Agnirva Space Premier League - Expedition #30985: How Space Changes the Human Sense of Touch and Balance

Imagine standing on one leg with your eyes closed. On Earth, your body knows how to balance without even thinking. But what if you were floating in space? That’s the question Dr. Leah Bent and the Canadian Space Agency (CSA) aimed to answer with the ISS experiment "Cutaneous Hypersensitivity and Balance Control in Humans."

Conducted over Expeditions 23/24, 25/26, and 27/28, this study focused on how microgravity affects the human skin’s sensitivity (cutaneous hypersensitivity) and how the body manages to stay balanced when it has no gravity to push against.

On Earth, our balance depends on signals from our eyes, inner ears, and the nerves in our skin and muscles. In space, many of those signals get distorted. Astronauts float instead of standing or walking. This creates a unique opportunity to study what parts of our nervous system are truly essential for balance and coordination.

The study used a device to gently press or vibrate areas of the skin on astronauts’ hands and feet. The reactions were measured before, during, and after their time in space. Scientists were particularly interested in changes in skin sensitivity—how strongly or weakly astronauts felt certain stimuli.

Findings showed that spaceflight can temporarily make astronauts more sensitive to skin touch. This could be due to changes in blood flow, fluid distribution, or how nerve signals are processed in the absence of gravity. Understanding these changes isn’t just about keeping astronauts safe. It could also lead to better treatments for balance disorders or neurological conditions on Earth.

The balance part of the experiment used a platform that astronauts stood on while being gently moved. On Earth, the body automatically makes small adjustments to keep upright. In space, those reflexes don’t work the same way. Researchers observed delayed or altered responses, indicating the nervous system had to "relearn" balance under different physical laws.

These results help scientists design better training and rehabilitation protocols for astronauts. They also offer insights into how aging or injury affects balance in everyday life on Earth.

So next time you find yourself wobbling on one foot, remember that the study of balance reaches far beyond our planet.

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