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Mystery #2Tier 2the body in space

Why do astronauts come back from space with weaker bones and muscles?

Astronauts often return to Earth so wobbly that helpers have to lift them out of their spacecraft. After months in orbit, their bones and muscles have quietly grown weaker, even though they went up perfectly fit and strong. Nothing hurt them and nobody made them lazy, yet their bodies changed all the same. Why do astronauts come back from space with weaker bones and muscles?

An astronaut running on the space station treadmill, held down onto the belt by a harness and elastic cords
Photo: NASA · Public domain · via Wikimedia Commons

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Why do you think floating in space would weaken an astronaut's bones and muscles?

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