NASA's reduced gravity flight program involves flying planes in a series of about 30 to 40 parabolas for researchers to conduct experiments on board. Every climb produces a force that is twice the force of gravity for about 30 seconds
Fremont, CA: The concept is gravity is unique and, in many ways, exclusive to Earth. Nowhere else in the universe can you experience the feeling of being pulled down. Astronauts in space are locked up in the sense of weightlessness for weeks, sometimes months at a stretch. The International Space Station, for example, is in perpetual freefall above the Earth. However, its forward motion compensates for the speed of its fall towards the planet, keeping it afloat in space. Although it sounds interesting, merely floating around can have both short term and long term health consequences of various magnitudes. Muscles and bones tend to weaken up when astronauts are experiencing zero gravity during their time at space.
NASA's reduced gravity flight program involves flying planes in a series of about 30 to 40 parabolas for researchers to conduct experiments on board. Every climb produces a force that is twice the force of gravity for about 30 seconds. Once the plane reaches the top and starts its descent, passengers can experience microgravity for about 25 seconds. The plane has been nicknamed as the Vomit Comet, as it often makes its passengers nauseous.
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We often come across space-related movies where the actors are seen floating about in space during spacewalks, or even inside the spacecraft. While movies are generally two to three hours long, in reality, astronauts experience this for much more extended periods. The most prolonged period in space was during 1994-1995 when Valeri Polyakov spent almost 438 days in space. A few days in space are enough to cause temporary health problems; one can only imagine the risks of spending extremely long durations in space. After spending two weeks in space during STS-115 in 2006, Heidemarie Stefanyshyn-Piper collapsed during a press conference after landing as she had not quite readjusted to gravity.
Temporary Health effects
When experiencing zero gravity, several vital systems of the body tend to relax as they are no longer in a constant fight against the pull of gravity. According to NASA, an astronaut's sense of up and down gets confused as the vestibular system no longer can figure out where the ground and the ceiling are. Taking this into account, spacecraft designers ensured that all the writings on the walls of the International Space Station point in the same direction.
Crew members can also experience a disruption in their proprioceptive system, which makes them aware of their limbs and their positioning. Astronauts can become queasy for a few days due to the disorientation. This can also cause a sense of vomiting and uneasiness, which might lead to a delay in various missions. During the Apollo 9 mission of 1969, Rusty Schweickart's scheduled spacewalk had to be postponed as he was feeling ill. The cause for worry was, if he would vomit inside the spacesuit, it could tamper his visibility or even block the oxygen supply system, eventually resulting in death due to choking.
Long Term Effects
Astronauts who spend months together in space can face severe consequences. Calcium present in the bones is secreted in small quantities through urine. Over time, as bones lose strength, they become more prone to breaking. A little slip or fall may break bones, similar to people with osteoporosis.
Similarly, muscles also lose mass over long durations in space. To counteract these effects, NASA allocates minimum hours of exercise to astronauts during their time in space. This includes various kinds of activities, including cardiovascular exercise and weight-lifting. However, these exercises alone may not suffice for astronauts to stay in excellent health conditions. Space-time often leaves a mark and will require some amount of rehabilitation on return to Earth. In recent times, NASA has also been able to track vision changes among astronauts who complete long durations in space. Luckily, nothing severe has been found yet.
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