OuterPlaces

Space travel has surprising effects on both physical and mental health. Sure, it looks pretty awesome to be an astronaut, going up there where there is no gravity and it seems that you can almost touch the stars. Astronauts always like to prove how cool their job is, maintaining profiles on social media and sharing all of these incredible photos and footages. But the lack of gravity can actually be a real downer, pun intended, affecting both the physical and mental health of those who dwell in space for extended period of time. Wanna be taller? Apparently, living in <a href="https://rumble.com/v39u2l-pilot-takes-a-dive-for-zero-gravity-experiment.html?mref=6zof&mrefc=79" target="_blank">zero gravity</a> will expand the vertebrae, making you grow up to 3%. Sad to say, you will shrink down to your normal height once you touch down on Earth. Oh, vanity. But it isn’t all good news up there. Weightlessness also causes loss in bone density and muscle atrophy. Not doing weight-resistant activities can do that to a human body. That is why <a href="https://rumble.com/v30nx6-did-nasa-send-astronauts-to-another-planet.html?mref=6zof&mrefc=81" target="_blank">astronauts</a> have personal gyms in space, to combat this effect. They exercise regularly and maintain a good diet. Space vacuum is also known to affect the size and shape of the heart muscle. Zero gravity lowers blood pressure and slows down the heart rate, which in turn decreases the flow of blood through the body. Isolation in space also weakens the immune system, allowing unearthly microbes to pass from food and other to you. Radiation and stress also play a huge factor. Last, but not least, being isolated so far away from any living creature on this planet can put you at serious risk of depression and sleep disorders. Since there is only 90 minutes of light-dark cycle, the same we experience in 24 hours down here, it takes a serious dedication to exercise and proper sleeping habits to reduce these changes. All goes back to normal once you come back to sweet, green Earth.

NASA's Voyager gave us the first look at the planet's incredible storms.

NASA has discovered seven Earth-like planets in habitable zone orbiting a nearby star. The system is in the Aquarius constellation, 40 light years away. Because the star is cool, even planets close to it could have liquid water. In addition, their densities suggest that they are rocky like the Earth. NASA says they are the most promising <a href="https://rumble.com/v368ap-potentially-habitable-earth-like-planets-abundant.html" target="_blank">potentially habitable</a> Earth-sized worlds. The system is named TRAPPIST-1 after the telescope that found it. Astronomers working with NASA’s Hubble Space Telescope have analysed the atmospheres of two Earth-sized exoplanets beyond our Solar System, concluding that they might be ideal for fostering life. Out of the seven new exoplanets that may be capable of supporting life as we know it, the two most <a href="https://rumble.com/v34a4h-seven-earth-like-planets-found-that-could-have-life.html" target="_blank">Earth-like alien worlds</a> are most promising. The findings suggest that the two exoplanets, TRAPPIST-1b and TRAPPIST-1c, do not have hydrogen-based atmospheres, which the team says would make them inhospitable, as hydrogen-dense atmospheres usually lead to a devastating greenhouse effect. In addition, the lack of a smothering hydrogen-helium envelope increases the chances for habitability on these planets, team member Nikole Lewis, from the Space Telescope Science Institute in the US, said in a report statement. The study took took place when both of the planets were in front of the star at the same time, an event known as a ‘double-transit’ that only happens once every two years. With both of the planets visible, the team was able to use spectroscopy to find clues as to what their atmospheres are made of. While the exact chemical makeup is still unclear, the team says they were able to rule out that the atmospheres contain high levels of hydrogen and helium, which increases the chances that they might harbour life.

This black hole's gravity rips a star apart.

Neptune's biggest moon has a unique past.

This could make space travel eight times faster.

The Trump administration has proposed a budget cut for the two-decades old International Space Station program, which provides NASA with its only base in space.

How long it takes for light to escape the center of the sun.

Watch this compilation of huge solar flares.

Antarctica is actually a desert.

NASA's Solar Dynamics Observatory takes a picture of the Sun every 12 seconds.

NASA's Voyager probe discovered something strange on Saturn's North Pole.

For Halloween, NASA released an album of creepy audio recordings from space.

See how fires can spread carbon across the globe.

NASA might use this solar sail to visit other star systems.

An origami-inspired robot will explore other planets.

NASA's Parker Solar Probe will get closer to the Sun than any spacecraft.

Watch ocean currents as seen from space.

NASA shows off a tire made for exploring other planets.

NASA shows what Mars looked like before it became the Red Planet.

The latest NASA lander, COBALT, is more precise than ever.

What surrounds black holes at the center of the Milky Way galaxy.

This hi-res simulation gives a new look at Earth's weather.

Travel from the Grand Canyon into space with NASA.

Dark matter particles interact with a black hole.