Human beings are accustomed to living on the earth’s surface. Life on earth is different from life in space or other planets since we are used to living in the presence of gravity. This is not so in space. When the presence of this gravity is removed or changed, biological processes can go wrong. In the early years of space travel Initial trips out of the earth’s surface were conducted with a lot of care in order to ensure that no or minimal damage was incurred during the spaceflight. As a result of these fears Animals were the first living organisms that were sent up into space or on orbital missions. After these animals were sent and when they returned without any noticeable damage physiological or psychological (although scared), astronauts garnered confidence in the fact that humans could also withstand the effects of the journey. In April of 1961, a Russian cosmonaut named Yuri Gagarin became the first person in space when he orbited the Earth in 108 minutes[1].


Since this historic flight the frequency of humans travelling to outer space has increased. As a result of this new research has been carried out intensively on the physiological and psychological effects of space travel. With an impeding massive 2.5 year space travel to mars it is important that I highlight some of the effects of space travel on human beings to help you make a more informed decision. It is important to note that although there are drawbacks to be faced the information that will be gathered by the astronauts may be very crucial in helping us to make this world a better place.