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Fourth of July Holidays in Space
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By NASA
4 Min Read Vision Changes on Space Station
NASA astronaut Jonny Kim, assisted by JAXA astronaut Takuya Onishi, performs an eye ultrasound on the International Space Station. Credits: NASA Science in Space July 2025
When astronauts began spending six months and more aboard the International Space Station, they started to notice changes in their vision. For example, many found that, as their mission progressed, they needed stronger reading glasses. Researchers studying this phenomenon identified swelling in the optic disc, which is where the optic nerve enters the retina, and flattening of the eye shape. These symptoms became known as Space-Associated Neuro-Ocular Syndrome (SANS).
NASA astronaut Suni Williams wears a cuff on her left leg as she conducts an eye exam for the Thigh Cuff investigation.NASA Microgravity causes a person’s blood and cerebrospinal fluid to shift toward the head and studies have suggested that these fluid shifts may be an underlying cause of SANS. A current investigation, Thigh Cuff, examines whether tight leg cuffs change the way fluid moves around inside the body, especially around the eyes and in the heart and blood vessels. If so, the cuffs could serve as a countermeasure against the problems associated with fluid shifts, including SANS. A simple and easy-to-use tool to counter the headward shift of body fluids could help protect astronauts on future missions to the Moon and Mars. The cuffs also could treat conditions on Earth that cause fluid to build up in the head or upper body, such as long-term bed rest and certain diseases.
Following fluid shifts
NASA astronaut Shane Kimbrough sets up optical coherence tomography hardware.NASA The Fluid Shifts investigation, conducted from 2015 through 2020, was the first to reveal changes in how blood drains from the brain in microgravity. Vision Impairment and Intracranial Pressure (VIIP) began testing the role those fluid shifts and resulting increased brain fluid pressure might play in the development of SANS. This research used a variety of measures including clinical eye exams with and without dilatation, imaging of the retina and associated blood vessels and nerves, noninvasive imaging to measure the thickness of retinal structures, and magnetic resonance imaging of the eye and optic nerve. In addition, approximately 300 astronauts completed questionnaires to document vision changes during their missions.
In one paper published from the research, scientists described how these imaging techniques have improved the understanding of SANS. The authors summarized emerging research on developing a head-mounted virtual reality display that can conduct multimodal, noninvasive assessment to help diagnose SANS.
Other researchers determined that measuring the optic nerve sheath diameter shows promise as a way to identify and quantify eye and vision changes during spaceflight. The paper also makes recommendations for standardizing imaging tools, measurement techniques, and other aspects of study design.
Another paper reported on an individual astronaut who had more severe than usual changes after a six-month spaceflight and certain factors that may have contributed. Researchers also observed improvement in the individual’s symptoms that may have been due to B vitamin supplementation and lower cabin carbon dioxide levels following departure of some crew members. While a single case does not allow researchers to determine cause and effect, the magnitude of the improvements suggest this individual may be more affected by environmental conditions such as carbon dioxide. This may have been the first attempt to mitigate SANS with inflight B vitamin supplementation.
Eyeball tissue stiffness
Optical coherence tomography image of the back of the eyeball (top) and thickness of the middle wall of the eye (bottom) from the SANSORI investigation.University of Montreal SANSORI, a CSA (Canadian Space Agency) investigation, used an imaging technique called Optical Coherence Tomography to examine whether reduced stiffness of eye tissue contributes to SANS. On Earth, changes in stiffness of the tissue around the eyeball have been associated with aging and conditions such as glaucoma and myopia. Researchers found that long-duration spaceflight affected the mechanical properties of eye tissues, which could contribute to the development of SANS. This finding could improve understanding of eye changes during spaceflight and in aging patients on Earth.
Genetic changes, artificial gravity
The MHU-8 investigation from JAXA (Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency), which examined changes in DNA and gene expression in mice after spaceflight, found changes in the optic nerve and retinal tissue. Researchers also found that artificial gravity may reduce these changes and could serve as a countermeasure on future missions.
These and other studies ultimately could help researchers prevent, diagnose, and treat vision impairment in crew members and people on Earth.
