NASA: Space Mission Influences Astronaut's Cognitive Capabilities

JAKARTA NASA revealed that research conducted by astronauts in space affects their cognitive abilities. However, this ability continues to change over time.

Based on the observations of researchers at NASA, astronauts who underwent missions to the International Space Station (ISS) for six months showed stable cognitive performance. However, some minor changes were seen in a number of areas.

These changes include the speed of processing, memory, attention, and willingness to take risks. This discovery provides an overview of the cognitive capabilities of the crew that may be rediscovered on the next ISS mission.

"This research provides basic data that can help identify cognitive changes to future missions and support the development of appropriate precautions," NASA said, quoted from its official website.

The crew's cognitive decline may have been affected by the stressors while on spaceflight, according to NASA's explanation. So far, the stressors that fill the spacecraft crew the most often are radiation and sleep disturbances.

Although currently the cognitive decline is still very mild, this can change according to the level of exposure. The longer astronauts spend time conducting experiments in space, the greater the exposure of the stressor.

NASA will continue to research on the cognitive changes of astronauts. All observational results will be reported to Standard Measures discussing psychological and physiological measurements related to the risk of human spaceflight, including a series of cognition tests from before, during, and after missions.