In mid-December, six people went on a short trip into space. This was made possible by Jeff Bezos’ company Blue Origin.
(Photo: dpa)
Space medicine is still in its infancy. But since tech giants like Jeff Bezos and Elon Musk or the British entrepreneur Richard Branson have successfully launched manned shuttles into space, the question has arisen as to how the human body can cope with such excursions.
These are still short trips, often of just a few minutes in actual orbit. Nevertheless, it is slowly becoming apparent that space tourism could well mature into a business model. Initially it would be for the wealthy upper class, but one day maybe also for people who want to treat themselves to something special.
Who knows whether in a few years’ time we won’t treat ourselves to a two-week trip in a luxury shuttle around the world for Christmas.
First of all: It is no coincidence that astronauts are carefully selected for space missions and trained for months. We are not made for a life in weightlessness. A current study carried out by researchers at LMU Munich together with the Swedish University of Gothenburg and Russian scientists confirm this fundamental thesis.
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A stay in space is simply a maximum challenge for the body.
“Fluid Shift” and Space Sickness
In order to be able to lead our usual life, we need gravity. This is the only way we can function physiologically. For example, our body fluids are only distributed as biologically desired with gravity.
We know from astronauts that the body and face often appear swollen and puffy (“puffy face”). In space there is a redistribution of the fluid from the legs to the upper body, the so-called “fluid shift”. The legs become slimmer than ever before in space.
The first medical problem people face in space is space sickness. Initially there is a phase of severe nausea and vomiting during the first few days in weightlessness.
Extreme circulatory loads occur during take-off and landing. Acceleration and deceleration are so strong that you are pressed into the seat with seven to eight times your own body weight.
But everyday life outside of the earth is not without it either. Muscles and bones suffer from inactivity atrophy very quickly: they break down in a very short time. Bones and muscles no longer have to carry body weight.
Proper diet and an exercise program can reduce this risk, however. In the ISS space station, the astronauts train up to two and a half hours a day on the treadmill and an Art Power Plate.
Body gets bigger, temperature rises
By the way, astronauts get up to five centimeters taller in weightlessness. This is related to the expansion of the intervertebral discs. This can then lead to chronic back pain.
The core body temperature increases in space by up to two degrees and averages 38 degrees. Anyone who has this temperature on earth generally feels sick to begin with.
In addition, there is an extraordinary radiation exposure. Humans are exposed to a dose around 300 times higher in space than on earth. This increases the risk of cancer considerably and also increases the risk that the genetic material will change.
The radiation exposure is in the order of magnitude of one x-ray of the lungs per day. Radiation protection would therefore have to be significantly improved for longer tourist excursions into space. Equipping spaceships with special protective covers would be one way, albeit a costly undertaking.
Other side effects of space tourism
The physical stress and dangers are far from eliminated.
- Weightlessness has a strong effect on the eyes. The blood is redistributed towards the head. In around 40 percent of astronauts, the choroid thickens and this leads to impaired vision. Damage that is only partially reversible after returning to Earth.
- The immune system is also weakened in space. Even if you get banal infections in space such as runny nose or conjunctivitis of the eyes, it is difficult to get rid of these infections.
- Weightlessness also ages the brain. From long-term stays by astronauts, researchers discovered mild but persistent brain injuries and accelerated aging of the brain after returning to Earth.
From a medical point of view, all of this leaves a bad taste in terms of future space tourism. However, there is one positive effect: people in space snore less than on earth.
It is gravity that causes the tongue and the soft palate to slide down into the pharynx. The quality of sleep is also likely to be better in space. It remains to be seen whether the argument is enough to get a good night’s sleep in order to save up for a space trip.
More: Why a long life doesn’t have to be a healthy life
Curt Diehm is the medical director of the Max Grundig Clinic, which specializes in executives. The internist also teaches as an adjunct professor at Heidelberg University and is the author of over 200 original scientific publications as well as many non-fiction books.