The resilience of the human body's mission in the International Space Station for a year was launched on March 27 and involved 19 medical and biological testing, 14 of which are designed by the Russian Space Agency. Cosmonaut Mikhail Kornienko and NASA astronaut Scott Kelly will also perform two experiments together. Most of the tests will be used by scientists to assess the ability of the human body during space travel for the preparation of long-term missions to Mars.
Famine in Space Without Gravity
As indicated by several previous trials, conditions of weightlessness affects human eating habits. Food does not have weight in space, so the astronauts feel hungry more often compared to when they were on Earth. According to Boris Afonin, scientific supervisor of food testing, increased appetite combined with a low amount of physical activity sometimes creates weight gain space explorers.
Another impact is the weightless conditions astronauts experience a change in their sense of taste while in space. "It's not salty foods into sweet or sour," said Afonin. "But astronauts often realize that the food they like while undergoing test trials on Earth invisible food tasty again. Some of them complained they were not getting pleasure from eating while on a mission. The cause of it is still to be us to investigate."
However, upon returning home, astronauts can not immediately eat beefsteak or borsht (typical Russian beet soup), as suspected people. "They need to adapt in advance, because after completing a mission in outer space, Earth digesting food takes hard work," said Afonin. "The reason weightless conditions also suppress the activity of the human digestive system, or in other words the intestine loses its ability to push the food."
However, according Afonin, all of it is just common assumptions, and that he supervised trials will determine which part of the human digestive tract are the most affected, including if there is a risk of pathological changes. The data will be used to figure out how to avoid dangerous changes in the digestive system and devise an optimal diet for astronauts.
Blood Flow to the Top
Russian scientists involved in the mission will also monitor the body's metabolism Mikhail Kornienko. Every two months, the cosmonauts will fill out a questionnaire regarding the consumption of water and food, take blood samples, and the results are displayed in a special tool called "sprut" (squid in Russian).
Data is expected to help scientists see how weightlessness affects the immune system and the endocrine system of man. "Even small changes in the endocrine gland can affect the performance of astronauts," said Galina Vasilieva, chief researcher at the Institute of Biomedical Problems of the Russian Academy of Sciences.
In addition, the effect of zero-gravity conditions also have an impact on the redistribution of human body fluids and can lead to dehydration. "The condition of weightlessness makes a large amount of blood is redistributed to the upper body," said Vasilieva. "All organs, including the liver, have to work harder. To adapt this regard, the body tries to get rid of excess fluid. As a result, on the first day of the mission astronauts showed an increase in the amount of urine."
When astronauts return to Earth, it is the other way: gravity ambushed and blood tend to be driven to the bottom of the body, so the astronauts could hardly stand on their feet after landing. The trials were conducted by the Russian team will help facilitate and accelerate adaptation in good condition in space and on Earth.
Too Easy Breathing
Another test conducted dubbed "UdoD" (a kind of colored birds in Russia). The first test done when astronauts are in zero-gravity conditions. These trials study the impact of the redistribution of fluid in the respiratory system and vision. Increased blood flow to the upper body causing intracranial pressure. This can result in reduced vision capabilities, which have been reported by several astronauts. It also happens when astronauts stood upside down.
As part of the experiment, Mikhail Kornienko will breathe using a special tool that is designed to lower blood pressure in the chest cavity and pushes the blood back down, said one of the Russian scientist Alexander Suvorov. "In a zero-gravity conditions, weakened respiratory muscles, the same as the leg muscles, because there is easier to breathe," Suvorov said. "UdoD designed to make greater efforts cosmonauts do breathe in weightless conditions, working like a sports machine," he explained.
Source: RBTH Indonesia
Source: news.viva.co.id
Anna Kuchma
