NASA astronaut Andrew Morgan was the last of 13 research subject volunteers who participated in NASA’s Fluid Shifts study during his mission aboard the International Space Station. More than half of American astronauts on the space station experience structural and functional changes in space to their eyes, likely due to the lack of gravity. In space the shift of fluid in the body upward increases volume and pressure in the head, most noticeably seen as swelling in the retina, a critical part of the visual system. Researchers in NASA’s Human Research Program are studying how the fluid shifts affect vision and the brain, why some astronauts are affected more than others, and what solutions might help.
One solution studied in Fluid Shifts is lower body negative pressure (LBNP), which reverses the headward fluid shifts and pulls fluids toward the lower body. Morgan, seen here using the LBNP device that resides on the Russian segment of the space station, is working with fellow astronaut Jessica Meir to take ultrasound measurements of his arteries and veins. Results from this study may help develop preventative measures against changes in vision and eye damage, and protect astronauts on future Artemis missions to the Moon.
For more about NASA’s Human Research Program, visit: www.nasa.gov/hrp