"During spaceflight, there is a rise in the secretion of stress hormones like cortisol and adrenaline, which are known to suppress the immune system, "
- Satish Mehta study researcher and at Johnson Space Center.
NASA is finding that more than half the astronauts in space succumb to the ravenous effects of the love virus. She added that astronaut immune cells that suppress and fight viral infections can be curbed during space flight and can take up to two months to reach equilibrium.
We penned a detailed email to Satish about the possibility that space is a lonely place and could have something to do with the rampant increase in herpes outbreaks, however, we still await a reply.
Although NASA insists only 7% of astronauts experience an outbreak, we Australians have a zero tolerance policy for nonsense.
NASA plans to address the issue's driving factors which include stressors like social separation, confinement, and altered sleep cycles.
We wish the astronauts plagued by this all the best as they push into the deep unknown.
