06. How do astronauts avoid getting the bends? What is the pre-breathe protocol? (A K2S Question)

From The Space Library

Station astronauts must prepare themselves for the spacewalk so they don't get the bends. They do this by exercising and breathing pure oxygen as the air pressure changes around them. The prebreathe protocol is designed to wash out any excess nitrogen from the body prior to a spacewalk. This protocol takes advantage of the fact that exercise increases the speed at which nitrogen is removed from the body by increasing blood circulation through the extremities. The ISS pre-breathe protocol involves breathing pure oxygen for a total of 2 hours and 20 minutes.

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Answer provided by Russell Romanella

Question and Answer extracted from the book Kids to Space - by Lonnie Schorer

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