24. Are we likely to experience vertigo and suffer motion sickness during launch and in orbit? What are the preventative measures? Should we bring medication? (A K2S Question)

From The Space Library

One of the most significant effects of being weightless in space is on the balance system. When astronauts first go into space, many suffer from space motion sickness, which is something like motion sickness on Earth. This lasts for a day or two, until their balance systems get used to being in space. When they come back to Earth, they again have similar problems until their balance systems now get used to being back in the gravity of Earth. The astronauts take motion sickness medicine to treat space motion sickness, either as a pill or injection. We do not yet have a way of preventing this.

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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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