• Question: What did you first learn about what happens to astronauts when they go to space?

    Asked by anon-268243 to Kirsty on 13 Nov 2020.
    • Photo: Kirsty Lindsay

      Kirsty Lindsay answered on 13 Nov 2020:

      I started by learning how the body works normally- things like circulation ( blood) respiration (breathing) and the vestibular (balance) and musculoskeletal (muscle and bones) systems. Then we looked at what changes in space, without the effect of gravity. We call this offloading. Basically, everything gets worse! you lose bone and muscle and become weaker, your balance is worse and your heart and lungs don’t work as well- it’s like you become old really quickly. In fact, we study what happens to astronauts so we can help older people on earth!

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