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Usually on Earth, people like to get together to share a good meal, in space, it gives them an opportunity to relax, and spend some quality time with colleagues and discuss the culture.It may be the same tradition, but when it comes to the food in general it has a dramatic difference.

Compact: Space is very limited on board the ISS.

Lightweight: Sending goods into orbit is extremely expensive.

Nutritious: The food must contribute to the healthy diet of the crew.

Tasty: Astronauts' sense of taste is reduced in microgravity.

Sticky or wet: In the absence of gravity, crumbs and particles float freely.

Processed or pasteurized: The food must keep for at least the entire duration of a mission

http://www.asc-csa.gc.ca/eng/astronauts/living-in-space/eating-in-space.asp.

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Meteoroids are a very big factor that researchers have to take into effect when attempting to keep their pilots safe. Meteoroids as small as a pebble may be travelling at more than 20,000mph, and if that pebble was to come into contact with a spacecraft, then the lives of the people on board could be lost.
While this is a very dangerous issue, scientists have discovered a way to combat the dangers of these meteoroids.
Researchers have come up with a foam shield built to combat these micro meteors. The foam shield has a hard surface, which will break apart the meteor, then the meteor will be collected in the foam interior and stopped before it can reach the interior of the spacecraft, thus making space travel the slightest bit safer.

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Having zero gravity, and being able to float sounds like a lot of fun but really there are many health risks that can come from it. For example, bones and muscles can be weakened, and there are also some other effects that can happen due to it. Astronauts can experience a disruption in their proprioceptive system, which tells where arms, legs and other parts of the body, this can cause them to feel queasy. Some longterm effects are that as the bones weaken due to calcium secretion, they can break a lot easier if they fall. These effects are all caused by there being zero gravity in space. They can't feel the effects of gravity on their body so in results the astronaut's bones, and muscles weaken. The way they combat this is by having an allocated exercise period of two hours a day during this time they do cardiovascular exercise and weight-lifting. Another way to combat this issue is by creating a room that spins. By doing this it forces everything in the room towards the wall acting like an artificial gravity. Astronauts can use these rooms to workout. Despite exercise, it still takes months of rehabilitation to adjust on Earth after a typical six-month space mission.For example, Chris Hadfield said "Just holding my head up is a bizarre new experience (www.smithsonianmag.com, 2016). Overall zero-gravity can have many effects on the human body.

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Having zero gravity, and being able to float sounds like a lot of fun but really there is many health risks 

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When in space, the spaceship doesn't have any gravity which means the astronauts float. Bones and muscles weaken. Astronauts have to exercise a lot to make sure that their muscles stay strong while they're in zero  gravity conditions. Scientists have invented zero gravity to help with this issue as well.

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Meteoroids are a very large danger in today's space travel.  a Meteoroids as large as a small rock could kill you if going fast enough flying in space. Meteoroids  Can also crash through rockets if going fast enough at  16,000-20,000 km/hr ruining space crafts. NASA has figured out that This can be avoided by using a special shield made out of foam, and metal to absorb the impact of the a meteoroids. having this new wall it will protect space craft and will make sure that anyone standing behind a wall in the rocket wont get hurt or worse killed.

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Food in space is a huge challenge for astronauts. Things that are very lightweight will float away immediately and spill, such as liquids if you don't handle them properly. Things that are crumbly are not good in space either because small pieces of food break off and go into people's sleeping spaces and other places they shouldn't be. Food in space sometimes needs to be re-hydrated in order to improve taste and nutrition. "If I wanted to suck vile fluids out of a flaccid and indifferent tube, I'd have stayed on Earth with my husband.”
― James S.A. Corey, Abaddon's Gate. Food in space is typically not enjoyable and more for energy and nutrition. There are very limited things that are portable enough to travel to space, and they must be handled very carefully in order to make it all the way there. Astronauts eat 3 meals a day, same as you typically would on earth. Nutritionists make sure to provide astronauts with a healthy, balanced diet with necessary vitamins and minerals as well.
https://www.nasa.gov/audience/foreducators/stem-on-station/ditl_eating

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Micro-gravity or zero gravity, takes a toll on the human body. Since heat and respiration is reduced leading to progressive loss of body weight, and bone calcium. Without the downward pressures of gravity, height increases, and body mass decreases with a loss of muscular tissue. Astronauts feel weaker upon return to Earth. Although, these effects are easily reversible after short missions, within a week or two being on Earth. The most serious concern is the loss of bone calcium, some scientists believe we should find a way to simulate Earths gravitational force in space missions.

