Tag

Astronauts

All articles tagged with #astronauts

space2 days ago•2 min saved

Artemis II astronauts awarded Congressional Space Medal of Honor for lunar milestone

The Artemis II crew—Commander Reid Wiseman, Pilot Victor Glover, and Mission Specialists Christina Koch and Jeremy Hansen—will receive the Congressional Space Medal of Honor on August 28 for their historic lunar flyby, which set a record distance from Earth (~406,771 km / 252,756 miles) during a 10-day mission. The ceremony will be at NASA’s Johnson Space Center, a nod to a select group of astronauts who have earned the honor. The award followed a recommendation to President Trump, and comes amid ongoing NASA budget discussions; the Artemis II milestones echo the legacy of Armstrong and Glenn, with Hurley and Behnken the most recent prior recipients.

via The Guardian|

#artemis-ii #astronauts #congressional-space-medal-of-honor

science7 days ago•159 min saved

Spaceflight slows digestion by altering gut microbes, study finds

A study of 488 plasma samples from 52 astronauts on the ISS shows microgravity slows food transit through the gut, prompting gut bacteria to ferment proteins more than usual and producing metabolites that enter the bloodstream. The effect starts within weeks in space and largely reverses after returning to Earth. Findings suggest dietary fiber or slowly fermented carbohydrates could counteract the change for long-duration missions and also offer insights into Earth-based digestive health; published in Nature Communications.

via Space|

#astronauts #digestion #gut-microbiome

space10 days ago•158 min saved

NASA's Max Power Expo Charges Into Kennedy Space Center

NASA will host a two-day aerospace expo called Max Power at Kennedy Space Center on November 7–8, featuring immersive experiences, air shows, tech demonstrations, spaceflight hardware displays and talks by NASA experts, with astronauts slated to appear and Administrator Jared Isaacman set to participate in the air show; officials say the event could become the first in a series.

via Space|

#astronauts #kennedy-space-center #max-power

science-space-exploration16 days ago•6 min saved

Eating in Zero-G: Microgravity’s Impact on Taste, Chewing, and Hydration

Spaceflight shifts body fluids toward the head and dulls taste/smell, making eating and drinking in orbit less satisfying and potentially reducing food intake. Swallowing itself doesn’t require gravity, but microgravity alters saliva production and oral conditions, contributing to dry mouth and swallowing difficulties. These changes can affect nutrition and hydration on long missions, such as a Mars voyage, prompting research into texture-modified foods and 3D-printed meals to tailor nutrition and ease swallowing for astronauts.

via Scientific American|

#astronauts #microgravity #nutrition

space-exploration1 month ago•119 min saved

Earth welcomes back 241 days in orbit as ISS trio lands

NASA astronaut Chris Williams and Roscosmos cosmonauts Sergey Kud-Sverchkov and Sergei Mikaev returned to Earth from the ISS after 241 days in orbit aboard the Soyuz MS-28, landing in Kazakhstan about 3 hours and 24 minutes after undocking. The crew orbited Earth roughly 3,856 times and travelled over 102 million miles; Kud-Sverchkov handed ISS command to Jessica Meir as Expedition 75 began, while Williams heads to Johnson Space Center and Kud-Sverchkov and Mikaev return to Star City.

via space.com|

#astronauts #international-space-station #nasa

space1 month ago•123 min saved

Foale on Mir Crisis: Blame Shifts, Courage Stands Tall

Astronaut Michael Foale discusses the 1997 Mir crisis in PBS’s Once Upon a Time in Space, recounting how a manual docking of a Progress cargo ship tore Spektr and flooded the station with decompression. Foale, along with cosmonauts Vasily Tsibliev and Alexander Lazutkin, helped halt the leak and stabilize Mir during a life-threatening moment with limited oxygen. He notes Tsibliev bore the blame for the collision, a burden Foale says was unfair, highlighting the intense teamwork and international cooperation behind spaceflight.

via space.com|

#astronauts #mir #nasa

space1 month ago•12 min saved

Spines Stretch in Microgravity as Astronauts Return Taller, Then Reclaim Height on Earth

In microgravity, the spine can lengthen by up to about five centimetres, leaving astronauts temporarily taller on return to Earth before gravity compresses the spine within days; the height gain is attributed to loading changes from gravity rather than muscle or bone loss. Historical data from Apollo-Soyuz and Skylab, plus ISS studies, support this, with seated height measurements affecting helmet and suit fit. The article also notes post-flight back injury risk and calls for routine in-flight measurements, post-flight imaging, and exploration of lumbar-focused countermeasures, given implications for future Artemis/Mars-class missions.

