NASA astronauts to get high-tech sleeping bags to prevent vision loss during Mars trips

An astronaut's health is going to play a major factor when humans embark on a long-term space exploration journey to the Moon and Mars. Until now, it has been evident that staying in zero gravity for a considerable amount of time has severe repercussions on the functioning of the brain and even the eyesight. To tackle the issue of preventing vision loss in astronauts, scientists from the University of Texas (UT) Southwestern Medical Center have designed a sleeping bag that can possibly be a game-changer. 

When a person is in space, just three days of lying flat on the back can change the shape of the eyeballs as the fluids float into the head due to the absence of gravity and create pressure by pushing the eyeballs. In order to solve this issue, NASA approached the UT for a solution to this disorder called Spaceflight-associated Neuro-ocular Syndrome, or SANS where an astronaut can experience flattening of the eyeball, swelling of the optic nerve, and even vision impairment. Benjamin Levine, M.D., a UT Southwestern cardiologist said as per the University’ statement,

We don’t know how bad the effects might be on a longer flight, like a two-year Mars operation. It would be a disaster if astronauts had such severe impairments that they couldn’t see what they’re doing and it compromised the mission.

Here’s how the sleeping bag works

What the sleeping bag does is prevent the fluids in the body from floating into the head using a suction technology when astronauts are taking a nap. On Earth, this problem would never occur as gravity makes the fluids unload from our head when we wake up. On the other hand, the astronauts would have to endure over half a gallon of body fluids that constantly apply pressure to the eyeballs. 

This sleeping bag has been tested on a volunteer named Dr. James Leidner, who laid in the bed for 72 hours while his lower body was inside the sealed, vacuum-equipped sleeping bag. It was found that Leidner experienced no abnormality that otherwise would have been recorded in astronauts in space during the same time period, the researchers noted in their study published in the JAMA Ophthalmology.  

The experts, however, said that the effects of SANS will diminish as soon as the astronauts return to Earth but stated that this technology might be useful for long journeys in space such as the mission to Mars being planned by NASA in the next decade.

Image: UT Southwestern Medical Center