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If you ask anyone what the best thing about going to space is, zero gravity will almost 100% be what their response is, when, in reality and in terms of health and safety, zero gravity can be one of the most dangerous factors of space and prolonged time in space and interstellar travel. Some people may not believe this to be true, but clearly they have never talked to an astronaut who has spent, in excess, of four to five months in a zero gravity environment. Some astronauts who have spent only 5 months in space (I say only because humans have stayed in space for up to 437 days and 18 hours) have experienced muscle and bone mass loss of up to 45% in that, relatively speaking, short amount of time. A solution, or at least a way to limit the effect (to an extent) of a zero gravity environment, is to be physically held down by straps to a piece of exercising equipment and work out like that multiple times a day, every day. Some astronauts do not believe that this method is very effective, if at all effective, thus, another (more expensive, but pretty cool) solution would be to create a new space station that spins! To a simple minded person, this may seem stupid as it would just throw the astronauts all over the place, right? Not quite the case! The spinning effect of a spacecraft would have the same effect as the rotation of the Earth. The spinning creates centrifugal force, pushing anything and everything away from the centre of the area contained within the spinning craft. This centrifugal force created by the spinning motion would act as a force of gravity on the objects within the craft. The gravity would not be automatically the same as the gravity on Earth if the craft spins only slightly though. The exact rotation speed of the craft would to be calculated and calibrated accordingly throughout the time that the craft is occupied by humans to keep the current occupants comfortable and safe. If the spinning was not regularly adjusted, it could go out of control, forcing every object onboard (including humans) to be forced as far away from the centre of the room as possible, essentially "pinning" everything against the walls without them having the ability (in the case of humans) to even move their heads. On the other hand, if the spinning motioned slowed too much, could cause everything to float into the air, creating a big mess everywhere, or even in the worst case scenario, getting into electrical and/ or water systems, causing shorting outs, or blockages.

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Radiation is one of the health hazards of spaceflight. It is extremely dangerous because it has an energy that is able to break or change molecules which can lead to killing or damaging cells.

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When astronauts are in space zero gravity can cause many health problems such as muscle and bone loss, balance problems, visual disturbances, ‎and damage to the heart. The Advanced Resistive Exercise Device allows astronauts to do weight-lifting without "maxing out" their top weight. It has also been linked to better outcomes in bone density and muscle strength. Astronauts typically have an exercise period of two hours a day to counteract these effects. This time includes cardiovascular exercise, weight-lifting, and also time to change clothes and set up or take down equipment. Despite exercise, it still takes months of rehabilitation to adjust to gravity on Earth after a typical six-month space mission.

http://davidson.weizmann.ac.il/en/online/sciencepanorama/dangers-zero-gravity

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in order to keep food preserved it has to be tightly sealed and taste like trash. you can't eat basic foods like granola or something that makes a lot of crumbs. if your in space the food that you have to eat has to be healthy so that you can function normally.

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Current space suits are bulky, heavy and hard to move around in. With space suits being so hard to move around in causes problems such as ripping and tearing. space suits are made so that they are full of air almost like a cushion to protect astronauts from cosmic rays. When that's all that is between you, life and death is not very comforting. Researchers are working very hard on making a more durable, comfortable space suit

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Once astronauts go beyond earth they may expose to the high heat of the cosmic rays. Because   of  ionization patterns in biomolecules, the resulting of this can be the biological effects. To  astronauts it can be a high risk of cancer. And also rays can destroy DNA apart's and breaks down, another is effect to astronauts is significant skin injury, or death from a major solar event or combination solar/galactic cosmic ray. Other degenerative tissue defects such as cataracts, circulatory diseases, and digestive diseases.

Researchers are trying to reduce the  uncertainties in risk predictions for cancer, and providing necessary data and  knowledge to develop risk projection models for central nervous system (CNS) and other degenerative tissue risks; and significantly advance the understanding of the mechanisms of biological damage that underlie radiation health risks.

NASA. (2018). About Space Radiation. [online] Available at: https://www.nasa.gov/hrp/elements/radiation/about [Accessed 21 Mar. 2018].

