Few humans have had the opportunity to see Earth from space. And for astronauts living in the International Space Station like Loral O’Hara, that view never gets old. “You know, you see it in photographs, but that doesn’t compare at all to seeing it in person for the first time in 3D,”O’Hara said in a recent interview. “I just saw the ocean and the clouds — this blue and white marble against the blackness of space — and it was one of the most beautiful things I’d ever seen.”
O’Hara is a flight engineer for NASA’s Expedition 70 crew, who launched into space in September 2023. She and her team spent the last six months researching a range of topics: How the human brain and body adapt to microgravity, 3D-printed human heart tissue and how space changes the immune (免疫) systems of plants. One of these investigations is the Complement of Integrated Protocols for Human Exploration Research program, or CIPHER, which is intended to help researchers understand how living in space changes human health and psychology.
On Earth, gravity keeps blood and other fluids relatively low in the body. But when astronauts live in microgravity, these fluids are pushed up towards the heart, which can cause swelling, congestion (淤血) and even vision and hearing changes. Onboard the ISS, O’Hara says astronauts keep tabs on these potential health risks, performing regular eye exams and ultrasounds to collect data. The hope is to use this data not only for microgravity research, but also for research on Earth. For example, researchers know astronauts lose about 1% to 2% of their bone density per month during spaceflight. So, O’Hara and her team are analyzing bone marrow stem cells in order to better understand both this bone loss and normal aging on Earth.
O’Hara says the changes aren’t just physical either. She’s even had new types of dreams since she boarded the ISS last September. She says she often finds herself in small, tight spaces, looking for things on the space station.
【小题1】What does the word “that” underlined in the first paragraph refer to?| A．The blue and white marble. |
| B．The sight of space in pictures. |
| C．The chance to see Earth from space. |
| D．The life in the International Space Station. |
| A．Test the astronauts’ health conditions. |
| B．Understand the immune systems of plants. |
| C．Investigate the human psychological issues. |
| D．Study the impact of life in space on humans. |
| A．Astronauts can suffer hearing changes on Earth. |
| B．Researchers check their eyes to reduce health risks. |
| C．Microgravity leads to some physical changes. |
| D．Bone loss research is welcome among astronauts. |
| A．What’s It Like to Live in Space? |
| B．The Research of Microgravity in Space |
| C．Do You Dream of Living in Space? |
| D．An Extraordinary Woman Flight Engineer |
