Keep Fit in Space

 

When people don't feel well, they go to see the doctor and take medicine. Though astronauts may also face health problems in space, both physically¹ and mentally, how do they go about finding medical treatment? And what do they do to improve their health in zero gravity?

As China's first space lab is set to launch later this week, designers have also taken these factors into consideration.

CRI's Shuangfeng reports from the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center.

 
The environment in space is far different from that on earth.

Though astronauts have trained to adapt themselves to the conditions of zero gravity, they may still experience discomfort² or disorders³ when they are actually up there.

Wang Xianmin is vice⁴ chief designer of the mission's astronaut system.

"Due to weightlessness in space, astronauts may experience certain disorders, but not necessarily illness. Usually, they will recover from any kind of disorders after three to five days. But our doctors have taken measures to deal with these problems, especially in terms of traditional Chinese medicine. We have tried Chinese medicine on the Shenzhou 7 spacecraft, and it worked quite well."

One of the greatest health dangers of space travel is bone loss, a disease in which bones become weak and fragile.

Medical experts say astronauts lose about 10 times more bone every month than a post-menopausal woman on Earth.

Bone loss occurs presumably because astronauts don't do enough load-bearing exercise in zero gravity.

With this in mind, Chinese designers have outfitted⁵ the space lab with fitness equipment and medical devices that monitor the health status of the astronauts.

"We've installed some new facilities to deal with the adverse⁶ impacts of long-term presence in zero gravity. For example, we have an exercise bike for astronauts to ride every day. We also have a bucket-shaped device which will help reduce blood pressure in the brain. Aside from these things, we have an instrument to record astronauts' bone status for future research and for the development of anti-bone loss equipment."

Besides gym equipment, there are also other medical devices onboard the space lab which will monitor the astronauts' health and provide them with healthy advice.

"The medical equipment is designed to safeguard and monitor the astronauts' health, and give regular assessments⁷ of their organs and fitness levels. When they are in space, their physical condition may change as a result of weightlessness. We need these devices to monitor their health and adjust their workload⁸ accordingly."

The space module⁹ is also equipped with recreational facilities to help astronauts relax.

In the future, as astronauts may stay longer in space, more facilities such as these will be installed in future space modules¹⁰.

For CRI, this is Shuangfeng reporting from Jiuquan.

1 physically   

adj.物质上，体格上，身体上，按自然规律

参考例句：

• He was out of sorts physically,as well as disordered mentally.他浑身不舒服，心绪也很乱。
• Every time I think about it I feel physically sick.一想起那件事我就感到极恶心。

2 discomfort   

n.不舒服，不安，难过，困难，不方便

参考例句：

• One has to bear a little discomfort while travelling.旅行中总要忍受一点不便。
• She turned red with discomfort when the teacher spoke.老师讲话时她不好意思地红着脸。

3 disorders   

n.混乱( disorder的名词复数 )；凌乱；骚乱；（身心、机能）失调

参考例句：

• Reports of anorexia and other eating disorders are on the increase. 据报告，厌食症和其他饮食方面的功能紊乱发生率正在不断增长。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• The announcement led to violent civil disorders. 这项宣布引起剧烈的骚乱。 来自《简明英汉词典》

4 vice   

n.坏事；恶习；[pl.]台钳，老虎钳；adj.副的

参考例句：

• He guarded himself against vice.他避免染上坏习惯。
• They are sunk in the depth of vice.他们堕入了罪恶的深渊。

5 outfitted   

v.装备，配置设备，供给服装( outfit的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

• They outfitted for the long journey. 他们为远途旅行准备装束。 来自《现代英汉综合大词典》
• They outfitted him with artificial legs. 他们为他安了假腿。 来自辞典例句

6 adverse   

adj.不利的；有害的；敌对的，不友好的

参考例句：

• He is adverse to going abroad.他反对出国。
• The improper use of medicine could lead to severe adverse reactions.用药不当会产生严重的不良反应。

7 assessments   

n.评估( assessment的名词复数 )；评价；（应偿付金额的）估定；（为征税对财产所作的）估价

参考例句：

• He was shrewd in his personal assessments. 他总能对人作出精明的评价。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• Surveys show about two-thirds use such assessments, while half employ personality tests. 调查表明，约有三分之二的公司采用了这种测评；而一半的公司则采用工作人员个人品质测试。 来自百科语句

8 workload   

n.作业量，工作量

参考例句：

• An assistant one day a week would ease my workload.每周有一天配一个助手就会减轻我的工作负担。
• He's always grousing about the workload.他总是抱怨工作量大。

9 module   

n.组件，模块，模件；(航天器的)舱

参考例句：

• The centre module displays traffic guidance information.中央模块显示交通引导信息。
• Two large tanks in the service module held liquid oxygen.服务舱的两个大气瓶中装有液态氧。

10 modules   

n.模块( module的名词复数 )；单元；（宇宙飞船上各个独立的）舱；组件

参考例句：

• The course consists of ten core modules and five optional modules. 这门课程包括十个必修单元和五个选修单元。
• Our English course is divided into modules on poetry, drama, and novels. 我们的英语课分为诗歌、戏剧和小说等单元。 来自《简明英汉词典》