Table of Contents
Do astronauts suffer from the bends?
If astronauts didn’t take the time to dissolve the nitrogen before exiting the spacecraft, they could get gas bubbles in their joints. This decompression sickness is called “the bends” and can cause severe pain, paralysis, or even death.
Do astronauts have to decompress?
Along with the ISS, spacewalkers cut through space at roughly 17,500 mph (28,000 kph). About 24 hours before the spacewalk, astronauts undergo decompression, the same procedure divers follow when returning from the depths of the ocean to the surface of the water.
Can astronauts get decompression sickness?
Classroom Activity. Decompression sickness is a health risk often associated with underwater diving. Astronauts must also take precautions to avoid decompression sickness that could occur when going on spacewalks. For this reason, astronauts go through a denitrogenation process prior to all spacewalks.
Do astronauts get weaker in space?
Astronauts lose 1 to 2\% of their bone mass for each month they are in space. Bone mass loss — on Earth or in space — means that bones become weaker and they fracture and break more easily when stressed. Once the astronauts return to Earth, the bone loss stops.
Why do astronauts decompress before a space walk?
Astronauts also have to breathe in pure oxygen, because the amount of oxygen in air at such a low pressure isn’t enough. To avoid this, the entire cabin undergoes decompression from the normal 101 kilopascals to 70.3 kilopascals and a slight increase in oxygen at least 24 hours before the spacewalk begins.
Why do astronauts get ‘the bends’?
These gas bubbles can cause astronauts to feel pain in their shoulders, elbows, wrists and knees. This pain is called getting “the bends” because it affects the places where the body bends. Scuba divers can also get “the bends.”
What happens to the human body during a spacewalk?
Nitrogen in the body during a spacewalk can cause gas bubbles to form in the body. These gas bubbles can cause astronauts to feel pain in their joints, such as their shoulders, elbows, wrists and knees. This condition is called “the bends” because it affects the places where the body bends.
How do astronauts breathe during a spacewalk?
Once in their suits, astronauts breathe 100 percent oxygen for several hours until all the nitrogen is out of their bodies. Nitrogen in the body during a spacewalk can cause gas bubbles to form in the body. These gas bubbles can cause astronauts to feel pain in their joints, such as their shoulders, elbows, wrists and knees.
How do astronauts move around on the Space Station?
Astronauts use handrails on the space station to help them move from place to place. Sometimes a large robotic arm is used to move astronauts on spacewalks. Astronauts are attached to the robotic arm using a foot restraint. Astronaut Michael E. López-Alegría is about to be submerged in the waters of the NBL near Johnson Space Center.