Milton Public Library

Why am I taller?, what happens to an astronaut's body in space, Dr. Dave Williams, astronaut, and Elizabeth Howell, Ph.D

eng

no index present

non fiction

Why am I taller?

electronic resource

dictionaries

Dr. Dave Williams, astronaut, and Elizabeth Howell, Ph.D

what happens to an astronaut's body in space

What happens in space that causes the body to change? Learn about life in space from astronauts Is the human body built for Mars? NASA's studies on the International Space Station show we need to fix a few things before sending people to the Red Planet. Astronauts go into space with good vision and come back needing eyeglasses. Cognition and DNA expression could be affected for years. And then there's the discomfort of living in a tight space with crewmates, depression, and separation from the people you love. Space doctors are on the case. You'll meet the first twin to spend a year in space, the woman who racked up three physically challenging spacewalks in between 320 days of confinement, and the cosmonaut who was temporarily stranded on space station Mir while the Soviet Union broke up underneath him. What are we learning about the human body? As astronauts target moon missions and eventual landings on Mars, one of the major questions is how the human body will behave in "partial gravity." How does the human body change on another world, as opposed to floating freely in microgravity? What can studies on Earth and in space tell us about planetary exploration? These questions will be important to the future of space exploration and to related studies of seniors and people with reduced mobility on Earth. If you've seen astronauts returning to Earth you'll have noticed that they have difficulty standing up because their muscles and bones have weakened. They also have problems with their vision, their sense of smell, and the bottoms of their feet. What happens in space that causes the human body to react and change? Dr. Dave Williams is an astronaut, aquanaut, pilot, ER doctor, scientist, CEO, and bestselling author. The former Director of Space & Life Sciences at NASA's Johnson Space Center, he has flown in space twice. He holds the Canadian spacewalking record and was the first Canadian to live on the world's only undersea research habitat. He lives in Toronto, ON. Elizabeth Howell, Ph.D., is a Canadian journalist focusing on space exploration. Her clients include CBC, SpaceQ, and Space.com. She has seen rocket launches in the United States and Kazakhstan, lived on a simulated Mars base, and interviewed many astronauts. She also teaches technical writing and does consulting work from Ottawa, ON. Chapter 8: Skin, Hooves and Nails What do horses, guitarists and astronauts have in common? The question sounds more like the beginning of a joke told over a round of drinks than an important issue in space medicine. In fact, it's a question that NASA flight surgeons asked when trying to solve the problem of spacewalker's nails - otherwise known as fingernail delamination, associated with repetitive finger stress working in a spacesuit. Many astronauts use nail hardener to strengthen their nails, and anecdotal observations suggest that Hard as Hoof nail strengthening cream works well. The benefit of using topical equine products for humans is gaining popularity; in fact, some are convinced the best nail cream for brittle nails is Healthy Hoof cream, meant for horses. With hooves and fingernails both made from keratin, it is not a surprise that what works for a horse might help a human! If nothing else, it will make for an interesting conversation in the lunar habitat when one of the astronauts puts it on before a spacewalk. Some feel that one of the benefits of space travel is that corns and calluses are no longer a bother in the absence of gravity. The characteristic hard, thick areas of skin can form anywhere on the body but occur most often in areas of frequent friction, irritation or pressure - typically the weight-bearing part of the foot, or on the heel or toes if shoes are particularly tight. Floating around in a space station sounds like a perfect solution. No shoes are needed unless you're running on the treadmill or cycling on the exercise bike

adult