Did You Know That Astronauts Often Lose Their Fingernails During Spacewalks?

Veuer

Generally speaking life in space isn’t exactly healthy. NASA doctors have long reported that astronauts return from orbit with lower bone density, muscle mass and other health issues. However, this new revelation is pretty grotesque. Veuer’s Tony Spitz has the details.

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00:00Generally speaking, life in space isn't exactly healthy.

00:03NASA doctors have reported that astronauts return from orbit with lower bone density and muscle mass,

00:08which isn't too surprising.

00:09But they also come back with fewer red blood cells and a dose of radiation greater than anywhere on Earth,

00:14even at a nuclear power station.

00:16Now Science Alert reports, when astronauts go for a spacewalk, there's a pretty grim side effect.

00:21Their fingernails often start falling off.

00:24The medical term is onycolysis.

00:26And while it's a bit gross, experts believe they at least know why it happens.

00:30When astronauts leave the minuscule comforts of a spacecraft or ISS module, their suits need to be pressurized.

00:35This works well for most parts of the body, but the small finger cavities of the suit pose problems.

00:40With NASA reporting in a paper about it, quote,

00:42when the gloves are pressurized, they restrict movement and create pressure points during tasks,

00:47sometimes resulting in pain, muscle fatigue, abrasions, and occasionally more severe injuries such as onycolysis.

00:53A big part of this likely has to do with the length of spacewalks, sometimes edging on nine hours.

00:58Independent studies have revealed that a lot of it likely comes down to the glove's design.

01:02And if a particular joint is restricted in the hand, there's a higher probability of losing fingernails.

01:07Just one more reason why being an astronaut is not for most people.

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