• Question: What happens if an Astronaut breaks a bone in Space?

    Asked by 955heam38 to Pattie, Karl, Ivor, Fiona, Eoin on 26 Feb 2018.
    • Photo: Pattie Mathieu

      Pattie Mathieu answered on 26 Feb 2018:


      The simple answer is that they would be sent back to earth for treatment.

      However, if they were to remain in space, the early stages of healing would be similar, since you aren’t supposed to move or put any weight on a broken bone. Once they were allowed to put weight on the newly healed bone, healing would probably be slower, because bones require force in order to properly form and maintain their density.

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