5 important effects of space travel on the human body

In the not too distant future, humans will live on other planets and travel to space will be considered normal. But what effect will space travel have on the human body?

At one time, the first man’s trip to the moon was considered a great achievement. However, man was not limited to this and gradually the idea of ​​finding a planet that could replace the earth came up. Human ambitions have advanced to such an extent that it is predicted that within the next few decades we will have permanent stations on the Moon and colonization of Mars. This is where an important question arises: what is the effect of living in space on the human body?

How will space travel affect the human body?

We humans have evolved to live on Earth. In fact, according to the current conditions of the earth’s surface, we can live to a certain age without any problems. For example, an atmosphere that is 78% nitrogen and 21% oxygen, a magnetic field that protects us from radiation like a shield, and gravity that is proportional to our body structure.

It is natural that other planets and space in general do not have these features. Man wants to go beyond his limits and explore the endless depths of space. So can it be expected that the space does not affect the human body? Of course, some of these consequences are due to the limitations of our current technologies and may be resolved in the future. Some fall into the category of psychological problems and are caused by loneliness, limited communication with other people, and delays in sending and receiving messages from the earth. Others are related to the physical structure of the body.

Of course, traveling to space has many attractive features that cannot be overlooked. For example, astronauts can experience time travel on a very small scale. Although today we want to talk about the physical impact of space on the human body.

Acclimatization syndrome

If you ever travel to space, you will most likely be familiar with space adjustment syndrome first. This syndrome, which is also known as the space age, includes a set of different symptoms. In fact, space travel affects your body so quickly that you will experience nausea, vomiting and headaches. According to reports, between 70 and 90 percent of space travelers experience some degree of space sickness.

Adaptation syndrome is not a contagious disease; But it can involve many people like seasickness. But how does space affect the human body like this? When you enter space, Earth’s gravity will no longer affect you and you will feel weightless. This also causes that there is no harmony between what your eyes see and what the inner ear feels, and as a result you have problems.

Interestingly, dedicated test flights for experiencing weightlessness are also nicknamed nausea rockets for the same reason. Of course, you can reduce the effect of space on your body with some medicines; But they also have dangerous side effects. For example, you cannot be sleepy as an astronaut; Because this will cost you your life.

Of course, humans always adapt to the conditions throughout their lives, and this case is no exception; Because after one or two days, the effect of space on the human body disappears. However, when you return to Earth again, you will have problems and this time you will have to deal with gravity.

Neuro-ophthalmic syndrome associated with space travel

Imagine that you have managed to escape from Earth’s gravity with many risks and you are moving towards your destination in space. Also, by now you have coped with adaptation syndrome. What special effect will space have on the human body at this stage? This is where you should learn about Space Travel Associated Oculomotor Syndrome (SANS). This problem is also caused by weightlessness.

Of course, technically when you are in Earth orbit or have traveled to the moon, you are affected by Earth’s gravity. But the movement of the spaceship neutralizes this force and you experience the feeling of free fall. Like acclimatization syndrome, SANS is caused by long-term weightlessness.

The human body is largely composed of fluids. If we want to be more precise, on average 55 to 60% of the body tissue of an adult person is made up of water. When you’re on the ground, fluids are always pulled down. That is why the body has evolved to compensate for this by using complex networks. In this way, body fluids from blood to lymph and cerebrospinal fluid are all in a balanced state.

Although space affects the human body with weightlessness and confuses these systems. In fact, they have to cope with conditions that they have never experienced. Naturally, the human body is not very successful in this field and the fluids move more towards the head. This increased pressure causes the shape and orientation of the optic nerves, retina and the eyeball itself to change.

This high pressure is also applied to the brain and causes its structure to change. Such a problem has been observed in 70% of the astronauts in the International Space Station. That’s why NASA is trying to find a way to deal with it in short-term and long-term space travel. Unfortunately, there is currently no solution to this effect of space on the human body.

The impact of space on the human body – damage to DNA

It is true that space seems like a vast and empty environment to the human eye; But in reality it is full of dangerous rays. The earth itself is constantly bombarded by the sun and other sources. Some of them reach the earth’s surface like ultraviolet rays; But the Earth’s magnetic field prevents more dangerous samples. Astronauts on the International Space Station are also somewhat under the protective umbrella.

But this protective shield cannot prevent the impact of space on the human body in distant areas. For example, when you travel to the moon or Mars, you are exposed to deadly radiation. NASA is making a lot of efforts to make the spacecraft and astronauts’ clothes resistant to radiation; But he has not yet been able to achieve complete success in this field. For this reason, particles with high energy pass through the spacecraft and space suit and collide with body cells.

Sometimes this encounter can be with DNA. Although the body is sometimes able to repair the damage to DNA, it also sometimes leads to cell death. Of course, the effect of space on the human body is not limited to this. Because in certain cases, changes are made in the cell and this change remains stable during cell division. Therefore, the more a person spends in space, the more likely he is to get cancer.

This is not good news for those interested in space travel and exploring the world without borders. However, space organizations have been able to overcome many obstacles and problems so far, and this effect of space on the human body will probably be resolved in the future.

Weakening of muscles and bones

Another issue related to the effect of space on the human body is the problem of weightlessness. When you’re on a space trip, there’s not much need to stand or sit. Therefore, bones and muscles do not have to bear the weight of the upper part of the body. At first glance, we may be on the side of a positive event; But it is not like this. It is true that weightlessness can reduce the pressure on overworked joints; But it also disrupts the body’s mechanism.

Under normal conditions, the pressure on the bones and muscles tells the body that it should continue to strengthen and regenerate the tissues. However, without this pressure, bone density and muscle mass decrease. Since mankind has yet to establish a permanent base on another planet, it is believed that every space traveler must return to Earth at some point.

You may think that this effect of space on the human body is not so serious, but such a thing can generally disrupt a person’s daily activities on earth. That’s why when astronauts go on long-term trips, they always include exercise in their schedule. However, the problem is that space agencies are always faced with limitations in terms of spacecraft interior space, portable fuel, and required scientific equipment. Imagine that in this case they have to dedicate a place to sports equipment.

In this case, the impact of space on the human body makes even the extremely limited time of the astronauts to be taken to some extent. Currently, NASA has no other solution to solve this problem and astronauts have to exercise.

The effect of space on the human body – increasing the length of telomeres

Human space travel has so far been extremely limited. In fact, we haven’t even been able to set foot on the surface of Mars, and so far we’ve only been able to send probes. This is also the reason that we have limited knowledge about the effect of space on the human body. This issue became clear in 2015. At that time, NASA decided to send an astronaut named Scott Kelly into space for one year.

At the same time, Scott’s identical twin, Mark (who was also an astronaut), remained on Earth. NASA took several tests of the two brothers before their trip to space, during the mission and after, to understand the different aspects of the impact of space on the human body. Among the various changes, one subject greatly surprised scientists, and that was the increase in telomere length.

If you imagine human DNA as a shoelace, the telomere is a small plastic piece at the end of the shoelace that prevents the tissue from unraveling. In the body, every time the cells divide, the telomere will get a little shorter. After a certain number of divisions, the telomere becomes so short that the cell is no longer able to divide and reaches the end of its journey.

Scientists are currently investigating the telomere to understand what role it plays in the aging process. However, after Scott Kelly returned from space, NASA scientists noticed that his telomeres had increased in length. Naturally, traveling to space does not make a person younger, and on the contrary, it has a very bad effect on the human body.

Also surprisingly, some time after Scott returned to Earth, the telomeres returned to their normal size. The reason for this has not yet been determined and researchers are working on it. This goes to show that there are still many wonderful things about space that we don’t know about.