Help Astronauts' Eyes
Spending time in space can change many things, including your eyesight. A North Texas doctor has spent years trying to figure out why this is. the leading theory during the time was that microgravity raises pressure in the head and reshapes the eyes. Dr. Benjamin Levine decided to truly find the reason for this by conducting an experiment of his own. He took 8 healthy cancer patient survivors, who still had their ports in their heads, and convinced them to get on a plane that would stimulate the zero gravity found on the ISS. The ports would help him measure their intracranial pressure. He concluded that astronauts never get to rest their brains in lower pressure while still in zero gravity. Scientist are now working with UnderAmour to create a sort of sleeping sack that can be worn to relieve the pressure.
I find this article very interesting. if we are to prepare for future missions such as ones to Mars than this information will definitely have to be taken into consideration. Read the rest here.
http://www.npr.org/sections/health-shots/2017/03/04/518214299/doctor-launches-vision-quest-to-help-astronauts-eyeballs
I hope we are able to find a way to protect astronaut's eyes. If we are able to do this, NASA will be able to send more people into space for a longer amount of time. Launching astronauts into space helps us find out more about our planet and the solar system.
ReplyDelete