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Long Term Space Flight Effects

Good Essays

Matthew Chun
ESS 102
Research Paper
Effect of Long Term Space Flight Among all of the wildest things mankind has dreamed of, traveling among the stars has been among the top. Space travel has rightfully been romanticized into a fantastic voyage of discovery and adventure, but there is much more to it than what the movies show. Every detail must be considered when bringing space flight into reality, and that includes the dangers and how to safely dive into deep space. Our knowledge of the long term space flight's effects on the human body is still limited, but we do have quite a bit of research done on the short term effects, which is necessary to know before considering the long term effects. These effects include but are not limited to blood …show more content…

Most of these effects are caused by the lack of a gravitational force on the body. When the human body is suspended in zero gravity, our bodies begin to adjust to its current environment. The human body begins to ache and shrink because our muscles would not be put to use as much. That would be the most obvious change, followed by lack of cleanliness due to limited supplies. Deeper into the body though, blood circulation also begins to change. On Earth, our circulation works against gravity to make sure that all of our blood doesn't pool to our legs. In space, our bodies no longer have to counter the force of gravity so for a short time the upper extremities of the body swell (which for some causes space sickness) until the circulatory system adjusts itself to zero gravity. Those that do experience a form of space sickness, which is about 40% of astronauts, may feel nausea, vomit, have headaches, and dizziness until the body adapts [1]. When the body's circulatory system adapts to zero gravity, the heart does not need to work nearly as hard, which causes the heart to decrease in size over …show more content…

Sleep and performance are negatively impacted while an astronaut is in space, and that can be due to many factors. The lack of a 24 hour cycle and being cooped up in a small work space every day can impact a researchers ability to perform well in space, but measures such as improved lighting and scheduling are being worked on as this is a more controllable effect of space travel [3]. And upon arriving back to a destination with gravity, may it be Earth or some other planet in the future, the body would struggle to maintain balance and must readjust itself. We have a complex set of neural circuits that allows us to keep balance, stabilize vision, and maintain orientation in terms of location and direction. Our brains receive and interpret information from our many sense organs, especially in the eyes, inner ear, and muscles and joints. When exposed to zero gravity, the human's informational patterns change. Astronauts early on in the mission can experience disorientation, space motion sickness, and a loss of their

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