Why does the astronaut get taller and his heart muscle shrinks?

2023-05-19 2023-05-19T12:11:49Z
سنان خلف
سنان خلف
محرر أخبار جوية- قسم التواصل الاجتماعي

The ritual of Arabia - Sinan Khalaf - the journey into space is not an easy thing, as it has direct effects and consequences on the body of the astronaut, and among the effects, for example, is not limited to the increase in the astronaut's height, and the shrinking of the size of the heart muscle.

 

This was confirmed by the German space medicine expert, Birgitta Janze, who explained that the astronauts' height increases during their space missions due to the lack of gravity, which in turn leads to the expansion of the spinal discs, and with this expansion the average person's height increases by 5 and a half centimeters during the first 24 hours. And when it returns to the ground it returns to its original length.

 

And "Janzeh" stated that there is another short-term change that occurs in the astronauts' body, which is the displacement of fluids in the body towards the upper part and the head. The expert, who previously worked at the German Aerospace Center in Cologne, said that this "leads to urinating 5.1 liters of water in the first 24 hours, and the face becomes very full and the legs become very thin," explaining that gravity usually pulls water to the legs, but with its absence. It doesn't happen.

 

Janzeh stated that the muscles deteriorate in the long run due to not being used in the absence of gravity, and she said that "the movement from one place to another in space requires only the push of a heavy body," adding that the heart muscle also becomes smaller.

 

She explained that the astronauts aboard the International Space Station do physical exercises for two and a half hours a day, noting that the astronauts use a stationary bicycle with shoes on the pedals, as well as a strength training device and a treadmill to which the astronaut connects himself with rubber bands.

 

On the other hand, Janze explained that in future missions to Mars, for example, these devices will not be able to be taken due to lack of space, explaining that other ways are being sought to prevent muscle contraction.

 

Janzeh stated that she is currently preparing research on electrical stimulation in cooperation with an international group, and said, "If the muscles are stimulated with electricity, the person may not need much training," explaining that this will also save a lot of space on the spaceship.

 

Sixteen astronauts are scheduled to participate in this experiment aboard the International Space Station in the coming years.

This article was written originally in Arabic and is translated using a 3rd party automated service. ArabiaWeather is not responsible for any grammatical errors whatsoever.
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