In celebration of Hispanic Heritage Month, museum Explainer Karina leads a demonstration in Spanish about the effects of gravity on our bodies in space. You can find the English translation of this blog post and the video below. 

¡Hola! Mi nombre es Karina Mejia-Cardenas. Mis padres son de Perú, pero yo nací en Washington, DC. En estos momentos estoy estudiando biología en la Universidad de George Mason. Después de graduarme, espero investigar sobre los efectos terapéuticos de los bacteriófagos, que simplemente son los virus que atacan bacterias específicas. Esto podría eventualmente ser una alternativa a los antibióticos, ya que algunas de las bacterias se están volviendo más resistentes a ellos.

Soy una Explicadora aquí en el Museo Nacional del Aire y el Espacio del Smithsonian. Yo hablo de lo que sucede a nuestro cuerpo en el espacio. Específicamente, cuando comparamos cómo la gravedad nos afecta aquí en la Tierra y como en el espacio.

Hello! My name is Karina Mejia-Cardenas. My parents are from Peru but I was born in Washington, DC. Right now, I am studying biology at George Mason University. After I graduate, I hope to do research on the therapeutic effects of bacteriophages, which are viruses that target specific bacteria. This could eventually be an alternative to antibiotics since some harmful bacteria are becoming more resistant to them.

I’m an Explainer here at the Smithsonian’s National Air and Space Museum. In this video, I will talk about what happens to your body in outer space. Specifically, how gravity affects us here on Earth and in outer space.

You can find the English translation of the video demonstration below.

Today, we will be talking about what happens to your body in outer space. Specifically, how gravity affects us here on Earth and in outer space. Let’s first look at how gravity affects our ears. Inside everyone’s ear, there is a vestibular canal where fluid runs through the tubes. This particular fluid is affected by gravity all the time here on Earth. For example, if I were to lean on my side, the gravity would pull down on the fluid in my ear, hit the tiny hairs inside the tubes, and then send signals to my brain telling me that I’m on my side.

Now, what about astronauts when they are in space? Well, since there is less gravity in outer space, the fluid in their ear starts moving all over the place inside the tubes. This activity sends the wrong signals to their brains, thus making them very dizzy and nauseous. This is called space adaptation syndrome. Similarly, if you have ever gotten car sickness or spun yourself around really fast, you feel the exact same symptoms of uneasiness! That’s why astronauts have to train their eyes instead of their ears to figure out their orientation in space.

Gravity also affects our spine. Think of our spine as a sponge. Here on Earth, gravity pulls down on the cartilage in our spine. But, when astronauts go into outer space, because there is less gravity, their spines expand. As a result, astronauts grow 2 to 3 inches, or 5 to 7 centimeters, taller!

Well, I hope you all have learned a lot about some of the incredible things that happen to our bodies in outer space. I would like to thank you all for allowing me to share this information. I’d also like to thank the museum for recognizing Hispanic Heritage Month.

 Air and Space Explainers are high school or college students who help connect visitors with hands-on STEM programming. The Explainers Program is made possible through the generous support of GE Aviation.