Effect of spaceflight on the human body
The effects of spaceflight on the human body are complex and largely harmful over both short and long term. Significant adverse effects of long-term weightlessness include muscle atrophy and deterioration of the skeleton. Other significant effects include a slowing of cardiovascular system functions, decreased production of red blood cells, balance disorders, eyesight disorders and changes in the immune system. Additional symptoms include fluid redistribution, loss of body mass, nasal congestion, sleep disturbance, and excess flatulence. Overall, NASA refers to the various deleterious effects of spaceflight on the human body by the acronym RIDGE.
American astronaut Marsha Ivins demonstrates the effects of microgravity on her hair in space
This 1768 painting, An Experiment on a Bird in the Air Pump by Joseph Wright of Derby, depicts an experiment performed by Robert Boyle in 1660 to test the effect of a vacuum on a living system.
Astronauts on the ISS in weightless conditions. Michael Foale can be seen exercising in the foreground.
Bruce McCandless II floating free in orbit with a space suit and Manned Maneuvering Unit.
Weightlessness is the complete or near-complete absence of the sensation of weight, i.e., zero apparent weight. It is also termed zero g-force, or zero-g or, incorrectly, zero gravity.
Astronauts on the International Space Station experience only microgravity and thus display an example of weightlessness. Michael Foale can be seen exercising in the foreground.
NASA's KC-135A plane ascending for a zero gravity maneuver
Inside a Russian Ilyushin 76MDK of the Gagarin Cosmonaut Training Center
Zero-gravity testing at the NASA Zero Gravity Research Facility
