- Home
- Technology
- News
Long-duration spaceflights impact astronauts' brain: Research
Astronauts should wait for a minimum of three years of recovery before going on the new mission.


New research findings indicate that astronauts’ brains undergo significant changes during spaceflights lasting six months or longer.
The study involved brain scans of 30 astronauts before and after spaceflights, ranging from two weeks to a year.
Scientists unveiled a noticeable expansion in the ventricles among those who spent at least six months on International Space Station (ISS) missions.
This research carries significant implications for future long-duration missions as space agencies like NASA and its international partners work towards establishing a continuous human presence on the moon and venturing as far as Mars.
During spaceflights, fluids in the body shift towards the head, exerting pressure on the brain and causing the ventricles, the brain's cavities filled with cerebrospinal fluid, to expand.
A recovery time of approximately three years was observed for the ventricles to fully return to their normal size between space missions.
While astronauts on two-week missions experienced minimal changes in ventricular structures, the degree of enlargement depended on the duration of time spent in space.
Notably, ventricular expansion stabilized after six months, suggesting potential positive implications for future Mars missions lasting approximately two years.
The study was published in Scientific Reports.

How Nintendo locked down the Switch 2’s USB-C port and broke third-party docking
- 34 minutes ago
Russia loses top Russian navy general killed in Ukraine
- 9 hours ago

ICE-tracking app tops App Store
- 34 minutes ago

Disqualification reference filed against 26 opposition Punjab MPAs
- 10 hours ago

Trump says he’ll look into deporting Elon as fight over bill escalates
- 34 minutes ago

Blizzard is winding down support for its Warcraft mobile game
- 34 minutes ago

Microsoft cancels its Perfect Dark and Everwild Xbox games
- 34 minutes ago

The GOP’s big spending bill could kill renewable energy projects
- 34 minutes ago
Pakistan's first int'l gold medallist Din Mohammad passes away
- 9 hours ago
Gold price soars Rs800 per tola in Pakistan
- 12 hours ago

Google Photos sees several app improvements
- 35 minutes ago

Death anniversary of folk singer Alam Lohar observed
- 9 hours ago