Every single kid who knew, or has heard, about Neil Armstrong’s journey to the Moon has fantasised about being an astronaut. But Damien Chazelle’s ‘First Man’ showed in excruciating detail what it actually took to leave Earth and venture into space.
But you can say that it’s just a movie and Chazelle might’ve exaggerated a lot of things to make it all look dramatic. Right? Then take a not-so-cinematic look at astronaut A.J. Feustel and the side-effects of living in space.
Astronaut A.J. (Drew) Feustel) shared a video on Twitter to showcase what living in space does to one’s body. Keep in mind, he had spent 197 days on the International Space Station.
Welcome home #SoyuzMS09 ! On October 5th this is what I looked like walking heel-toe eyes closed after 197 days on @Space_Station during the Field Test experiment…I hope the newly returned crew feels a lot better. Video credit @IndiraFeustel pic.twitter.com/KsFuJgoYXh
— A.J. (Drew) Feustel (@Astro_Feustel) December 20, 2018
According to NASA, Feustel, along with Flight Engineer Ricky Arnold of NASA had blasted off to the ISS to install new high-definition cameras. In doing so, Feustel completed his ninth spacewalk, which moved him into the third place for total cumulative time spent spacewalking with a total of 61 hours and 48 minutes.
The video received a lot of scared responses because their fantasy about space travel was being deconstructed right in front of their eyes.
Yikes, I have never seen the test, only heard about it.
— Space Shuttle Almanac (@ShuttleAlmanac) December 20, 2018
Wow, I better stay at home. I hope he recovers soon.
— Noel Diaz (@noelestebandiaz) December 24, 2018
It's fascinating how the body adapts to its environment. Thank you to all astronauts who sacrifice your lives and your bodies for the benefit of science! 😉
— Hilary (@ArnpIst) December 21, 2018
Wow! I can't imagine how this must feel… https://t.co/rinVORzLRL
— WinnieKepala (@winniekepala) December 23, 2018
Impressive how the human body is impacted by the space environment https://t.co/C0Mjx3kHgb
— Isabelle (@idariane) December 21, 2018
So, why does this happen? Well, according to PC Mag, when astronauts go to space, they’ve to maintain the level of effort their bodies were putting to fight Earth’s gravity by training for 2-hours daily. But when they come back, they suffer from muscular atrophy and cardiovascular de-conditioning.
The International Space Station is equipped with a special treadmill, a stationary bike and a machine that simulates weightlifting, that astronauts use everyday. However, after spending around 180 days in space, muscular strength has been known to decrease 11-17%, muscular endurance to 10% and bone mineral density by 2-7%.
CNN reports that long-term spaceflight literally squeezes the human brain by causing an increase in cerebrospinal fluid. Cerebrospinal fluid helps the brain to function normally, so any disturbance to it causes changes in the brain’s cognitive functions. So, what we’re seeing with Feustel is likely a combo of both of these physiological phenomenons.
Toh? Abb bhi shauk hai astronaut banne ka?