Jacob Morgan
Dr. Erika Harnett
ESS 102
October 22, 2015
The Effects of Space Travel on the Human Body 437 days. That’s the longest any one person has ever been in space during a single trip (“Astronaut/Cosmonaut Statistics” 1). Long exposure to microgravity has been proven to have adverse effects on the human body, and considering that a round trip to mars would take about 600 days for travel alone, there is a lot of studying to be done on the effects of microgravity on the human body and how to counteract these effects. One major concern of prolonged exposure to microgravity is muscular atrophy. Muscular atrophy is the condition of losing the proteins that make up muscle cells, leading to degradation of muscles (“Muscle Atrophy” 1). This loss of muscle cells happen when muscles are not used,
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Due to microgravity the heart does not have to work as hard to pump blood to the body, this leads to a decreased heart size (“The Body in Space” 1). Also radiation form the sun can be damaging to the cells that line blood vessels leading to a greater risk of coronary heart failure (“The Body in Space 1). This presents an added danger to space travel and eliminates anyone that has a pre-existing heart condition from going to space.
Works Cited
"Astronaut/Cosmonaut Statistics." Astronauts & Cosmonauts. N.p., 23 Oct. 2015. Web. 23 Oct. 2015.
Bagley, James R., Kevin A. Murach, and Scott W. Trappe. "Microgravity-Induced Fiber Type Shift in Human Skeletal Muscle." Gravitational and Space Research. N.p., Apr. 2012. Web. 23 Oct. 2015.
"The Body in Space." National Space Biomedical Research Institute. N.p., n.d. Web. 23 Oct. 2015.
Crucik, George, MD. "Muscular Atrophy." Healthline. N.p., n.d. Web. 23 Oct. 2015.
"Effect of Prolonged Space Flight on Human Skeletal Muscle (Biopsy) - 07.15.15." NASA. NASA, 15 July 2015. Web. 23 Oct. 2015.
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James’s biopsy of his right gastrocnemius muscle would have shown a degeneration of the muscle or skeletal fibers due to the lack of dystrophyn. Another microscopic change that would be noticed is the accumulation of white blood cells. White blood cells have a very specific function which is to clear the damaged muscle fibers from the debris. Clearly, due to some of the muscle fibers being damaged other healthy fibers that have not been damaged appear denser. By having damaged muscle fibers, all the work rest upon the healthy fibers making them contract to the fullest due to the fact that the myosin and acting would have to overlap even more to make the muscle work.
Her cells went up in the first space missions to see what would happen to human cells in zero gravity
Every day we use our skeletal muscle to do simple task and without skeletal muscles, we will not be able to do anything. Szent-Gyorgyi (2011) muscle tissue contraction in rabbit’s muscles and discovered that ATP is a source for muscle contraction and not ADP. He proposed a mechanism to cellular respiration and was later used by Sir Hans Krebs to investigate the steps to glucose catabolism to make ATP. In this paper, I will be discussing the structure of muscle fibers and skeletal muscles, muscle contraction, biomechanics, and how glucose and fat are metabolized in the skeletal muscles.
Kinesiology: The Mechanics & Pathomechanics of Human Movement (Second ed.). Glenside, Pennsylvania: Lippincott Williams & Wilkins. Qiao T, Liu C and Ran F. (2005) The impact of gastrocnemius muscle cell changes in chronic venous insufficiency. Eur J Vasc Endovase Surg 30; 430-436.
Skeletal, smooth, and cardiac muscles play a vital role in the everyday processes that allow the human body to function. Without these muscles, everyday tasks and functions could not be conducted. Injury to these muscles could cause serious problems, however, these muscles have the ability to regenerate, repair, and fix multiple problems all by themselves. Repair and regeneration of a muscle are two similar, yet different things. Repair restores muscle continuity so that it can continue to function in the same way as before injury, but does not completely restore the pre-injury structure like regeneration (Huijbregts, 2001). Muscle repair and regeneration take place after an injury, after surgery, after atrophy, and even after working out.
Muscular and bone degeneration is something that also occurs in people who spend long periods of time in a low or null gravity environment, such as astronauts, and for muc...
[2] Zelick, R. 2014. Muscle Lab Exercise. Bi253 Lab Manual. Portland State University, OR, pp. 1-5
Thibodeau, G., & Patton, K. (1993). Chapter ten: Anatomy of the muscular system. In Anatomy and physiology (1st ed., p. 252). St Louis: MO: Mosby.
Skeletal and smooth muscle cells show a number of similarities however they also display many differences. These similarities and differences can be seen through observing the structure and appearance of these cells, their control mechanisms and the ways in which they contract.
"Space Debris and Human Spacecraft." NASA. NASA, 27 Sept. 2013. Web. 25 Mar. 2014. .
in soft tissue mobilization pressure.” Medicine and Science in Sports and Exercise. April 1999: 531-5.
Muscle tissues grow by means of physical activity in the same way they are able to become more well-defined (with regards to physical
“Sheltered as we are by Earth's atmosphere and magnetic field, which deflect lethal radiation from space, we are like coddled children who have never ventured into a tough neighborhood” (Folger 2). Humans have been fascinated with space since the beginning of our time. Just like children and rough neighborhoods, we have tackled obstacle over obstacle to make it home again. In the end, we have a better knowledge and strength than before. The future of space exploration can assist us in answering the everlasting question of how the universe came to be. The more we explore the infinite galaxies, the more we can scientifically discover and create new technologies as science advances. As we continue to discover, we can create new fields and occupations for aspiring young students like myself.
Perform strength-training exercises at least twice a week on nonconsecutive days. (See References 3) Working against resistance stimulates muscle tissue. Maintaining and building muscle tissue during weight lo...
One of lesser-known benefits of exploring outer space is the medical breakthroughs scientists discover. It is true that space in a gold mine for much of the modern day health discoveries, yet many people don’t seem to have knowledge of this. A few major medical devices are, a laser angioplasty, an ultrasound skin damage assessment, a human tissue stimulator, and a cool suit. These are only some of the prominent discoveries made a group of intellectuals aboard the Internation Space Station (ISS). This band of people uses the unique aspects of outer space such as zero gravity to perform and uncover new information about medicine (Ferrell).