NOTE: Before answering the questions, read the "Background" and watch the videos under "Resources."

1. Define microgravity.

2. a) Why do astronauts grow taller in apace?
b) Why is the height change temporary?

3. a) What is bone density?
b) How much bone density do astronauts lose during extended time in space?

4. a) Define muscle atrophy.
b) What do astronauts do to mitigate - and even prevent - bone and muscle loss?

5. Why are men and women impacted differently from extended time in space?

6. a) What is SANS?
b) What is the good news about this syndrome?

7. The 2 astronauts were supposed to be on an 8 day mission that turned into 9 months. Elon Musk had offered to send a SpaceX Dragon to retrieve them months ago, but the Biden administration declined.
In an interview after the SpaceX Dragon successfully returned the astronauts to earth, Musk said: ""SpaceX could have brought the astronauts back after a few months at most, and we made that offer to the Biden administration. It was rejected for political reasons, and that's just a fact." He also said, "The astronauts were only supposed to be there for eight days, and they've been there for almost ten months. So, obviously, that doesn't make any sense."

In a February interview with CNN's Anderson Cooper, Butch Wilmore said:
"We don’t feel abandoned. We don’t feel stuck. We don’t feel stranded. I understand why others may think that. We come prepared. We come committed. That is what your human spaceflight program is. It prepares for any and all contingencies that we can conceive of, and we prepare for those. So if you’ll help us change the rhetoric, help us change the narrative, let’s change it to ‘prepared and committed.’ That’s what we prefer."
What do you think of Mr. Wilmore's comments to CNN?

8. A roundtrip mission to Mars, including travel time and time spent on the surface, could take roughly 3 years. A one-way trip would take about 9 months. If you had the opportunity, would you travel to Mars? Explain your answer.