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As NASA prepares the Space Launch System rocket and Orion spacecraft for Exploration Mission-1, it's also turning its attention to exploring the possibilities of food crops grown in controlled environments for long-duration missions to deep-space destinations such as Mars. As NASA looks further into food on Mars, they have realized that most food won't last more 5-8 years for the trip to mars. So they were thinking about growing plants. But I think that if they can find away to get livestock to Mars in the future they won't have to find ways to send food to Mars every year.
- Fish
-Chickens
-A Cow

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Spacesuits help astronauts in many ways. “A space suit is more than clothes astronauts wear in space. The suit is really a small spacecraft. It protects the astronaut from the dangers of being outside in space.” The suits protect them from getting too hot or cold, give them oxygen to breath , hold water, protect their eyes from the sun, and protects them from space dust. The suits are very heavy and are hard to move around in, they are stiff and awkward. They are difficult to do activities in and the astronauts use most of their energy just trying to move around in the suits. The suits need to have enough pressure in them to keep you alive, it is very hard to get the amount of pressure needed. Your space suit is your main protection. These are key in traveling in space. Without wearing proper space suits your body would not be able to withstand the elements of space, you would die. Space engineers are working on designing new suits that provide the pressure needed but also allow you to move freely. The suits are skin tight and are made with a new product called “smart wire”. These suits would take less energy to move around in and let the astronauts get what they need to get done faster and easier.
https://www.nasa.gov/audience/forstudents/k-4/stories/nasa-knows/what-is-a-spacesuit-k4.html

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Space is littered with small fragments of comets, asteroids and planets, called meteoroids. In the vacuum of space, they reach deadly speeds, at about 20,000 kph. If a meteoroid in space would have hit a spacecraft it could potentially cause a loss of power, damage it, or may even  kill who ever is behind the wall, it smashed through. Now at NASA they are testing new lightweight shielding for the walls of a spacecraft. It is a smartly designed shield, and what happens is that because the velocity is so fast, when the projectiles impact the shield, the speed breaks it apart, and then the rest of the target will absorb the impact. This is a new design that NASA will hopefully start using to prevent meteoroids, from ruining space missions, or even injuring astronauts in space. But meteoroids are only a peril of many other dangers in space.

Citation:
https://youtu.be/GGmaXX59aq8

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When is space, Your spacecraft lacks garvity causeing you to float. when you are on earth your body has to use muscles more to do dimple things like walking. But when you are in space with zero gravity, your body doesn't use all of the muscles and even bones to do simple things.

Scientists are trying to fix this by creating excersising rooms that spin to act like gravity in space. This would help because you would have to use all of your muscles and bones to excersise. So when you come back down on earth, there will be less impact when you feel gravity.

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Food is essential to survival in space. It is what keeps us functioning throughout the day. However over time no matter how many preservatives are put into the food, it begins to lose nutrients, taste and texture. In other words it starts to expire. How NASA is attempting to solve this problem is by thermo-stabilizing their food or it  is freeze dried and keeps out any air or water that might expire the food . This rids the food of any micro-organisms that might cause the food to go bad over time .

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As an astronaut, you encounter several problems while floating around aimlessly. Some of these occurences are damage to the heart, musculatory system, bone structure and visual imparement. Having an occupation such as someone who goes to space, this could be quite the challenge after a while. Some of the main conclusions to this problem is artificial gravity. As of right now, artificial gravity is possible by spinning the spacecraft or station fast enough, causing the centrifugal force to push back mimicing gravity.

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Astronauts on space missions suffer from balance problems, visual disturbances, ‎damage to the heart muscle and bone loss. How can these issues be addressed ‎so that astronauts are safely returned to Earth after prolonged missions to space?‎

At the beginning of March 2016 astronaut Scott Kelly returned to Earth after breaking the American record for a continuous stay in space - 340 days. The purpose of his mission to the International Space Station was to better understand how the human body reacts and adapts to the harsh space environment. The study hopes to reduce such risks in order to prepare for manned research missions to the moon, possibly to asteroids and eventually missions to Mars. Here we discuss how the body responds to the space environment, what problems arise in it and how we can deal with them.

The health implications of space travel

Singer David Bowie wrote "Space Oddity" describing the experiences of the astronaut Major Tom: "I am floating in a most peculiar way". Indeed, the main difference between space and Earth is that in space there is almost no gravity, causing a feeling of weightlessness, resulting in the spacecraft or space station in which the astronaut is in to be in free fall toward the center of the Earth. Free fall is the motion of a body where gravity is the only force acting upon it. As the shuttle or the space station is moving around the Earth with only gravitational force exherted upon it (there is no air resistance in space), it can be said that they are in a state of free fall. The reason they do not actually "fall" but rather move in a circular path is because the force of gravity is vertical to the direction of its initial velocity, so that it affects just the direction of the velocity but not its size.

