How does space affect astronauts' fingernails?

After a spacewalk, astronauts risk losing their fingernails.

A NASA astronaut is conducting a spacewalk. (Source: Indiatimes)

Did you know that spacewalks also affect astronauts' fingernails? In technical terms, this is called "nail degradation."

In fact, after a spacewalk (or any activity outside the spacecraft), astronauts will lose their fingernails.

The lack of atmospheric pressure in outer space is considered detrimental to the human body. Spacesuits are pressurized to help astronauts safely walk in space. However, protecting the hands remains a challenge.

A research team led by epidemiologist Jacqueline Charvat of Wyle Laboratories (USA) stated in a 2015 paper: "Hand injuries are common among astronauts training for extravehicular activities (EVA)."

"When gloves are pressurized, they restrict movement and create pressure points during missions, sometimes leading to pain, muscle fatigue, abrasions, and even more serious injuries such as nail detachment. Glove-related injuries have been documented and reported during EVA training and flight, consistently throughout NASA's operational history, regardless of the mission or glove design," Charvat added.

According to Science Alert, spacewalks can be lengthy, with the longest recorded lasting up to 8 hours and 56 minutes. During these spacewalks, astronauts may have to perform manual tasks, and the gloves they wear can easily cause injuries.

To date, finding the cause of this condition remains difficult. Earlier this year, a research team led by engineer Christopher Reid, currently working at Boeing, studied injuries to the astronauts' fingernails.

The study examined 31 nail avulsion injuries, including 27 injuries sustained during training exercises and 4 injuries during spacewalks, reported by 22 astronauts.

Researchers found that glove design played a significant role. Between two types of gloves, one type posed an 8.5 times higher risk of nail damage than the other. The majority of injuries occurred on the middle finger. Glove size and middle finger length played a crucial role, and injuries appeared to occur more frequently in women than in men.

The research team said that improper glove use could be a contributing factor to the injuries, although NASA states that each pair of gloves is custom-made for each astronaut.

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