Why do we do science in space?

Uploaded on November 28, 2017

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Why do we do science in space?

2017-11-28 - Did you know that many science experiments are being conducted on the International Space Station at any given time? Why do we do science in space?  (Credit: Canadian Space Agency)

Tim Haltigin: Hi. I’m Tim. And I like science.

Living in space is a lot tougher on your body than you might think.

Seriously.

Microgravity does a lot of weird stuff to it: your bones and muscles start to deteriorate, blood vessels stiffen, the nervous system is affected, and even your sense of orientation becomes confused.

And of course, all of this is happening as you’re being exposed to higher levels of radiation. Not good!

What’s even worse is that the more time you’re in space, the more pronounced these effects can become.

So as we plan to explore farther out beyond the Earth and eventually fly back to the Moon and even out to Mars, we really need to find ways to minimize these impacts and protect our astronauts’ health.

This is one of the reasons why the International Space Station was built in the first place - to do science! 

Right now, there are more than 200 experiments being conducted there.

The results of these projects are used not only to help our astronauts, but also to improve our understanding about how our bodies behave on Earth too. 

So, in the end, this benefits all of us: me, you, your family and friends.

Ultimately the science we’re doing in space is actually being used to help improve our quality of life here on Earth!

To find out how, check us out online and follow us on social media.

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