The SpaceX Polaris Dawn Crew: What Happens to Your Body in Space?

The crew of SpaceX's Polaris Dawn mission faced different physical challenges during their space journey. Scott "Kidd" Poteet, a former Air Force pilot, had trouble with his vision. Anna Menon, the mission's medical officer, suffered from space adaptation syndrome, which can cause nausea and vomiting. These issues are common in space but rarely discussed. The mission aimed to study these problems to make space travel safer for future astronauts.The crew wore special contact lenses to measure eye pressure and had MRI scans to check for changes in their brains. They also ventured into the Van Allen radiation belts, which can cause unusual visual effects. Poteet's vision improved once back on Earth, while Menon found it hard to work during the first days in space. The crew did 36 experiments for 31 partner institutions, including universities and NASA. They even had a portable MRI machine to study brain changes quickly. The mission is important because it helps understand how the human body adapts to space, which can be uncomfortable and dangerous.