The record for a single trip into space currently stands at 437 days, but prolonged periods in orbit can alter an astronaut’s body in some surprising ways, changing their muscles, brains, and even their gut bacteria.
With a few handshakes, a brief photoshoot, and a wave, NASA astronaut Frank Rubio bid farewell to the [International Space Station] that had been his home for 371 days. His departure … and return to Earth … marked the end of the longest single spaceflight by an American to date.
Rubio’s … extended trip in space has [provided] valuable insights into how humans can cope with long-duration spaceflight and how best to counteract the problems it can present. He is the first astronaut to participate in a study examining how exercising with limited gym equipment can affect the human body.
It is information that will prove vital as humans set their sights on sending crews on missions to explore deeper into the Solar System.
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Without the constant tug of gravity on our limbs, muscle and bone mass quickly begins to diminish in space. The most affected are those muscles that help to maintain our posture in our back, neck, calves and quadriceps – in microgravity they no longer have to work nearly as hard and begin to atrophy. After just two weeks muscle mass can fall by as much as 20% and on longer missions of three-to-six months it can fall by 30%.