Astronauts are trained for the conditions by practicing in a reduced-gravity aircraft that flies in a special parabolic route. The training helps them function in space but does not prevent the harmful effects of zero gravity on health. Studies on people who were on space stations for long periods have shown some of the effects are temporary while others are more long-term.

Brief exposure to weightlessness causes space adaptation syndrome (SAS) or "space sickness", which is the most common problem in space travel. Weightlessness affects our orientation in space and requires us to adapt many of our physiological processes to the new conditions - mainly processes related to our balance system. When the adjustment is not complete it results in nausea, dizziness, vomiting, headaches, fatigue, general malaise, visual hallucinations and disorientation in space.

The first report of such symptoms was from Soviet cosmonaut Gherman Titov, who completed his flight at the end of 1961 as the fourth person ever in space and the second, after Yuri Gagarin, to complete a full rotation of Earth. The data collected until now has shown that about 45 percent of space travelers suffer from space sickness. But it rarely lasts more than three days, when the body adapts to the new environment.

Long-term exposure to the zero gravity causes multiple health problems including redistribution of fluids and loss of bone and muscle mass. Over time, these effects can compromise astronaut performance, which can increase the risk of them being harmed, as well as reduce their ability to absorb oxygen, which slows down their cardiovascular activity.

Redistribution of liquids

Fluids, which make up about 60 percent of the human body weight, tend to accumulate in the lower part of the body when under the influence of gravity, and through the course of evolution we have developed systems that balance the blood flow to the heart and brain while we stand. These systems continue to work even in the absence of gravity, therefore causing fluid to accumulate at the top of the body. This is why astronauts have swollen faces. Accumulation of fluid in the eye also blurs their vision for a few days until the brain learns to compensate and correct the image.

The change in fluid distribution is also reflected in problems in balance, as well as a loss of sense of taste and smell. More importantly, it drives a series of systemic effects designed to adapt the body to the new environment, but they have dangerous consequences upon the return to Earth. One of them is "orthostatic intolerance", which is the inability to stand without assistance for more than ten minutes at a time without passing out.

The phenomenon stems in part from changes in the regulation of blood pressure by the autonomic nervous system and the loss of about 20 percent of the volume of blood fluid - because under conditions of microgravity it is not necessary for systems to maintain blood pressure as body fluid spreads more evenly throughout the body. This effect is amplified the longer one is in space, but is normalized again within a few weeks of returning to Earth.

The heart also gradually degenerates as a result of it having to pump less blood. A weaker heart muscle causes a decrease in blood pressure and may hamper the flow of oxygen to the brain.

Regular resistance training is essential for maintaining bone and muscle mass in zero gravity | Photograph: NASA

Muscle atrophy and osteoporosis

One of the major effects of weightlessness that is more long-term is the loss of muscle and bone mass. In the absence of gravity there is no weight load on the back and leg muscles, so they begin to weaken and shrink. In some muscles degeneration is rapid, and without regular exercise astronauts may lose up to 20 percent of their muscle mass within 5-11 days.

Due to lack of mechanical pressure on the bone, bone mass is lost at a rate of one and a half percent in just one month in a zero-gravity environment, compared to about three percent a decade in a healthy person in a normal environment. The mass loss mainly affects the lower vertebrae of the spine, the hip joint and the femur. Due to the rapid change in density, bones may become brittle and exhibit symptoms similar to those of osteoporosis.

Even destruction and construction processes of bones change when in space. On Earth, bones are destroyed and renewed regularly using a well-balanced system of bone destroyer cells and bone building cells. Whenever some bone tissue is destroyed, new layers take their place; these two processes are coupled to one another. In space, however, an increase in activity of bone destroyer cells is seen, due to the lack of gravity, and the bones decompose into minerals that are absorbed into the body.

Studies on mice have shown that after 16 days in zero gravity there is an increase in the number of bone destroyer cells and a decrease in the number of bone building cells, as well as a decrease in the concentration of growth factors known for their ability to help create new bone. The increase in calcium levels in the blood from the disintegrating bone causes a dangerous calcification of soft tissue and increases the potential of kidney stone formation.

Astronauts show an increase in bone destroyer cell activity, particularly in the pelvic area, which usually carries most of the load under normal gravity conditions. However, unlike patients with osteoporosis, astronauts who remained in space for three to four months, regain their normal bone density after a period of two to three years back on Earth.

