Why Am I Taller?: What Happens to an Astronaut's Body in Space

by Dave Williams, Elizabeth Howell PhD

Overview

What happens in space that causes the body to change? Learn about life in space from astronauts

Is the human body built for Mars? NASA’s studies on the International Space Station show we need to fix a few things before sending people to the Red Planet. Astronauts go into space with good vision and come back needing eyeglasses. Cognition and DNA expression could be affected for years. And then there’s the discomfort of living in a tight space with crewmates, depression, and separation from the people you love.

Space doctors are on the case. You’ll meet the first twin to spend a year in space, the woman who racked up three physically challenging spacewalks in between 320 days of confinement, and the cosmonaut who was temporarily stranded on space station Mir while the Soviet Union broke up underneath him. What are we learning about the human body?

As astronauts target moon missions and eventual landings on Mars, one of the major questions is how the human body will behave in “partial gravity.” How does the human body change on another world, as opposed to floating freely in microgravity? What can studies on Earth and in space tell us about planetary exploration? These questions will be important to the future of space exploration and to related studies of seniors and people with reduced mobility on Earth.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781770905498
Publisher:	ECW Press
Publication date:	11/01/2022
Sold by:	Barnes & Noble
Format:	eBook
Pages:	240
File size:	2 MB

About the Author

Dr. Dave Williams is an astronaut, aquanaut, pilot, ER doctor, scientist, CEO, and bestselling author. The former Director of Space & Life Sciences at NASA’s Johnson Space Center, he has flown in space twice. He holds the Canadian spacewalking record and was the first Canadian to live on the world’s only undersea research habitat. He lives in Toronto, ON.

Elizabeth Howell, PhD, is a staff writer for Space.com. She has been a space journalist for 20 years and is one of the few Canadian journalists to focus exclusively on space. After working for The Globe and Mail, the Canadian Medical Association Journal, CTV Ottawa and the Ottawa Business Journal, Howell struck out as a full-time freelance space journalist in 2012. Before shifting to full-time work at Space.com in 2022, she was a frequent contributor to publications for clients such as CBC, SpaceQ, and Space.com. She has seen rocket launches in the United States and Kazakhstan, lived on a simulated Mars base, and interviewed many astronauts. She also teaches technical writing and does consulting work from Ottawa, ON.

Read an Excerpt

Chapter 8: Skin, Hooves and Nails

What do horses, guitarists and astronauts have in common? The question sounds more like the beginning of a joke told over a round of drinks than an important issue in space medicine. In fact, it’s a question that NASA flight surgeons asked when trying to solve the problem of spacewalker’s nails — otherwise known as fingernail delamination, associated with repetitive finger stress working in a spacesuit.

Many astronauts use nail hardener to strengthen their nails, and anecdotal observations suggest that Hard as Hoof nail strengthening cream works well. The benefit of using topical equine products for humans is gaining popularity; in fact, some are convinced the best nail cream for brittle nails is Healthy Hoof cream, meant for horses. With hooves and fingernails both made from keratin, it is not a surprise that what works for a horse might help a human! If nothing else, it will make for an interesting conversation in the lunar habitat when one of the astronauts puts it on before a spacewalk.

Some feel that one of the benefits of space travel is that corns and calluses are no longer a bother in the absence of gravity. The characteristic hard, thick areas of skin can form anywhere on the body but occur most often in areas of frequent friction, irritation or pressure — typically the weight-bearing part of the foot, or on the heel or toes if shoes are particularly tight. Floating around in a space station sounds like a perfect solution. No shoes are needed unless you’re running on the treadmill or cycling on the exercise bike. Otherwise, astronauts wear white socks. Sounds like blissful relief!

But calluses can form in space, though they are found on the top of the feet rather than the bottom or heel. While it is possible to float in a specific location in microgravity, for some tasks astronauts tuck their forefoot into restraining loops to stop themselves from floating away. Contact with the foot loop results in a point of friction on the top of the foot that over time may result in the formation of a callus.

Returning to Earth, astronauts find that the soles of their feet are smooth, while the tops are thick and callused like the soles were before the mission. This can be very uncomfortable when they start to wear shoes again, but over a couple of months the change in friction and weight-bearing shifts the areas of skin thickening back to the soles of their feet. Calluses can also build up on astronauts’ hands when they are in space. It’s easy for them to move about the space station by pulling themselves hand over hand, gliding gracefully between handholds, but using their hands so much for propulsion means that their skin thickens there instead of on their feet.

