Naked Science Forum

Life Sciences => Physiology & Medicine => Topic started by: nicholas french on 05/06/2009 11:30:03

Title: How do we keep astronauts healthy during long space journeys?
Post by: nicholas french on 05/06/2009 11:30:03

nicholas french asked the Naked Scientists:
   
Every now and again we hear about some advancement in space travel (space elevator idea, etc) but have there been any advancements in sustaining the human body in space?

What good is it being able to travel to another planet if you can't survive the trip? Doesn't prolonged space-living cause bone density loss and other physiological problems and how are they addressing those?

What do you think?

Title: How do we keep astronauts healthy during long space journeys?
Post by: JnA on 06/06/2009 03:00:09

The astronauts use treadmills in the space station. I believe there is a period of adjustment after a long space journey.. but I don't know enough about it to elaborate.. though I'm sure the NASA site would have some information.

Space travel has been going on now for almost fifty years... wow.

Title: How do we keep astronauts healthy during long space journeys?
Post by: Andrew K Fletcher on 06/06/2009 09:19:43

Hi Nicholas

I was contacted by NASA who asked the same question that you have. The only solution is some kind of centrifuge. Not quite gravity but it would assist the circulation as born out by many experiments using a smaller version with lower life forms.

microgravity is a term worth searching, and pretty sure it has been covered on the forum.

Also covered here: http://127.0.0.1:4664/cache?event_id=641&schema_id=1&q=nasa&s=3P7H-QoqSJ5uv2_RQaEPMJSoCE8

Andrew