20. Will our weight be different in space? (A K2S Question)

From The Space Library

In micro-gravity there is no weight—everything not bolted to the spacecraft floats! In space we measure mass, which is the quantity of material making up a person. Immediately when entering into the micro-gravity of space, there is a fluid shift. Some of the fluid shifts from the lower body and is eliminated from the body resulting in a two to six pound mass loss. This is the same process that occurs each night when we are in bed all night; if one weighs oneself just before bed, and after urinating, and then again in the morning, after urinating, there will be a weight loss. Thereafter how much difference in mass a person experiences changes just like on Earth, based on the amount of exercise performed and the amount of food eaten. If there is muscle, heart and bone atrophy, and the person eats less, they will have less mass. This occurs in about one-third of the astronauts. If people eat the same as they do on Earth, they will stay the same or gain mass, mostly in the form of fat.

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Answer provided by Col. USAF Dr. Richard S. Williams

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

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