June 14, 2007Living in space
hmmmm....
"Almost two-thirds of the average body weight is made up of water, in the form of intercellular fluid, blood plasma and the interstitial fluid between blood vessels and surrounding tissue. On Earth, all this liquid tends to settle downward in the body. Blood pressure at our feet, for example, is about 100mm of mercury higher than blood pressure in our chests. And the need to pump blood against the force of gravity requires the muscles of a big, powerful heart.
In space, there is nothing to pull body fluids down: there is no "down" to pull them to. The first effects are almost immediate. Without the restraint of gravity, fluids migrate from the legs to the head. Inside a day, legs shrink by up to a litre in volume and faces puff up correspondingly. The extra fluid in the head also leads to blocked sinuses and noses - the "space sniffles" that astronauts generally have to live with throughout their mission.
Other effects are more serious. Blood plasma drops by about 20% and the red blood cell count falls similarly: returning astronauts usually suffer from a temporary anaemia. Without gravity to contend with, the heart has to do far less pumping work. Heartbeat slows down. Since the body no longer needs to maintain the powerful heart muscles needed on Earth, heart tissue begins to shrink."
link
Also- doesn't THIS image look comfy?
"Almost two-thirds of the average body weight is made up of water, in the form of intercellular fluid, blood plasma and the interstitial fluid between blood vessels and surrounding tissue. On Earth, all this liquid tends to settle downward in the body. Blood pressure at our feet, for example, is about 100mm of mercury higher than blood pressure in our chests. And the need to pump blood against the force of gravity requires the muscles of a big, powerful heart.
In space, there is nothing to pull body fluids down: there is no "down" to pull them to. The first effects are almost immediate. Without the restraint of gravity, fluids migrate from the legs to the head. Inside a day, legs shrink by up to a litre in volume and faces puff up correspondingly. The extra fluid in the head also leads to blocked sinuses and noses - the "space sniffles" that astronauts generally have to live with throughout their mission.
Other effects are more serious. Blood plasma drops by about 20% and the red blood cell count falls similarly: returning astronauts usually suffer from a temporary anaemia. Without gravity to contend with, the heart has to do far less pumping work. Heartbeat slows down. Since the body no longer needs to maintain the powerful heart muscles needed on Earth, heart tissue begins to shrink."
link
Also- doesn't THIS image look comfy?
