What is space travel? Basically, it refers to the process of space travel. This term can also be defined as a journey outside the Earth's atmosphere. For centuries, humans have been fascinated by the night sky, following the movement of stars, comets and planets across the open sky. In the twentieth century, the fascination with space reached a whole new level of excitement when humans launched the first spacecraft out of Earth's atmosphere, taking astronauts into space and to the moon. The first man to set foot on the Moon was Neil Armstrong in the late 1960s. Before landing, Neil and his partner Aldrin spent six and a half hours resting before preparing for their moonwalk. Have you ever wondered why they rested for so long? The reason for their long hours of rest is because astronauts face fewer hours of regular sleep during space travel. Combining this with the disruptions to our Earth's day and night cycles that we humans have adapted to over the course of our existence on Earth, the result is stressed and fatigued astronauts. There are many reasons why space travel is dangerous to our health, leaving short- and long-term problems. There are many short-term problems that astronauts face during their time outside Earth's atmosphere. On Earth, the cardiovascular system distributes fluids throughout the body, working against gravity to prevent blood from flowing into the legs and carrying blood to the brain. In microgravity, the cardiovascular system doesn't work as hard. As fluids move from the lower to the upper body, the heart rate increases and blood pressure increases. This leads astronauts to experience swollen faces and headaches. This could be very dangerous for when...... middle of paper ......or space professional training would be necessary. Astronauts now don't get enough education about things they should be aware of, and they aren't taught to deal with problems to the point where they don't experience them as much or at all. NASA cannot continue to send astronauts into space who may experience severe symptoms that could lead to death. They need more training before the time they are sent flying, although the prices may be high, our health should be the main priority. Works Cited “Effect of Space Flight on the Human Body.” Wikipedia. Wikimedia Foundation, May 25, 2014. Web. May 26, 2014."Race to Mars: Known effects of long-term spaceflight on the human body." Race to Mars: Known effects of long-term spaceflight on the human body. Np, nd Web. May 25, 2014."The body in space." The body in space. Np, nd Web. May 26 2014.