Space travel affects the human body in several ways. Without gravity, astronauts experience muscle and bone loss as their bodies do not need to work as hard against gravity. They also experience height increases as their spines stretch out in microgravity. Returning to Earth's gravity requires readjustment as the body must readapt to functioning with gravity again.

1. 5 Ways Space Travel Affects the Human Body – The Countdown
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HSrVO5C9kwQ
Ask questions:
1.- The human body evolved to function on earth.
…………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………
2.- The human body evolved to deal with Earth’s gravity.
…………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………
3.- When humans venture into weightlessness of space they start losing muscle mass
and bone density.
…………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………
4.- Astronaut Richard Hieb became too tall to fly in space in 1994 while he was flying
in space.
…………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………
5.- When he boarded the space shuttle Columbia on earth he was an inch shorter
than NASA’s maximum height limit of six foot four inches.
…………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………
6.- Once the shuttle went into orbit he started growing.
…………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………
7.- On earth gravity presses down on the body.
…………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………
8.- In microgravity the pressure on the body is removed.
…………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………
9.- Spines stretch out and increase an astronaut’s height by as much as two inches.
…………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………
10.- This height boost can be a problem.
…………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………
11.- This height boost makes him break NASA’s height limit.
…………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………

2. 12.- This height boost causes back pain.
…………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………
Answer these questions:
1.- What does Earth’s gravity do with fluids?
…………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………
2.- What would happen if Earth’s gravity didn’t exist?
…………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………
3.- What happens when there is no Earth’s gravity?
…………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………
4.- Why do astronauts report a weaker sense of taste in space?
…………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………
5.- What can’t you do properly when you have a stuffy nose?
…………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………
6.- Why is a stuffy nose an advantage when travelling in a spacecraft?
…………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………
7.- What do astronauts do to make up for food blandness in space?
…………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………
8.- What happens to the heart in microgravity? Why is this so?
…………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………
9.- When could the heart function less efficiently?
…………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………
10.- What happens to the astronauts’ eyes during their time in microgravity?
…………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………
11.- How long could their eye damage last?
…………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………
12.- What eye conditions are produced by the upward flow of fluids?
…………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………

3. Match column A with column B:
1.- the inner ear a.- of where their arms and legs are
located.
2.-astronauts feel disoriented b.- how to stand up, balance and walk in
the proper direction.
3.-they orient themselves c.- helps you keep your balance
4.-they can lose track d.- to work as hard as on earth.
5.- they must readapt e.- to measure their hearts before,
during and after a mission on the I.S.S.
6.- they have to relearn f.- with visual clues alone
7.- in space the heart doesn’t have g.-to life gravity again.
8.- they used ultrasound h.-when they first leave gravity behind.