Have you ever wondered what would happen if you were to suddenly change your home address and move, say, into space? NASA's space agency investigates this difficult hypothetical case and tries to solve the riddle.
So far and from what experiments show, your brain wouldn't be too happy about it. On the contrary, there is a good chance that he hated the experience. You see, space does strange things to this organ of ours.
One of the reasons why NASA continues to send people to live on the International Space Station is to study them and see how their bodies respond to microgravity.
One of the studies currently underway is: "The Effects of Space Flight on Neurocognitive Performance: Extent, Longevity and Neural Bases", which examines changes in both the structure and function of the brain and determines how long it takes to to recover after returning from space.
In the context of this research, her researchers NASA watch astronauts closely and even detect the slightest change in their behavior. Brain imaging is also involved.
Astronaut's psyche has been checked before it starts at the International Space Station, re-screened in the middle of their stay on the orbital complex and then at the end of their 6-long journey. As for their brain anatomy, researchers are looking closely to determine the changes both before and after the space flight.
So far, they have revealed that because there is no "up" or "down" in space, the human brain tends to be seriously confused. In turn, this affects the way astronauts move and think. More specifically, they find it more difficult to control their movements and complete the mental tests.
And only that their visual view is space can cause astronauts problem in keeping their balance, perhaps even causing perceptual illusions.
"On Earth, your balance system tells you how your head is moving relative to gravity, but in space, the reference to gravity is gone. This causes these perceptual illusions, as well as difficulty coordinating eye and head movement," says researcher Rachel D. Seidler of the University of Michigan.
NASA has credible hopes that, in a few years now, a crew will land successfully with astronauts on the Red Planet. But to begin such a mission to Mars and then return the crew back and harmless, the space agency has to take all risk factors into account.
The impact of space conditions on the human body counts among these risk factors. Therefore, NASA's testing and experiments will continue at the International Space Station.