Coping with the effects of zero gravity

The best way to avoid the effects of zero gravity is to create artificial gravity. To date, scientists have managed to create gravity only under laboratory conditions, using strong magnetic fields above permitted safety levels, which of course is not practical in space travel. However, science fiction often uses artificial gravity. For example in the movie "The Martian", the spaceship that travels to Mars has a rotating circular structure that has gravity on its perimeter equal to 40 percent of what would be on the face of the Earth, which is similar to gravity on the Red Planet.

Drugs used to treat sea sickness, which is also a result of movement patterns that the body is not accustomed to, can also help to treat space sickness, but are rarely used because the natural adaptation course during the first two days of space travel is preferred over the drowsiness and other side effects caused by the drugs.

However, when the astronauts are wearing a space suit they anti-nausea patches because vomiting in the suit can be fatal. Space suits are worn mostly during launch and landing, and of course in any activity outside the spacecraft (spacewalks). To allow the team to adapt to conditions in space, activities outside the spacecraft or space station are usually not planned in the early days of the mission. This prevents the danger of vomiting in the suit and the patches are usually only for back up.

To reduce and avoid some of the negative effects of the lack of gravity on the muscles, especially the heart muscle, the International Space Station is equipped with sports apparatus used for resistance training. Every astronaut is required to perform at least two hours of physical activity a day, including jogging on a treadmill (they attach themselves to it with elastic bands so as not to float away), riding a stationary bicycle and lifting weights, against springs of course. Astronauts on especially long missions wear pants that put pressure on the bones of the legs to reduce the loss of bone density.

NASA uses advanced computational tools to understand how best to halt the degeneration of muscles and bones for astronauts staying in space in zero gravity. Computational simulations are mainly used to evaluate the effects of exercise on the torsion ( torques) of bone joints, to recommend the optimal exercise regimes for astronauts.

Hopefully, the information gathered by Scott Kelly during his long stay in space will shed more light on the effects of zero gravity on human health, and could help prevent many of the problems astronauts encounter upon their return to Earth. His mission was unique in its length, which allows investigation of the effects of more long-term effects of space travel than was previously tested.

A pleasant memory: David Bowie, Space Oddity

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At the beginning of March 2016 astronaut Scott Kelly returned to Earth after breaking the American record for a continuous stay in space - 340 days. The purpose of his mission to the International Space Station was to better understand how the human body reacts and adapts to the harsh space environment.

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When travelling in space, the lack of gravity causes your body to float. This may seem fun at first, however, the weightlessness causes one's muscles and bones to weaken and lose a detrimental amount of strength. The cause of this is the fact that when in zero gravity, your muscles aren't used as much as they are on Earth. This loss of strength causes astronauts to be extremely weak once they return to Earth.

To combat this, scientists created exercise machines that can be installed inside spacecrafts. Astronauts can use these as a way to keep using their muscles and bones to stay as strong as possible while in zero gravity. This way, when astronauts return to Earth, they are not nearly as weak as they would be without having used their muscles at all.

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A  high risk of going to space it the fact that so far we have not found a way to create fake gravity in space now this a problem because when you are in zero gravity far long amounts time your muscles and bone start to break down because they are not needed as much and even when you workout in zero gravity it still doesn't apply that same amount to presser to the body, air weighs 14.7 pounds per square inch at sea level. the way we know that air has a weight is because you can feel the wind we just are accustom to the amount of presser in our region. this may not seem like a problem when you are in zero gravity but when you come back from your mission you will not have enough strength with our amount of gravity and you will not be  able to build the bone and muscle tissue again.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
Astronauts on space missions suffer from balance problems, visual disturbances, ‎damage to the heart muscle and bone loss. How can these issues be addressed ‎so that astronauts are safely returned to Earth after prolonged missions to space?‎

At the beginning of March 2016 astronaut Scott Kelly returned to Earth after breaking the American record for a continuous stay in space - 340 days. The purpose of his mission to the International Space Station was to better understand how the human body reacts and adapts to the harsh space environment. The study hopes to reduce such risks in order to prepare for manned research missions to the moon, possibly to asteroids and eventually missions to Mars. Here we discuss how the body responds to the space environment, what problems arise in it and how we can deal with them.

The health implications of space travel

Singer David Bowie wrote "Space Oddity" describing the experiences of the astronaut Major Tom: "I am floating in a most peculiar way". Indeed, the main difference between space and Earth is that in space there is almost no gravity, causing a feeling of weightlessness, resulting in the spacecraft or space station in which the astronaut is in to be in free fall toward the center of the Earth. Free fall is the motion of a body where gravity is the only force acting upon it. As the shuttle or the space station is moving around the Earth with only gravitational force exherted upon it (there is no air resistance in space), it can be said that they are in a state of free fall. The reason they do not actually "fall" but rather move in a circular path is because the force of gravity is vertical to the direction of its initial velocity, so that it affects just the direction of the velocity but not its size.

