Becoming an astronaut requires perfect 20/20 vision, but unfortunately, the effects of space can cause astronauts to return to Earth with degraded eyesight. Now, researchers from UT Southwestern Medical Center have developed a sleeping bag that that could prevent or reduce those problems by effectively sucking fluid out of astronauts' heads.

More than half of NASA astronauts that went to the International Space Station (ISS) for more than six months have developed vision problems to varying degrees. In one case, astronaut John Philips returned from a six month stint about the ISS in 2005 with his vision reduced from 20/20 to 20/100, as the BBC reported.
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For multi-year trips to Mars, for example, this could become an issue. "It would be a disaster if astronauts had such severe impairments that they couldn't see what they're doing and it compromised the mission," lead researcher Dr. Benjamin Levine told the BBC.

Optical Disc Edema SANSUT Southwestern/NASA
Fluids tend to accumulate in the head when you sleep, but on Earth, gravity pulls them back down into the body when you get up. In the low gravity of space, though, more than a half gallon of fluid collects in the head. That in turn applies pressure to the eyeball, causing flattening that can lead to vision impairment — a disorder called spaceflight-associated neuro-ocular syndrome, or SANS. (Dr. Levine discovered SANS by flying cancer patients aboard zero-G parabolic flights. They still had ports in their heads to receive chemotherapy, which gave researchers an access point to measure pressure within their brains.)

To combat SANS, researchers collaborated with outdoor gear manufacturer REI to develop a sleeping bag that fits around the waist, enclosing the lower body. A vacuum cleaner-like suction device is then activated that draws fluid toward the feet, preventing it from accumulating in the head.

Around a dozen people volunteered to test the technology, and the results were positive. Some questions need to be answered before NASA brings the technology aboard the ISS, including the optimal amount of time astronauts should spend in the sleeping bag each day. They also need to determine if every astronaut should use one, or just those at risk of developing SANS.

Still, Dr. Levine is hopeful that SANS will no longer be an issue by the time NASA is ready to go to Mars. "This is perhaps one of the most mission-critical medical issues that has been discovered in the last decade for the space program," he said in a statement.

link: https://www.engadget.com/nasa-...SQyG-VJrgokFQnn3TtQa

Oh. a G-suit.

Just don't put it in the same locker with your Anti-G-suit, cuz that's how you get annihilation...

Half a gallon? Geezus!

quote:

To combat SANS, researchers collaborated with outdoor gear manufacturer REI to develop a sleeping bag that fits around the waist, enclosing the lower body.

I wasn’t aware REI had any manufacturing capability. I had thought they were a retailer and their in house branded goods were made in China.

We did not evolve to function in zero-g. It is very hard on us despite mitigation efforts even before you start taking solar and cosmic radiation into effect. It’s hard on our eyes, our bones, vascular system, etc. Anything we can do to alleviate effects is a short term answer.

quote:

Originally posted by gearhounds:
We did not evolve to function in zero-g. It is very hard on us despite mitigation efforts even before you start taking solar and cosmic radiation into effect. It’s hard on our eyes, our bones, vascular system, etc. Anything we can do to alleviate effects is a short term answer.

Yes, this is the real hurdle for deep space exploration. I would think the breakthrough technology would have to be a way to simulate gravity within the environment where the astronauts live.

quote:

Originally posted by TXJIM:

quote:

Originally posted by gearhounds:
We did not evolve to function in zero-g. It is very hard on us despite mitigation efforts even before you start taking solar and cosmic radiation into effect. It’s hard on our eyes, our bones, vascular system, etc. Anything we can do to alleviate effects is a short term answer.

Yes, this is the real hurdle for deep space exploration. I would think the breakthrough technology would have to be a way to simulate gravity within the environment where the astronauts live.

If only NASA had a copy of 2001: A Space Odyssey. It seems like they had the artificial gravity (centripetal force)thing worked out. The A.I.? Not so much.

Although, I do think in a real spacecraft, you'd need two counter-rotating rings, or a counter-balancing mechanism, if you wanted the spacecraft to be reasonably maneuverable.

Just a question.... can anyone tell me why we are going to Mars?? I'm not saying that NASA couldn't overcome the technical challenges but what's in it for the average Earthling? Why risk someone's life, even if they are volunteers? If the answer is "science", how many probes, robots and satellites could we send for the cost (hopefully round trip) of one human trip?

Oil? precious metals? strategic value?

I'm not trying to pick a fight; I just don't understand.... mike

quote:

Originally posted by mike28w:
Just a question.... can anyone tell me why we are going to Mars?? I'm not saying that NASA couldn't overcome the technical challenges but what's in it for the average Earthling? Why risk someone's life, even if they are volunteers? If the answer is "science", how many probes, robots and satellites could we send for the cost (hopefully round trip) of one human trip?

Oil? precious metals? strategic value?

I'm not trying to pick a fight; I just don't understand.... mike

Other than the “because science”, I don’t see any benefit to putting humans on Mars. The atmosphere is irreversibly CO2. There is very little water to break down into breathable O2 or rocket fuel. There is no magnetosphere to protect humans from solar or cosmic radiation. It has a gravity well to escape to get off the planet. If something goes wrong, help is many months away under the best of circumstances. If we are looking for a launchpad for space exploration, the moon makes far more sense.

Use graviton paint on the decking.



The Krylons are danged smart. I'm pretty sure they have a paint for that.

Because....Aliens

quote:

Originally posted by mike28w:
Just a question.... can anyone tell me why we are going to Mars?? I'm not saying that NASA couldn't overcome the technical challenges but what's in it for the average Earthling? Why risk someone's life, even if they are volunteers? If the answer is "science", how many probes, robots and satellites could we send for the cost (hopefully round trip) of one human trip?

Oil? precious metals? strategic value?

I'm not trying to pick a fight; I just don't understand.... mike

We gained a tremendous amount of technical advancement in our striving to visit the moon. Not so much from actually landing there. I expect the same from any similar endeavor to reach Mars. The innovation needed to solve all the problems associated with the mission is the payoff.

I just can't see it.