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By European Space Agency
Week in images: 14-18 July 2025
Discover our week through the lens
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By European Space Agency
Image: This image from Copernicus Sentinel-1 shows circular agricultural structures near Tabarjal, in the barren desert of northern Saudi Arabia. View the full article
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By European Space Agency
Video: 00:01:51 Space weather ‘reporter’ Vigil will be the world’s first space weather mission to be permanently positioned at Lagrange point 5, a unique vantage point that allows us to see solar activity days before it reaches Earth. ESA’s Vigil mission will be a dedicated operational space weather mission, sending data 24/7 from deep space.
Vigil’s tools as a space weather reporter at its unique location in deep space will drastically improve forecasting abilities. From there, Vigil can see ‘around the corner’ of the Sun and observe activity on the surface of the Sun days before it rotates into view from Earth. It can also watch the Sun-Earth line side-on, giving an earlier and clearer picture of coronal mass ejections (CMEs) heading toward Earth.
Radiation, plasma and particles flung towards Earth by the Sun can pose a very real risk to critical infrastructure our society relies on. This includes satellites for navigation, communications and banking services as well as power grids and radio communication on the ground.
A report by Lloyd’s of London estimates that a severe space weather event, caused by such an outburst of solar activity, could cost the global economy 2.4 trillion dollars over five years.
ESA’s response to this growing threat is Vigil, a cornerstone mission of the Agency’s Space Safety Programme, planned for launch in 2031. Vigil’s data will give us drastically improved early warnings and forecasts, which in turn help protect satellites, astronauts and critical infrastructure on the ground that we all depend on.
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By NASA
2 min read
Preparations for Next Moonwalk Simulations Underway (and Underwater)
NASA NASA’s Marshall Space Flight Center will host astronauts for a media opportunity as the center celebrates its 65th anniversary during a free, community event on Saturday, July 19, from noon to 5 p.m. CDT at The Orion Amphitheater in Huntsville, Alabama.
Marshall, along with its partners and collaborators, will fill the amphitheater with space exhibits, music, food vendors, and hands-on activities for all ages. The summer celebration will mark 65 years of innovation and exploration, not only for Marshall, but for Huntsville and other North Alabama communities.
The event will kick off with a program at 12:30 p.m. led by Joseph Pelfrey, director of NASA Marshall, and will include a presentation from some of the Expedition 72 crew members who recently returned from their mission after dedicating more than 1,000 combined hours to scientific research and technology demonstrations aboard the International Space Station. The crew will share their experiences in space with the community.
The official portrait of the International Space Station’s Expedition 72 crew. At the top (from left) are Roscosmos cosmonaut and Flight Engineer Alexey Ovchinin, NASA astronaut and space station Commander Suni Williams, and NASA astronaut and Flight Engineer Butch Wilmore. In the middle row are Roscosmos cosmonaut and Flight Engineer Ivan Vagner and NASA astronaut and Flight Engineer Don Pettit. In the bottom row are Roscosmos cosmonaut and Flight Engineer Aleksandr Gorbunov and NASA astronaut and Flight Engineer Nick Hague. NASA/Bill Stafford and Robert Markowitz Media are invited to attend the event and participate in a news conference with the astronauts after the presentation but must confirm their attendance by 4:30 p.m., Thursday, July 17, to Lance D. Davis – lance.d.davis@nasa.gov – in Marshall’s Office of Communications.
Media should arrive at the front entrance of The Orion Amphitheater by 11:45 a.m., Saturday, July 19, to be escorted by the Office of Communications.
Founded July 1, 1960, in Huntsville, Marshall has shaped or supported nearly every facet of the nation’s ongoing mission of space exploration and discovery, solving the most complex, technical flight challenges, and contributing to science to improve life and protect resources around the world.
Learn more about Marshall’s 65th anniversary celebration at:
https://www.nasa.gov/marshall65/
Lance D. Davis
Marshall Space Flight Center, Huntsville, Ala.
256-640-9065
lance.d.davis@nasa.gov
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Last Updated Jul 16, 2025 EditorBeth RidgewayLocationMarshall Space Flight Center Related Terms
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