Astronauts are trained for the conditions by practicing in a reduced-gravity aircraft that flies in a special parabolic route. The training helps them function in space but does not prevent the harmful effects of zero gravity on health. Studies on people who were on space stations for long periods have shown some of the effects are temporary while others are more long-term.

Brief exposure to weightlessness causes space adaptation syndrome (SAS) or "space sickness", which is the most common problem in space travel. Weightlessness affects our orientation in space and requires us to adapt many of our physiological processes to the new conditions - mainly processes related to our balance system. When the adjustment is not complete it results in nausea, dizziness, vomiting, headaches, fatigue, general malaise, visual hallucinations and disorientation in space.

The first report of such symptoms was from Soviet cosmonaut Gherman Titov, who completed his flight at the end of 1961 as the fourth person ever in space and the second, after Yuri Gagarin, to complete a full rotation of Earth. The data collected until now has shown that about 45 percent of space travelers suffer from space sickness. But it rarely lasts more than three days, when the body adapts to the new environment.

Long-term exposure to the zero gravity causes multiple health problems including redistribution of fluids and loss of bone and muscle mass. Over time, these effects can compromise astronaut performance, which can increase the risk of them being harmed, as well as reduce their ability to absorb oxygen, which slows down their cardiovascular activity.

Redistribution of liquids

Fluids, which make up about 60 percent of the human body weight, tend to accumulate in the lower part of the body when under the influence of gravity, and through the course of evolution we have developed systems that balance the blood flow to the heart and brain while we stand. These systems continue to work even in the absence of gravity, therefore causing fluid to accumulate at the top of the body. This is why astronauts have swollen faces. Accumulation of fluid in the eye also blurs their vision for a few days until the brain learns to compensate and correct the image.

The change in fluid distribution is also reflected in problems in balance, as well as a loss of sense of taste and smell. More importantly, it drives a series of systemic effects designed to adapt the body to the new environment, but they have dangerous consequences upon the return to Earth. One of them is "orthostatic intolerance", which is the inability to stand without assistance for more than ten minutes at a time without passing out.

The phenomenon stems in part from changes in the regulation of blood pressure by the autonomic nervous system and the loss of about 20 percent of the volume of blood fluid - because under conditions of microgravity it is not necessary for systems to maintain blood pressure as body fluid spreads more evenly throughout the body. This effect is amplified the longer one is in space, but is normalized again within a few weeks of returning to Earth.

The heart also gradually degenerates as a result of it having to pump less blood. A weaker heart muscle causes a decrease in blood pressure and may hamper the flow of oxygen to the brain.

Regular resistance training is essential for maintaining bone and muscle mass in zero gravity | Photograph: NASA

Muscle atrophy and osteoporosis

One of the major effects of weightlessness that is more long-term is the loss of muscle and bone mass. In the absence of gravity there is no weight load on the back and leg muscles, so they begin to weaken and shrink. In some muscles degeneration is rapid, and without regular exercise astronauts may lose up to 20 percent of their muscle mass within 5-11 days.

Due to lack of mechanical pressure on the bone, bone mass is lost at a rate of one and a half percent in just one month in a zero-gravity environment, compared to about three percent a decade in a healthy person in a normal environment. The mass loss mainly affects the lower vertebrae of the spine, the hip joint and the femur. Due to the rapid change in density, bones may become brittle and exhibit symptoms similar to those of osteoporosis.

Even destruction and construction processes of bones change when in space. On Earth, bones are destroyed and renewed regularly using a well-balanced system of bone destroyer cells and bone building cells. Whenever some bone tissue is destroyed, new layers take their place; these two processes are coupled to one another. In space, however, an increase in activity of bone destroyer cells is seen, due to the lack of gravity, and the bones decompose into minerals that are absorbed into the body.

Studies on mice have shown that after 16 days in zero gravity there is an increase in the number of bone destroyer cells and a decrease in the number of bone building cells, as well as a decrease in the concentration of growth factors known for their ability to help create new bone. The increase in calcium levels in the blood from the disintegrating bone causes a dangerous calcification of soft tissue and increases the potential of kidney stone formation.

Astronauts show an increase in bone destroyer cell activity, particularly in the pelvic area, which usually carries most of the load under normal gravity conditions. However, unlike patients with osteoporosis, astronauts who remained in space for three to four months, regain their normal bone density after a period of two to three years back on Earth.

