Hi tracy_0224:
Thank you for the interesting question.
"Space medicine" is the study of how life in space affects the human
body (and mind), and how we can try to counteract these affects or at
least learn to live with them. If we are ever to put people out in
space for extended periods of time, we are going to need to fully
understand how to thrive and survive in this "alien" environment.
There are several basic ways in which the environment of space differs
from the environment on Earth. Each of these differences causes their
own special challenges on humans.
Gravity
*******
In space there is very little (as compared to on Earth) or no gravity.
Our bodies have evolved over hundreds of thousands of years to adapt
to the rigors of gravity - when we are suddenly removed from it, it
can affect various systems, including:
* Cardiovascular System - the distribution of blood around our body
* Bone Structure - bones get weaker in space through calcium and
phosphorus loss.
* Muscle Tissue - muscles weaken and atrophy because they have less
work to do
* Motion Sickness - as well as other "balance disorders"
* Hematologic System - red blood cells can deform in a weightless
environment
Radiation
*********
Our atmosphere on Earth protects us from all sorts of harmful space
radiation. Once in space, the possibility of getting ill from these
sources of radiation increases dramatically.
The types of radiation that astronauts are exposed to include:
"1) galactic radiation coming from outside our solar system,
2) solar-particle radiation originating from the Sun,
3) geomagnetically trapped radiation surrounding the Earth in the
plane of the geomagnetic equator."
From: http://jem.tksc.nasda.go.jp/med/index_e.html
Isolation
*********
Obviously, there aren't a lot of people out in space. As well, there
isn't a lot of room for astronauts to wander around in. (I mean, they
can't just go for a walk around the block.) This isolation and
"confinement" for extended periods of time can cause all sorts of
psychological problems, including:
* Stress
* Hostility
* Sleep Deprivation
* Loneliness
* Depression
* Other emotional disorders
To see what can be done about several of these problems, please read
http://jem.tksc.nasda.go.jp/med/index_e.html
in full. It is very informative.
Other great sites with plenty of information include:
AstronautsLtd.com
http://www.astronautsltd.com/healthextra.asp
Mars Academy: Medical Effects of Spaceflight
http://www.marsacademy.com/med1.htm
NASA: Space Medicine and Physiology Library
http://www.jsc.nasa.gov/sa/sd/library/sub1.htm
International Academy of Aviation and Space Medicine
http://www.iaasm.org/
NASA: Space Medicine In Project Mercury
http://www.hq.nasa.gov/office/pao/History/SP-4003/toc.htm
I hope this information is of help. If you need clarification of
anything that I have written, please ask using the Clarification
feature - before you rate this answer.
Thanks.
websearcher
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