What happens to your immune system in Space?

[rumpletumbler]

These folks who stay in orbit for 6 months at a time or longer. Wouldn't your immune system be weak on return?

 

[mattpilot]

AFAIK, the only thing that gets weak are the muscles, and i think the bones too. Muscles don't have to deal with a constant 9.8 m/s^2 of acceleration on their body.

Thats why astronauts/cosmonauts have to work out a few hours each day in space.

 

[srjorion]

OK, I'll pick up the crack pipe for a minute....

Just like the muscles aren't having to deal with gravity while in space, their immune systems aren't having to deal with the constant attack from various viruses and bacteria. That's assuming the space capsules are sanitary to some degree. When they get back home they are back in an environment where there are tons more germs. I'm sure their immune systems have let their guard down some by that point.

OK, crack pipe has been put back down. Time to not really care anymore. And my wife says I spend too much time on flightinfo looking at useless stuff......Com'on!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! What is she thinking!

 

[mattpilot]

hmm.. yea kinda thought that after i posted, but i figured i'd let someone more knowledgeable correct me

Perhaps they would artificially create a "normal" atmosphere - though then they would run the risk of getting the austronauts sick during their mission.

Maybe they have 'immune system boosters' in edible form that would strengthen their immune system after reentry?

hell i don't know *takes another sip of Jaeger*

 

[mmmdonut]

If you fart in your space capsule the poop dust floats into everyones knose..... also dont sneeze

 

[Tackleberry]

Knose? What the hell is that?

I hope you know that smell is particular. Think about that next time you step into the public washroom.

 

[350DRIVER]

Ever see them not having to walk much when they return to earth?. A reason behind this reasoning.....

That's because nearly every system in the body is tied to and affected by the force of gravity. When that force is removed, those systems change, in ways that could spell serious problems for long-duration space flights.

The most worrisome problem is one we mostly associate with the elderly here on Earth: osteoporososis. When gravity is removed, the bones immediately began to lose calcium, which is absorbed into the body. (Bedridden people and paraplegics suffer the same problem. Paraplegics, for instance, lose 30 percent of their lower-body bone mass within six to nine months of losing the use of their legs.) Remember Mr. Reeves? God rest his soul..

The minerals lost from the leg and hip bones aren't excreted. Instead, it appears they migrate, primarily to the head. In bed-rest studies, the skulls of participants became 10 percent denser over just 30 days. The body, in other words, is just making better use of its resources: in space the legs are useless, so the body quits worrying about them and moves to better protect that most vital of organs, the brain.

On Earth we build bones by running, jumping and weightlifting--anything that loads them with more than the body's normal weight. So far, engineers haven't come up with an effective method of mimicking that kind of exercise in space. If they can't, astronauts on long missions may have to begin taking bisphononates, drugs which block the reabsorbing of bones.

Bones aren't the only thing that weakens in space. Muscles lose protein, size and strength. Exercise programs developed so far have been only partially successful in stopping this process, which is one reason returning astronauts feel so weak.

The cardiovascular system is affected, too. On Earth, gravity pulls blood to the lower body, away from the head. Special nerves called baroreceptors detect the difference in pressure and cause the body to redirect blood flow, ensuring the brain gets the oxygen and sugar it needs to operate. In space, the nerves don't sense any pressure difference, interpret that as meaning the body is bloated, and tell the body to increase urination. Over time, they forget how to respond to gravity at all. As a result, when the astronaut returns to Earth and tries to stand, no extra blood is sent to the brain, and the astronaut feels faint.

Astronauts grow two to seven centimetres in space, because gravity is no longer squashing their spine. (You get taller while you sleep, too; sometimes enough that you have to readjust your car's rear-view mirror in the morning.) May astronauts suffer excruciating lower-back pain as a result, due to stretched ligaments.

They may also suffer from anemia--the number of oxygen-carrying red blood cells may drop as much as a third. Hormonal activity changes. Many astronauts suffer from space sickness, probably because what their eyes tell them doesn't match the messages from their confused inner ears. Back on earth, spatial orientation can suffer as the body re-adapts to gravity, which can cause astronauts to stagger (in NASA-speak, they suffer from "postural instability.")

There's more. The gut becomes less effective at absorbing food. The immune system suffers--possibly due to living in a closed environment, the space habitat itself, stress, or inhibition of white cell maturation. This could make astronauts more susceptible to disease on long space flights.

Sleep is disrupted. Biological rhythms change--body clocks get out of synch with those of ground control, which affects job performance. Even temperature regulation can get out of whack.

Understanding the physiological changes they go through is one of the top priorities of space scientists. If we ever want to voyage deeper into space, we have to learn how to counteract some of these effects.

Many things happen as you can see while they are up there and that they have to deal with upon return.

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[coolyokeluke]

edited