Published 27 July 2023
What does space do to your body?
Listen to NASA astronaut Leland Melvin explain what being in space did to his body – including that he grew an inch! Part of space travel means making sure that the impact of being in space is reduced for the astronauts, that includes the things they do, the foods they eat and tools to help with the physical changes they face.
Space is a big, mysterious place, and it does some interesting things to our bodies when we travel there!
You know how gravity keeps us on the ground on Earth? Well, in space, there's very little gravity, so our bodies feel weightless, like floating in the air!
Astronauts might grow taller while they're in space because their spines stretch out without the pull of gravity. It's like they become space giants!
Also, without gravity, our muscles and bones can become weaker, so astronauts exercise a lot to stay strong.
Sometimes, our faces might look a bit puffy in space, but don't worry; it's just because fluids in our body move differently without gravity.
Even though space can be challenging for our bodies, astronauts are like brave space explorers, and they learn a lot about how our bodies work in this incredible outer space adventure!