Dear MEL Topic Readers,
What happens to your brain in space?
In space where gravity is close to none, our body functions
deteriorate. Muscles quickly weaken and shrink because they no longer have to
fight Earth’s gravity to maintain posture or move around. Bones quickly lose
density without the mechanical stress of weight-bearing. That’s why astronauts
in the International Space Station (ISS) need to exercise rigorously for two
hours each day to maintain their body functions. Still, their faces get rounder
in space without gravity to pull blood and other bodily fluids downward. Then
what will happen to the brain in microgravity if you stay for months? Research
shows that the parts of the brain that control movement, balance, and body
awareness physically adapt to microgravity, just as other parts of the body do.
For a round-trip to Mars, it takes six to nine months for each one-way journey
in microgravity and over a year in one-third gravity to wait for a launch
window for Earth. For astronauts, it’ll be quite a challenge physically, cognitively,
and mentally to live without gravity for a long time.
Read the article and learn how extraordinary a long stay in space is.
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