[Everything should be double spaced.]

Matt Hurst

Dr. Kinnamon

English 112.[section no.]

[Date submitted]

Microgravity and the Health of Astronauts: Proposal

            Recent news of revived interest in space “vacations” being offered by Richard Branson (“Virgin Boss”) reminds us of the excited predictions of such exotic travel from pop-science writers like Arthur C. Clarke in the late 1960s and early 1970s (Promise 116; Report 45-46). However, there is still need for restraint in our reactions to the promise of “space tourism,” not only because of the exorbitant costs (“Virgin Boss”) but also because of the still very real physical effects on the travelers themselves. In particular, microgravity in space can have harmful effects on the health of astronauts through muscle depletion, bone deterioration, and breakdown of the cardiopulmonary system. First, weightlessness results in loss of muscle mass. Studies of rats, for instance, show that they lost up to 40 percent in twelve and a half days ("Space Travel"). Goldsmith reports that measurements of actual astronauts’ muscle mass and strength both before and after flight confirm those studies of laboratory animals (2043). Furthermore, bone deterioration may be an even more serious problem. A post-Skylab NASA report warned that osteoporosis may set in after four to eight months of flight. Although all astronauts quickly regained their bone mineral once back on earth, the report speculated that there might be a "point of no return," beyond which bone damage becomes permanent (Nolan 79). Finally, the cardiopulmonary system—which controls ventilation, blood flow, gas exchange, and pressure of air in the lungs—is also affected. When exposed to microgravity, for instance, the body fluids shift to the upper body, with blood tending to pool in the chest, neck, and head (David 157). Before we become too sanguine about taking holidays in space, we must make sure that such physical damage from microgravity can be prevented.

Works Cited

Clarke, Arthur C. The Promise of Space. New York: Harper, 1968.

---. Report on Planet Three and Other Speculations. New York: Harper, 1972.

David, Leonard. "Artificial Gravity and Space Travel." Bioscience March 1992: 155-57. Research Library. ProQuest. Renfro Library, Mars Hill College. 23 Feb. 2008.

Goldsmith, Marsha F. "The Body Pays a Penalty for Defying the Law of Gravity." Journal of the American Medical Association 256 (1986): 2040-43. [Matt used the print version (the actual journal) here, so no need to cite an electronic database.]

Noland, David. "Zero-G Blues: Three Decades after the Mercury Mission, the Biggest Obstacle to Prolonged Space Travel Remains the Frailty of the Human Form." Discover May 1990: 74-80. Academic Search Premier. EBSCO. Renfro Library, Mars Hill College. 23 Feb. 2008.

"Space Travel: Why Astronauts' Muscles Weaken." USA Today 18 June 1990: 12. Research Library. ProQuest. Renfro Library, Mars Hill College. 23 Feb. 2008.

“Virgin Boss in Space Tourism Bid.” Science/Nature. 27 Sept. 2004. BBC  News. 23 Feb. 2008 <http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/sci/tech/3693020.stm>. 

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