Long Spaceflights Squish the Brains of Astronauts, Study Finds
It's been understood for a while now that spending time in space can damage the bodies of astronauts. Famed retired Astronaut Capt. Scott Kelly has noted in both his public appearances and in his recently published memoir, "Endurance: A Year in Space," that he knew going into his final mission aboard the International Space Station, without a doubt, that his body and health would be permanently altered during the 340 days he spent orbiting Earth before coming home in March 2016.
Kelly knew from experience that he would be exposed to high levels of radiation, would endure muscle atrophy, the loss of bone density and other factors while in orbit and that he would go through signficant amounts of pain as his body re-adjusted to gravity once he returned, but now it is clear, according to a study recently published in the New England Journal of Medicine, that even the brain is altered by long trips in space.
In the study researchers scanned the brains of astronauts using magnetic resonance imaging to before and after the astronauts went up to space for stints of varying lengths of time aboard the ISS. The MRI scans found that astronauts who went for longer stays came back with altered brains.
An astronaut's body goes through a fluid shift once he reaches zero gravity, as fluids from the lower parts of the body shift to the upper parts of the body. This messes with everything from the internal organs to the inner ear. As astronauts stay in orbit their faces become puffy and their legs thin out, they get stuffy noses, are less thirsty and go through a dulled sense of taste. About 80 percent of astronauts get motion sickness during their first couple days in micro-gravity as well. And, of course, being outside the laws of gravity also effects the brain.
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