NASA Develops New Sleeping Bag To Prevent Eyeball 'Squashing' On ISS

Researchers from UT Southwestern Medical Center has developed a sleeping bag that could prevent or reduce a sleeping disorder called spaceflight-associated neuro-ocular syndrome, or SANS by effectively sucking fluid out of astronauts' heads.

Astronauts that go to the International Space Station (ISS) develop vision problems to varying degrees. In one case, astronaut John Philips returned from a six-month stint about the ISS in 2005 with his vision reduced from 20/20 to 20/100, as reported.

"It would be a disaster if astronauts had such severe impairments that they couldn't see what they're doing and it compromised the mission," lead researcher Dr. Benjamin Levine said.

Researchers collaborated with outdoor gear manufacturer REI to develop the sleeping bag that fits around the waist, enclosing the lower body to combat a disorder called spaceflight-associated neuro-ocular syndrome, or SANS.

SANS was discovered by Dr. Levine by flying cancer patients aboard zero-G parabolic flights. They still had ports in their heads to receive chemotherapy, which gave researchers an access point to measure the pressure within their brains.

A vacuum cleaner-like suction device is then activated that draws fluid toward the feet, preventing it from accumulating in the head. 

According to research, fluid accumulates in the head when you sleep but on Earth, gravity pulls them back down into the body when you get up. In the low gravity of space, though, more than a half-gallon of fluid collects in the head. That, in turn, applies pressure to the eyeball, causing flattening that can lead to vision impairment.

"This is perhaps one of the most mission-critical medical issues that has been discovered in the last decade for the space program," according to Dr. Levine.

Becoming an astronaut requires perfect 20/20 vision, but unfortunately, the effects of space can cause astronauts to return to Earth with degraded eyesight. Now, researchers from UT Southwestern Medical Center have developed a sleeping bag that that could prevent or reduce those problems by effectively sucking fluid out of astronauts' heads.