第2027期:Health in space

Astronaut Frank Rubiales has returned to Earth after 371 days in space. It was only supposed to be 180, but a technical fault stopped him from returning as planned. Unlucky for him, but very lucky for scientists who want to see what effects spending an extended time in space has on the human body. 

宇航员弗兰克·鲁比亚莱斯（Frank Rubiales）在太空中待了371天后返回地球。本来应该只有180，但技术故障阻止了他按计划返回。对他来说很不幸，但对于想要了解在太空中长时间停留对人体产生什么影响的科学家来说，这是非常幸运的。

Being in space can affect both physical and mental health. Weightlessness caused by a lack of gravity can lead to a loss of bone and muscle mass. Astronauts are recommended 150 minutes of exercise per day to counteract this. Also, space traveller's eyes can be affected by the way that fluids act in zero-gravity. Outside the protection of the Earth's atmosphere, astronauts are exposed to much higher levels and different forms of solar radiation. This can potentially cause long-term health problems, such as cancer. 

在太空中会影响身体和心理健康。由于缺乏重力而导致的失重会导致骨骼和肌肉质量的损失。建议宇航员每天锻炼 150 分钟来解决这个问题。此外，太空旅行者的眼睛也会受到流体在零重力下的作用方式的影响。在地球大气层的保护之外，宇航员会暴露在更高水平和不同形式的太阳辐射下。这可能会导致长期健康问题，例如癌症。 

It's not just physical health that is affected by being in space. Our mental health can be damaged if we don't get enough sleep. On earth, our bodies respond through circadian rhythms to the Sun rising and setting to help us sleep, but astronauts on board the International Space Station see 16 sunsets and sunrises every day. This means that avoiding sleep deprivation is a challenge. Isolation, and spending all your time with a small group of people can also affect mental health. Along with isolation, is the pressure that comes from being constantly monitored by experts back on Earth. With possible future missions to Mars predicted to last three years, tensions within the crew could become heightened. Astronaut Harry Hartfield reports an example of this where a colleague threatened to open the airlock and drain the oxygen from the spacecraft. 

在太空中影响的不仅仅是身体健康。如果我们睡眠不足，我们的心理健康就会受到损害。在地球上，我们的身体通过昼夜节律对太阳的升起和落下作出反应，以帮助我们入睡，但国际空间站上的宇航员每天都会看到 16 个日落和日出。这意味着避免睡眠不足是一个挑战。与世隔绝以及将所有时间都花在一小群人身上也会影响心理健康。除了孤立之外，还有来自地球专家不断监控的压力。由于未来可能的火星任务预计将持续三年，宇航员内部的紧张关系可能会加剧。宇航员哈里·哈特菲尔德（Harry Hartfield）报告了一个这样的例子，一位同事威胁要打开气闸并排空航天器中的氧气。 

Developing new techniques and technology to support astronauts' health will enable more ambitious future missions. It can also help those of us who are staying on Earth. The Canadian Space Agency is using its expertise to improve health care for people living in remote regions. The technology that supports robots used in space is now being used in surgery in normal hospitals, while pressure suits are being used to treat post-pregnancy complications. 

开发支持宇航员健康的新技术和新工艺将使未来任务更加雄心勃勃。它也可以帮助我们这些留在地球上的人。加拿大航天局正在利用其专业知识来改善偏远地区人们的医疗保健。支持太空机器人的技术现在正用于普通医院的手术，而压力服则用于治疗产后并发症。 

词汇表

astronaut 宇航员
technical fault 技术故障
physical health 身体健康
mental health 心理健康
weightlessness 失重状态
lack of gravity 失重
muscle mass 肌肉量
exposed to 使…暴露于
solar radiation 太阳辐射
cancer 癌症
circadian rhythm 昼夜节律
International Space Station 国际空间站
sleep deprivation 睡眠不足
isolation 与世隔绝
monitored 被监测
tension 紧张关系，人际矛盾
airlock 气闸舱
spacecraft 宇宙飞船
pressure suit 加压服
post-pregnancy complication 产后并发症