Coping with the effects of zero gravity

The best way to avoid the effects of zero gravity is to create artificial gravity. To date, scientists have managed to create gravity only under laboratory conditions, using strong magnetic fields above permitted safety levels, which of course is not practical in space travel. However, science fiction often uses artificial gravity. For example in the movie "The Martian", the spaceship that travels to Mars has a rotating circular structure that has gravity on its perimeter equal to 40 percent of what would be on the face of the Earth, which is similar to gravity on the Red Planet.

Drugs used to treat sea sickness, which is also a result of movement patterns that the body is not accustomed to, can also help to treat space sickness, but are rarely used because the natural adaptation course during the first two days of space travel is preferred over the drowsiness and other side effects caused by the drugs.

However, when the astronauts are wearing a space suit they anti-nausea patches because vomiting in the suit can be fatal. Space suits are worn mostly during launch and landing, and of course in any activity outside the spacecraft (spacewalks). To allow the team to adapt to conditions in space, activities outside the spacecraft or space station are usually not planned in the early days of the mission. This prevents the danger of vomiting in the suit and the patches are usually only for back up.

To reduce and avoid some of the negative effects of the lack of gravity on the muscles, especially the heart muscle, the International Space Station is equipped with sports apparatus used for resistance training. Every astronaut is required to perform at least two hours of physical activity a day, including jogging on a treadmill (they attach themselves to it with elastic bands so as not to float away), riding a stationary bicycle and lifting weights, against springs of course. Astronauts on especially long missions wear pants that put pressure on the bones of the legs to reduce the loss of bone density.

NASA uses advanced computational tools to understand how best to halt the degeneration of muscles and bones for astronauts staying in space in zero gravity. Computational simulations are mainly used to evaluate the effects of exercise on the torsion ( torques) of bone joints, to recommend the optimal exercise regimes for astronauts.

Hopefully, the information gathered by Scott Kelly during his long stay in space will shed more light on the effects of zero gravity on human health, and could help prevent many of the problems astronauts encounter upon their return to Earth. His mission was unique in its length, which allows investigation of the effects of more long-term effects of space travel than was previously tested.

A pleasant memory: David Bowie, Space Oddity

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At the beginning of March 2016 astronaut Scott Kelly returned to Earth after breaking the American record for a continuous stay in space - 340 days. The purpose of his mission to the International Space Station was to better understand how the human body reacts and adapts to the harsh space environment.

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Zero gravity in space is important to talk

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A meteoroid is a small body moving in the solar system that would become a meteor if it entered the earth's atmosphere. Meteoroids can be man made (satellites) or natural (rocks). If they are moving at high enough speeds then they could go through spaceships/shuttles/satellites. This is dangerous for astronauts because if a meteoroid pierced a spaceship the oxygen inside the spaceship could leak out and everyone would die. Nasa is trying to find a way to stop the meteoroids from going all the way through the ship by layering metal and foam in the hopes that it would slow the meteoroid enough that it would be unable to hurt anyone inside the ship.

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A very big problem for humans and space travel is the risk of radiation. On Earth we are protected by the planet’s natural radiation shield, the magnetic field that surrounds our world which blocks out 99.9 percent of the harmful radiation from the Sun and deep space. Radiation is obviously not healthy for humans. In space radiation is in the form of subatomic particles that can come from the Sun and further out in the Universe including the Milky Way Galaxy and even beyond. They are moving at high speeds and can rip through our DNA molecules causing damage or splitting within them which can lead to cancer and other diseases. In the International Space Station astronauts stationed there for the average of six months will be exposed to roughly 100 milliliters of radiation.  Mars has no global magnetic field to deflect energetic particles, and its atmosphere is much thinner than Earth's, so they'll get only minimal protection even on the surface of Mars. Throughout the entire trip, astronauts must be protected from two sources of radiation.
Garner, Rob. “How to Protect Astronauts from Space Radiation on Mars.” NASA, NASA, 30 Sept. 2015, One f the ways being  sing materials that shield more efficiently would cut down on weight and cost, but finding the right material takes research and ingenuity. NASA is currently investigating a handful of possibilities that could be used in anything from the spacecraft to the Martian habitat to space suits. www.nasa.gov/feature/goddard/real-martians-how-to-protect-astronauts-from-space-radiation-on-mars.

