid schedule, especially one requiring early morning hours. I do much better on a flexible schedule. However, if I let my body do whatever it pleases, then it will creep around the clock, sometimes surging ahead and other times dawdling or make erratic changes. Not fun. I have discovered that roughly a second-shift pattern works for me. My body still tends to creep, but it's less of a bother, and I can usually keep it rocking back and forth within a reasonable range. Sometimes it still crashes, but less often than if I try to force it to do things it doesn't want.
... my body's sleep cycle is like a mule wandering in a pasture. 0_o
(no subject)
Date: 2022-02-02 04:26 pm (UTC)Yay!
Date: 2022-02-03 03:40 am (UTC)Also, consider that some other people are night owls too. You may wish to seek clients in that pool.
(no subject)
Date: 2022-02-03 05:31 am (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 2022-02-03 02:14 pm (UTC)Yay!
Date: 2022-02-03 06:20 pm (UTC)Nothing sucks like having to go to an appointment in what amounts to the middle of the night. And some people just don't go because services aren't open when they can do things, or the timing makes it not worth the trouble.
(no subject)
Date: 2022-02-05 11:58 am (UTC)Indeed it is...
Yay!
Date: 2022-02-06 05:40 am (UTC)