A medical specialty dealing with the physiological, psychological and pathological consequences of space flight, in which the body has to cope with unusual variations in gravitational forces, including weightlessness, a constricted environment, prolonged close contact with work colleagues in very demanding technical circumstances, and sustained periods of emotional pressure, including fear. Enormous progress has been made in providing astronauts with as normal environment as possible, and they have to undergo prolonged physical and mental training before embarking on space travel.
The branch of medical science concerned with the physiological and pathological problems encountered by humans who enter the area beyond the earth’s atmosphere. Included in space medicine are investigation of effects of weightlessness (zero gravity), sensory deprivation, motion sickness, enforced inactivity during lengthy travels in space, and the heat and decelerative forces encountered at the time of reentry into the earth’s atmosphere. With prolonged flights into space, a number of medical problems have arisen, including anemia and loss of blood volume, and loss of bone and muscle mass. These changes also make adjustment to gravity after returning to earth difficult.
A field of medicine that focuses on the physiological impacts of space travel. This encompasses phenomena like the consequences of acceleration or motion sickness induced by the condition of weightlessness.