Sick in Space

Illness During Space Travel. Microgravity during space flight weakens the immune system so astronauts need to be extremely careful of catching a virus before flight. With the spread of swine flu, astronauts for the May 11th flight, the Atlanti's STS-125 Crew, had to be even more careful. NASA is always cautious of exposing crew members with any virus or bacteria before flight, even the common cold can by problematic. The crew entered quarantine weeks before the flight to avoid catching a sickness. 10 days before the launch the crew undergoes a physical exam to make sure they are not infected. They then go into a strict quaratine the week before and are examined once again 2 days before the launch. However, sometimes sickness can still come through. The atmosphere can also cause the astronauts to become sick. The prevention and protocol for sickness during space flight is very important for human missions to Mars. It would not be good to have astronauts sick during such long flights.