I recently took a trip with my family to Houston, Texas to visit some friends. While we were in Houston we visited NASA Johnson Space Center. It was amazing to learn about the discoveries that astronauts explored. For instance, I learned that the trips they make to space helps to learn how human cells react in micro-gravity and it helps with medicine. Furthermore, I learned that in micro-gravity, body fluids are moved around and lessened such as plasma(where our red blood cells are stored). What does this all mean? This means that there is less blood to carry oxygen to the entire body. However, exercise, has been found to increase the amount of plasma in the body. Therefore, when astronauts exercise, they make more red blood cells. By the way, astronauts workout for 2 1/2 hours a day, yes you read this correctly they work out for 150 minutes. In addition to body fluids lessening if astronauts did not work out they would lose bone and muscle because of the air in space. Can you imagine? They would not be able to work, they would be weak. In other words, astronauts have no choice, but to work out every day while in space. If they did not they would not be able to even walk back here on Earth. Another benefit of exercise in space is the mental state of the astronaut. You see folks, it is not rocket science to know this, or is it?
