Astronaut ‘fingernails fall right off’ after spacewalks – and four other disturbing changes to human body
ASTRONAUTS can lose fingernails during spacewalks due to a condition called onycholysis that separtes fingernails from their bed.
That’s according to Live Science which recently highlighted a paper discussin some negatvies aspects of the pressure inside astronaut suits.
Nasa researchers wrote: “Injuries to the hands are common among astronauts who train for extravehicular activity (EVA).
“When the gloves are pressurized, they restrict movement and create pressure points during tasks, sometimes resulting in pain, muscle fatigue, abrasions, and occasionally more severe injuries such as onycholysis.
“Glove injuries, both anecdotal and recorded, have been reported during EVA training and flight persistently through NASA’s history regardless of mission or glove model.”
Injured fingers aren’t the only medical problem that astronauts face.
We’ve rounded up four other bizarre space dangers below.
SQUISHED EYEBALLS
It’s not uncommon for astronauts to suffer from an array of vision and eye problems.
This is due to zero gravity, which can cause body fluids to build in the head.
That leads to extras pressure on the eyeballs which can cause a condition called spaceflight-associated neuro-ocular syndrome.
SPACE ANEMIA
Being in zero-gravity for prolonged periods can result in the human body destorying its own red blood cells.
Some scientists refer to this as space anemia.
A study published in Nature Medicine found that space causes the human body to destroy red blood cells at a faster rate than on Earth.
The condition is said to subside when an astronaut returns to Earth.
SHRINKING HEART
Time in space can shrink your heart, according to a study on a Nasa astronaut.
In 2021, it was revealed that Nasa astronaut Scott Kelly’s heart shrank during a 340-day stint on the International Space Station.
His heart was found to shrink depsite the astronaut exercising regularly.
It was concluded that time in space can shrink hearts due to the facte the organ doesn’t have to pump against gravity.
KIDNEY STONES
Kidney stones are a fairly common problem on Earth but they also plague astronauts.
Humans in space are prone to kidney stones because of issues with how bones demineralize from the weightlessness of space.
The condition can cause immense pain so increased hydration is necessary to try and avoid them.