Dr. Rey Bosita NASA Astronaut Physical Effects

Spine Talk

One of the objectives of a recent trip into space was to determine the long-range effect on “the mind, body and spirit” of the travelers into this last frontier. The agency which supervises all government-sponsored trips into space – The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) recently announced the safe return of astronaut Scott Kelly who had spent the last year living in the Space Station. This is longer than anyone else had previously done. The ramification of this trip – a medical experiment, in fact – is fascinating for the scientists at NASA and the spine specialists at Texas Back Institute. Why? According to news reports, including this one from NBC, Scott Kelley’s body changed while he was living in outer space. In addition to other possible effects of the weightlessness of outer space (yet to be determined), Kelly appears to have grown about 2-inches during this period. This fact is corroborated by a comparison with Scott’s brother, Mark, who is an identical twin and thus has the exact genetic makeup. This medical experiment, with one brother acting as the test subject and the other acting as the “control,” is critical to devising a medical and physical regimen for astronauts who, on future trips to planets in this solar system such as Mars, will be required to live in these conditions for sometimes decades. Before discussing these myriad medical mysteries, the obvious first question is clearly begged. Did the effects of 1-year of weightlessness, the closed quarters or other factors cause Scott Kelly to grow an additional 2-inches? For the answer to this, Texas Back Institute spine surgeon Dr. Rey Bosita was asked for his professional opinion. Read the full post here: www.texasback.com/blog