via Space Daily|

#astronauts #microgravity #space

science1 month ago•48 min saved

Martian dust could derail the Mars dream, a physicist warns

Astrophysicist Adam Becker says Martian dust is a major obstacle to SpaceX’s Mars colonization dream: the fine, toxic dust could cling to spacesuits and contaminate habitats, water, and food, and underground shelters wouldn’t fully solve the problem. Coupled with radiation, low gravity, and massive life-support challenges, a self-sustaining Mars settlement is not theoretically impossible but far more difficult and likely to take much longer than current plans suggest.

via Yahoo|

#astronauts #colonization #dust

space1 month ago•13 min saved

Orbital X-ray breakthrough: first diagnostic images captured in microgravity

Four first-time astronauts aboard SpaceX Fram2 used a portable X-ray unit with roughly four hours of training to capture diagnostic images in orbit; three radiologists on the ground judged the images clinically usable to identify fractures or foreign objects, marking the first in-space diagnostic X-rays and highlighting portable imaging as a key tool for future deep-space missions where hospital care is unreachable.

via Space Daily|

#astronauts #fram2 #radiology

science1 month ago•11 min saved

Astronauts Capture Diagnostic X-Rays in Space, Redefining Space Medicine

Astronauts on SpaceX Fram2 mission used portable X-ray devices to capture diagnostic-quality images in orbit—the first time X-rays have been taken in space. Three radiologists evaluated the inflight X-rays against pre- and post-mission scans and confirmed clinical diagnostic quality, overcoming weight, radiation, and microgravity challenges. This milestone expands crew health imaging beyond ultrasound and demonstrates in-orbit radiography feasibility.

via NDTV|

#astronauts #in-orbit-imaging #medical-imaging

science1 month ago•8 min saved

First In-Orbit X-Rays Spark a New Era in Space Medicine

Astronauts on a civilian mission performed diagnostic-quality X-ray imaging in orbit with a portable wireless system, capturing images of hands, forearms, chests, abdomen, and pelvis that radiologists on Earth deemed suitable for diagnosis. This marks the first in-space X-ray images and could enable rapid medical assessments and onboard hardware checks on future missions, though imaging time and keeping subjects still pose challenges. AI-assisted analysis and more rugged, compact systems are anticipated to expand use on Moon and Mars missions.

via ScienceAlert|

#astronauts #medical-imaging #radiology

space1 month ago•12 min saved

Spacewalk scent decoded: metallic, steak-like aroma clings to gear after EVA

Astronauts report a distinctive, sharp smell after returning from spacewalks, often described as burnt metal or seared steak. The scent isn’t from open space but from materials outside the suit and tools that, once back in cabin air, release volatile residues after exposure to atomic oxygen, UV, and extreme temperatures. The suit acts as a tiny spacecraft, carrying outside chemistry back inside. NASA has even attempted to recreate the odor for training, but it’s best understood as a boundary phenomenon—detected only when outside gear returns to the pressurized cabin and interacts with familiar cabin odors.

via Space Daily|

#astronauts #nasa #odor

science1 month ago•14 min saved

Earthbound after a year in space: Scott Kelly finds return to normal life oddly unfamiliar

Scott Kelly’s 340 days aboard the ISS yielded not only physical effects like fluid shifts and balance issues but also a lasting psychological readjustment: weeks of detachment and a sense of watching one’s life from behind the eyes, a “reverse overview effect” that underscores the need to plan postflight transition as longer missions loom, with Artemis II and mars-bound crews likely facing similar challenges.

via Space Daily|

#astronauts #postflight #readaptation

space1 month ago•14 min saved

Gravity’s Rebound: Spine and Sole Pain After Long Space Missions

Returning astronauts often feel burning sole pain and lower-back ache within days of landing as swollen intervertebral discs in microgravity are suddenly compressed by Earth's gravity; skin loses its Earth-hardening calluses and the vestibular system re-calibrates, making first steps unsteady. Pain typically peaks around days 2–4 as discs rehydrate and recompress while paraspinal muscles re-adjust. The risk of herniated discs is highest in the first year post-flight, especially in the cervical spine. Recovery follows a pattern: stand soon after splashdown but walk unsteadily for days, height returns to normal in about 10 days, and bone density recovery lags behind. Artemis missions and future Mars transits will face these challenges without on-site ground support, requiring careful postflight conditioning.

via Space Daily|

#astronauts #microgravity #space

science1 month ago•14 min saved

Orbit Time: Astronauts Age Slightly Less Than Earthbound Counterparts

Astronauts in low-Earth orbit experience a tiny amount of time travel into the future due to special and general relativity: their clocks run slower because they move fast, while being higher up slightly speeds up time; the net effect is about 20–25 microseconds per day, amounting to a few milliseconds over six months and about nine milliseconds after a year; the phenomenon is real and measurable (as shown by Hafele–Keating experiments and GPS timing), but it is far too small to impact health—spaceflight’s health effects dominate.

via Space Daily|

#astronauts #clocks #relativity