EMIRATI astronaut Dr. Sultan Al Neyadi’s physical appearance changed a lot since he arrived at the International Space Station three months ago.
According to doctors, Dr. Al Neyadi is experiencing a transition common to astronauts in space.
The 42-year-old astronaut is experiencing a condition known as the ‘Moon face’ caused by a shift in body fluids, resulting in facial swelling.
Doctors however assured them the condition is not permanent and will go away once he returns to Earth.
Hazza Al Mansouri, the first Emirati astronaut to fly to space in 2019, also shared that during his eight-day trip to the ISS, the size of his head grew bigger because of the rush of fluids upwards, and his sense of smell also changed.
An aviation medical examiner in Dubai explained that weightlessness can take its toll on the human body where the components of blood and cellular fluid change and contributes to a shift in body fluids.
Another specialist said that in zero gravity, most of the blood and other fluids move up to the chest and facial areas, which explains the bloating in Dr. Al Neyadi’s face.
Moreover, the Dubai-based expert said that long-duration missions in space can cause the aging process to happen ten times faster compared to Earth as the human body is adapted to the gravity of our own planet and would take time to adapt to longer-term exposure to weightlessness.
These physical changes are the reasons why space agencies require astronauts to exercise for at least two hours daily to keep them healthy as their bone and muscle mass decreases the longer they stay in microgravity.
