Venturing into space is not without risk. In space, the disorienting feeling of weightlessness is more correctly termed microgravity, an environment in which there is very little net gravitational force. This causes mental disorientation, or space motion sickness. Microgravity also causes body fluid circulation to change, resulting in the "Puffy-Head Bird-Legs" Syndrome. It also results in osteoporosis, thinning and weakening of the bones. Radiation, one of the more serious dangers, damages cells, and long term exposure to loud noises given off by machinery results in hearing loss. Collisions with space debris may also occur and can be fatal. There are even psychological dangers to space travel. Despite these dangers, many astronauts find scientific exploration worth the risk.
Subsections
Overview
Radiation
The radiation out in space differs from that on Earth in that particles move at such a high speed that its impact causes ionization... >> Click here for more info
Space Adaptation Syndrome
Space adaptation syndrome, also called space motion sickness, is very common in astronauts... >> Click here for more info
"Puffy-Head Bird-Legs" Syndrome
"Puffy-Head Bird-Legs" syndrome, as its name suggests, occurs when sinuses swell and blood shifts away from the legs... >> Click here for more info
Osteoporosis
As a result of microgravity, osteoporosis occurs at a rapid rate. Osteoporosis is a decrease in bone mass... >> Click here for more info