Effect of spaceflight on the human body Effect of spaceflight on the human body Venturing into the environment of space can have negative effects on the human body. Significant adverse effects of long-term weightlessness include muscle atrophy and deterioration of the skeleton (spaceflight osteopenia). Other significant effects include a slowing of cardiovascular system functions, decreased production of red blood cells, balance disorders, eyesight disorders and a weakening of the immune system. Additional symptoms include fluid redistribution (causing the "moon-face" appearance typical in pictures of astronauts experiencing weightlessness), loss of body mass, nasal congestion, sleep disturbance, and excess flatulence. The engineering problems associated with leaving Earth and developing
Institute for the Study of Human Knowledge Institute for the Study of Human Knowledge The Institute for the Study of Human Knowledge (ISHK) is a non-profit educational charity and publisher established in 1969 by the noted and award-winning psychologist and writer Robert E. Ornstein and based in Los Altos, California, in the USA. Its watchword is "public education: health and human nature information." Robert Ornstein, psychologist, writer and professor at Stanford University, founded and chairs ISHK. He has published over 25 books on the mind and won over a dozen awards from organizations over the years, including the American Psychological Association and the United Nations Educational, Scientific