Space and Life: An Introduction to Space Biology and Medicine

Since our first manned space flights we have learned much about how the human body adapts to the space environment and in particular, to the absence of gravity. Today, space research provides a better understanding of our physiological response mechanisms to microgravity. Space and Life: An Introduction to Space Biology and Medicine describes the results of space research in the context of core concepts in human physiology to depict the effects of both long-term and short-term absence of gravity on the human body. The book explains the scientific basis for the physiological reactions so common to astronauts who experience zero gravity, such as bone calcium loss, puffy faces, and nausea. It includes discussions of cosmic rays, cells, plants, embryonic development, and the origins of life on Earth from a space research standpoint. Updating the current knowledge about how the human body adapts to the space environment and the absence of gravity, this book is ideal for space research scientists, physiologists, NASA employees, and students involved in space study.