Table of Contents

Preface xi

Chapter 1 The Adaptation Advantage 1

Chapter 2 Flying Blind 15

Chapter 3 Striking a Balance 22

Chapter 4 Food for Thought 31

Chapter 5 The Space-Time Continuum 44

Chapter 6 Are We There Yet? 58

Chapter 7 Working Like an Insect 67

Chapter 8 Skin, Hooves and Nails 78

Chapter 9 Interplanetary Protection 86

Chapter 10 Touching the Moon 99

Chapter 11 Reversible Aging 106

Chapter 12 Seeking Resistance 119

Chapter 13 Bare Bones 129

Chapter 14 Where's Up? 138

Chapter 15 Tricorders and Holodecks 145

Chapter 16 Exploring Beyond 159

Acknowledgments 171

About the Authors 176

Notes 178

Index 210

Editorial Reviews

10/03/2022

Astronaut Williams and Space.com writer Howell (Leadership Moments from NASA) consider the effects of space travel on human health in this insightful survey. Citing NASA’s plan to send astronauts to Mars by the end of the century, the authors discuss what’s being done to ensure astronauts survive the yearslong, multimillion-mile journey: there are “psychological safeguards” in case of onboard or at-home emergencies, studies underway on hibernation pods, and quarantine protocols to prevent interstellar disease transmission and the spread of spaceborne microbes. Astronauts will spend two and a half hours a day exercising to counter the loss of bone density and muscle tone that occurs in space, and will have to rely on new food sources for nutrition (possibly bugs, the authors suggest). Enormous challenges remain, the authors write, such as gathering information on “spaceflying seniors,” for whom there’s very little data. The authors’ down-to-earth explanations and vivid descriptions are a treat, and especially enlightening are Williams’s first-person accounts of being in space: “The changes started the moment after arriving... beginning with a mild headache and a puffy face that seemed to increase over the first few hours of the mission.” This candid survey will delight armchair astronauts. (Nov.)

Publishers Weekly

The authors’ down-to-earth explanations and vivid descriptions are a treat, and especially enlightening are Williams’s first-person accounts of being in space … This candid survey will delight armchair astronauts.” — Publishers Weekly

“Anecdotes from space flights and astronauts augment Williams’s firsthand experience, including Neil Armstrong’s experiences with Gemini 8 and from recent stents on the International Space Station. These research findings are intriguing and accessible, vivified by an undercurrent of energy and excitement. Why Am I Taller? is a fascinating science text about the effects of space travel on the human body.” — Foreword Reviews

“Space buffs will likely find this an intriguing and informative peek into the various ways that space travel affects the human body.” —Library Journal

“Why Am I Taller? is a fascinating look at living in space, the challenges it offers, and the methods used to keep space travelers healthy in space and after they return to Earth. It is absorbing and informative.” — National Space Society

“Why Am I Taller? is a comprehensive and contemporary romp through the clinical challenges of past and future space flight. It is the kind of book that results when two gifted authors merge their respective talents to bring otherworldly medical discoveries down to earth with insight and clarity. Williams and Howell’s fascination for matters of physiology, physics and future frontiers is clearly evident and serves to impart a sense of wonder throughout the book.” ­­— Robert Thirsk, former Canadian Space Agency astronaut

“Williams and Howell write simply and engagingly, never getting bogged up in excessively dry details and maintaining accessibility of the material throughout. And they sprinkle enough humor to hit the sweet spot and make it very enjoyable.” — books are life blog

“It’s a fascinating look at the challenges of space travel and of living in space, and the methods used to keep space travelers healthy—in space and after they return to Earth.” — The Epoch Times

From the Publisher

11/01/2022

Humans have been flying to and living in space for more than 50 years. Astronaut and emergency room physician Williams (Leadership Moments from NASA) and space journalist Howell provide an overview of how space affects the human body and its adaptability to extraterrestrial conditions. Drawing from decades of space medicine research and clinical studies, the authors describe the various physiological changes an astronaut experiences due to the different gravitational environments and long-term habitation in space. They explain, for example, that the spine elongates in partial gravity, and thus, the astronauts appear taller than on Earth. From the Apollo moon landing expeditions to the extended stays on the International Space Station, doctors have been able to gather a significant amount of data that will not only have helped astronauts adapt to long-duration spaceflight, but it will also be beneficial in the planning of future missions to the Moon and Mars. Likewise, studies of gravitational effects and other space medicine studies have provided insights and applications for everyday life, especially for the older population and those with mobility issues. VERDICT Space buffs will likely find this an intriguing and informative peek into the various ways that space travel affects the human body.—Donna Marie Smith

Library Journal