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current space suit technology is not very advanced which creates many problems. Astronauts have lots of problems moving around because of how stiff the suit is. Another trouble with space suits is that they need to be full of air which is actually the reason it is difficult to move in. As an astronaut would keep going higher and higher the pressure would decrease and so would their need for air which is why the suit is pumped full of it. Nasa is working on a better space suit that will be able to keep astronauts alive while being able to move.

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Zero gravity
I feel that zero gravity is the most important topic because when you get back to earth, it still affects you because your muscles aren't as strong as they were before, even to the point of you don't have enough strength to stand and this could take month to years to get your strength back to do just the little things like stand and walk

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Meteoroids are a danger in space and aren't always easy to avoid. Meteoroids are found throughout space. They travel at such high speeds that they can damage spacecrafts. Nasa has created a special foam shield to absorb meteoroids to absorb the impact and push it away so it does not do damage to the spacecraft.

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space suits protect astronauts from zero- gravity in space, but it doesn't protect you from everything. if you are floating in space and all that's between you and cosmic rays is your space suit, its not that comforting. space suits are made big with lots of room with air for astronauts , but its not the most easy suit to move around in and the suit could tear, researchers are trying to create a new type of space suit that is easier to move around in but hasn't yet succeed. without a space suit if your exposed to the no oxygen your body will swell you twice your normal size and any liquid on your body will start to vaporize. so to conclude space suits are pretty important and have risks and dangers

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Effects of Zero grabity on astronauts-Grant

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Effects of Zero grabity on astronauts-Grant

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Technically speaking, gravity does exist everywhere in the universe because it is defined as the force that attracts two bodies to each other. But astronauts in space usually do not feel its effects.  The longest time spent in zero gravity was 437 days by Valeri Polyakov 20 years ago. Currently we do not know how long you could stay in zero gravity before your bones would completly give away. We currently bellive that if you spent too long without zero gravity then your neck would not be able to soppurt your skull and your head would collapse along with the fact that if you bones deteratied too much you would never recover. As well as a loss of your skeletal system  your immune system would suffer under long exposer to zero gravity. You would feel unwanted autoimmune responses and hypersensitivity. Finally Even on Mars the gravity there is theses than that on earth meaning astronuaghts would still loos mass on the red planet.The average time spent in spade is 6 months muc h longer than a trip to mars so something must be done to either replicate gravity or shorten the distance to mars in order to protect our astronaughts.

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NASA seems to be running out of the space suits it does have for the astronauts on the ISS. Only a fraction of the original space suit supply for the station is fully functional right now, and NASA may risk not having enough space suits to last through the end of the ISS program, currently scheduled for 2024.

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For people outside the protection of Earth's magnetic field, space radiation can be a serious hazard. It is dangerous because it has so much energy it can change or break DNA molecules, which can  damage or even kill a cell. This can lead to health problems. Space radiation can have long tern effects on astronauts including, cataracts and the increased chance of cancer. http://www.asc-csa.gc.ca/eng/sciences/osm/radiation.asp

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Space Food - Mrs. Bell                                           Cooking and eating in space is a challenge because of the effect that micro-gravity has on human taste buds, the hazard of stray crumbs that can short out sensitive electronics and for proper food preservation. Loss of taste is a problem for the astronauts since their nasal passages become congested due to weight shifting to the upper body and the head.  Space agencies use, "techniques that include food thermo-stabilized with heat to destroy microorganisms that may cause it to spoil, dehydrated foods to reduce volume and the survival rate of microorganisms, natural form foods such as nuts that are already stable, and beverages." (Lavender 2015). Studies have also proven that having a good cook on board can make a huge difference to morale!Lavender,. (2015).    Space Food. Retrieved 11 December 2015, from http://www.spaceanswers.com/space-exploration/how-is-food-prepared-in-space/

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Space Food - Mrs. Bell                                           Cooking and eating in space is a challenge because of the effect that micro-gravity has on human taste buds, the hazard of stray crumbs that can short out sensitive electronics and for proper food preservation. Loss of taste is a problem for the astronauts since their nasal passages become congested due to weight shifting to the upper body and the head.  Space agencies use, "techniques that include food thermo-stabilized with heat to destroy microorganisms that may cause it to spoil, dehydrated foods to reduce volume and the survival rate of microorganisms, natural form foods such as nuts that are already stable, and beverages." (Lavender 2015). Studies have also proven that having a good cook on board can make a huge difference to morale!Lavender,. (2015).    Space Food. Retrieved 11 December 2015, from http://www.spaceanswers.com/space-exploration/how-is-food-prepared-in-space/