NASA astronaut and Expedition 70 Flight Engineer Loral O’Hara is pictured working with the Microgravity Science Glovebox, a contained atmosphere crew members use to deal with hazardous supplies for varied analysis investigations in house.
NASA
conceal caption
toggle caption
NASA
NASA astronaut and Expedition 70 Flight Engineer Loral O’Hara is pictured working with the Microgravity Science Glovebox, a contained atmosphere crew members use to deal with hazardous supplies for varied analysis investigations in house.
NASA
Few people have had the chance to see Earth from house. And for astronauts residing within the Worldwide Area Station like Loral O’Hara, that view by no means will get previous.
However there’s nothing like the primary time.
“You understand, you see it in images, however that does not examine in any respect to seeing it in particular person for the primary time in 3D,” O’Hara instructed NPR Quick Wave host Regina G. Barber in a current interview. “I simply noticed the ocean and the clouds — this blue and white marble towards the blackness of house — and it was one of the crucial lovely issues I’ve ever seen.”
O’Hara is a flight engineer for NASA’s Expedition 70 crew, who launched into house in September 2023. She and her group spent the final six months researching a variety of matters: How the human mind and physique adapt to microgravity, 3D-printed human coronary heart tissue and the way house adjustments the immune techniques of vegetation.
Loral O’Hara talkes to Regina G. Barber
NASA
YouTube
One in every of these investigations is the Complement of Built-in Protocols for Human Exploration Analysis program, or CIPHER. It goals to assist researchers perceive how residing in house adjustments human well being and psychology.
On Earth, gravity retains blood and different fluids comparatively low within the physique. However when astronauts reside in microgravity these fluids are pushed up in direction of the guts and coronary heart, which might trigger swelling, congestion and even imaginative and prescient and listening to adjustments.
O’Hara says these adjustments may be disorienting for astronauts — and generally make them really feel sick.
“I have been congested for a few month now and it isn’t going away, she says. “It is sort of my new regular.”
Onboard the ISS, O’Hara says astronauts preserve tabs on these potential well being dangers, performing common eye exams and ultrasounds to gather information.
The hope is to make use of this information not just for microgravity analysis, but in addition for analysis on Earth. For instance, researchers know astronauts lose about 1% to 2% of their bone density monthly throughout spaceflight. So, O’Hara and her group are analyzing bone marrow stem cells as a way to higher perceive each this bone loss and regular growing old on Earth.
O’Hara says the adjustments aren’t simply bodily both. She’s even had new sorts of goals since she boarded the ISS final September. She says she typically finds herself in small, tight areas, searching for issues on the house station.
“They don’t seem to be house nightmares, however they are not, you recognize, nice goals, floating, taking a look at Earth,” she says.
Possibly at some point an experiment will clarify that, too.
Wish to hear extra about house? E-mail us at shortwave@npr.org.
Hearken to Quick Wave on Spotify, Apple Podcasts and Google Podcasts.
Hear to each episode of Quick Wave sponsor-free and help our work at NPR by signing up for Quick Wave+ at plus.npr.org/shortwave.
Right this moment’s episode was produced by Rachel Carlson. It was edited by Rebecca Ramirez. Rebecca and Rachel additionally checked the details. Patrick Murray was the audio engineer.
Supply hyperlink
