Astronauts experience changes in their body systems while in space. One change is a fluid shift. On Earth, our heart pumps blood up to our brain and then Earth's gravity pulls the blood back down. But in space there is no force pulling the blood back down. This causes a cephalad fluid shift, which is also called "puffy face syndrome." The extra fluid will make the face swell and become puffy. In addition to puffy faces, astronauts also get "chicken leg syndrome." This happens because the fluid is not being pulled down toward the legs, and their legs seem to shrink. The fluid shift can cause some feelings of congestion, but most astronauts adapt to this in a few days and then feel fine.
Printer Friendly Version
Mission 5: Page 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19
|
