Name : Mikael Adi Santoso
NIM : 23020321140095
Space Travel and Health
The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) and the European Space
Agency (ESA) both support space biomedical research centers in their efforts to learn more
about medical issues that arise in the human body during space travel and how to treat them.
Their participation demonstrates that in future space travel, such as interplanetary space
travel, not only technical issues but also the condition of the crew's bodies during space travel
must be considered. The effect of being in zero gravity in outer space on the crew's body is
that they grow taller and appear younger when they return to earth; additionally, the flow of
blood and other fluids in the body does not flow downward as it does on Earth, but instead
collects on certain body parts, making them appear larger; however, this is not fatal. After a
long period of time in zero gravity, the body's condition deteriorates, resulting in things like
weakened bone strength due to calcium breakdown in the blood, which causes the kidneys to
work overtime, potentially leading to kidney failure, in addition, due to infrequent use,
muscles become weak, the heart shrinks due to a lack of strength to pump blood throughout
the body, lung capacity shrinks, and the digestive system is disrupted, all of which can lead to
various diseases. Medical treatment becomes more difficult when away from Earth because
apart from the limited space capacity in the space capsule to transport medical devices, there
is also the use of medical devices that do not function optimally while in space, such as
intravenous drips that flow using gravity. These considerations make people think to invest
some money in this project because although it has big risks but also has benefits for mankind
on earth such as technology in space capsules that can purify wastewater which can help
victims of the clean water crisis. To reduce costs, in conducting this research there is no need
to actually be in outer space, only underwater to simulate a zero-gravity state, there is also
another idea to study bone weakness by involving volunteers who want to lie on bed for 3
months.
