Nutrition is key to maintaining physiology on the ground, and it is even more critical in flight.
The responsibility for overseeing this critical area is that of the scientists in the JSC Nutritional Biochemistry Laboratory, whose charge is to define nutritional requirements for space flight-that is, defining how many calories and other nutrients a crewmember needs in a given day, and how these requirements are altered in flight versus on the ground. Current issues of primary concern to the researchers involve the astronauts' dietary intake, bone loss, and iron absorption in space. Diet Bone Loss Iron Absorption Conclusion Researchers have only just begun to scratch the surface of understanding the impact of weightlessness on the human body. A more complete understanding will not only enable the exploration of our universe, but will provide the information needed for the maintenance of human health and treatment of diseases on Earth.