• Question: Is it true that your muscle decreases in size in space?

    Asked by Kane Paul to Col Op, Elie, Floris, Jenn, RocketRich on 10 Mar 2016. This question was also asked by Spark bunny🌋🐰, 🍕Caspar lee🍕.
    • Photo: Columbus Operations

      Columbus Operations answered on 10 Mar 2016:

      Hello Kane, on Earth our muscles are constantly fighting gravity in everything we do. Even with things as simple as sipping a glass of water we are “lifting weights”. Since the astronauts, living in weightlessness, aren’t constantly doing this, their muscles will get smaller and weaker. Have you ever broken a bone and had a plaster cast for several weeks? Remember how weak your muscles were when the cast came off? In order to counteract the effects of weightlessness on the astronauts’ muscles, they all adhere to a strict exercise regimen to keep their muscles strong. As humans venture further out into space, for longer periods of time (a trip to Mars anyone?), this will become more and more important.
      Dan (GSOC Ground Controller)

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