Aging Next Balance Disorders During and after space flight, astronauts experience difficulty in keeping their balance , as do many people suffering from balance disorders, especially older people.
Balance disorders are a frequent cause of falls and broken bones.
NASA is working with the National Institutes of Health to find ways to counteract this condition. Space Shuttle research on the body's balance system has resulted in new discoveries of sensory pathways and the nervous system's ability to adapt. In addition, NASA technology used to test astronauts after space flight has been used by a commercial company to produce a system to assess the extent of patients' balance problems and then retrain them for better mobility. This is already in use in several medical centers. Osteoporosis One of the physical changes experienced by astronauts during space flight is loss of bone density.