Stories
Slash Boxes
Comments

SoylentNews is people

Space Sleeping Bag to Solve Astronauts' Squashed Eyeball Disorder

posted by martyb on Friday December 10 2021, @01:21AM   Printer-friendly
from the that-sucks! dept.

takyon writes:

Space sleeping bag to solve astronauts' squashed eyeball disorder

Scientists have developed a hi-tech sleeping bag that could prevent the vision problems that some astronauts experience while living in space.

In zero-gravity, fluids float into the head and squash the eyeball over time. It's regarded as one of the riskiest medical problems affecting astronauts, with some experts concerned it could compromise missions to Mars. The sleeping bag sucks fluid out of the head and towards the feet, countering the pressure build-up.

[...] The sleeping bag, developed with outdoor equipment manufacturer REI, fits around the person's waist, enclosing their lower body within a solid frame.

A suction device, that works on the same principle as a vacuum cleaner, creates a pressure difference that draws fluid down towards the feet. This prevents it from building up in the brain and applying damaging pressure to the eyeball.

Several questions need to be answered before the sleeping bag technology is used routinely, including the optimal amount of time astronauts should spend in the sleeping bag each day.

Journal Reference:
Christopher M. Hearon, Katrin A. Dias, Gautam Babu, et al. Nightly Lower Body Negative Pressure and Choroid Engorgement in Spaceflight-Associated Neuro-ocular Syndrome, JAMA Ophthalmology (DOI: 10.1001/jamaophthalmol.2021.5200)

Original Submission

 
This discussion has been archived. No new comments can be posted.
Space Sleeping Bag to Solve Astronauts' Squashed Eyeball Disorder | Log In/Create an Account | Top | 18 comments | Search Discussion
Display Options Threshold/Breakthrough Mark All as Read Mark All as Unread
The Fine Print: The following comments are owned by whoever posted them. We are not responsible for them in any way.

  • (Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Saturday December 11 2021, @09:42AM

    by Anonymous Coward on Saturday December 11 2021, @09:42AM (#1203860)

    Think a bit: Instead of spinning the bucket on its own axis, swing the bucket round and round using tethers and counterweights.

    Stuff like what's the minimum G for "normal humans", how much time is needed in 1G to stay healthy, etc, all these are important questions that should be answered if humans are really interested in being a space-faring species. If humans aren't interested in being a space-faring species then we should stop wasting money, time and resources on space programs.

    Then there's the whole fun of: how do you dock with it? Stop the spin if/when necessary? 100x increase in cost might be conservative.

    You dock at specific docking location(s) just like they already do - it's not like the ISS allows spacecraft to dock anywhere.

    As for how to move stuff to and from the center - there are already many existing methods and technologies for moving stuff along cables.

    If it results in a 100x increase in cost either the people involved are stupid, incompetent and/or corrupt.