---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: One thing we've learned about space is…"
description: "\"One thing we've learned about space is that the human body starts to fall apart after relatively short exposures to microgravity.\" — Homer Hickam"
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/4d2/homer-hickam-10698_body_one-thing-we-ve-learned-about-space-is-t_1735242.jpg"
---

#  One thing we've learned about space is that the human body…

![“One thing we've learned about space is that the human body starts to fall apart after relatively short exposures to microgravity.” quote by Homer Hickam](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/4d2/homer-hickam-10698_body_one-thing-we-ve-learned-about-space-is-t_1735242.jpg)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/4d2/homer-hickam-10698_body_one-thing-we-ve-learned-about-space-is-t_1735242.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/4d2/homer-hickam-10698_body_one-thing-we-ve-learned-about-space-is-t_1735242.jpg)

> “One thing we've learned about space is that the human body starts to fall apart after relatively short exposures to microgravity.”

[Homer Hickam](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/homer-hickam/)

## About This Quote

This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation.

Space exposure quickly degrades the human body, highlighting the challenges of microgravity on health.

**In simple terms:** Microgravity harms the body fast.

Key Takeaway

Prepare for health risks in space.

Themes

science space human physiology

Mood

analytical inquisitive

Type

scientific educational

When to use this quote

- space missions
- long‑duration flights
- medical training

Key Concepts

biology astronautics

Questions to Reflect On

- How can we protect astronauts?
- What research is needed?

A Different Perspective

Technological advances may mitigate effects.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Body](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/body/) [Exposures Microgravity](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/exposures-microgravity-1468209/) [Fall apart](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/fall-apart/) [Human](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/human/) [Human body](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/human-body/) [Short](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/short/) [Space](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/space/) [Space Human](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/space-human-1468210/)

## Related quotes

> [I have looked farther into space than ever a human being did before me.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-herschel/i-have-looked-farther-into-space-than-ever-a-human-being-did-before-me/)

[William Herschel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-herschel/)

> [The practical case for manned spacef light gets ever-weaker with each advance in robots and miniaturisation - indeed, as a scientist or practical man,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martin-rees/the-practical-case-for-manned-spacef-light-gets-ever-weaker-with-each/)

[Martin Rees](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martin-rees/)

> [“There is infinite space within a human life.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/g-willow-wilson/there-is-infinite-space-within-a-human-life/)

[G. Willow Wilson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/g-willow-wilson/)

> [The opening of space to human development and settlement is the most important activity of the human species. From hope to health, from wonder…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rick-tumlinson/the-opening-of-space-to-human-development-and-settlement-is-the-most/)

[Rick Tumlinson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rick-tumlinson/)

> [Let me end with an explanation of why I believe the move into space to be a human imperative. It seems to me obvious…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gene-roddenberry/let-me-end-with-an-explanation-of-why-i-believe-the-move-into-space/)

[Gene Roddenberry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gene-roddenberry/)

> [One of the major problems with long-term deep space human flight is the requirement for radiation shielding.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/buzz-aldrin/one-of-the-major-problems-with-long-term-deep-space-human-flight-is/)

[Buzz Aldrin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/buzz-aldrin/)

> [For something to collapse, not all systems have to shut down. In most cases, just one system is enough. For example, the human body…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-kiyosaki/for-something-to-collapse-not-all-systems-have-to-shut-down-in-most/)

[Robert Kiyosaki](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-kiyosaki/)

> [ “And what more am I? I look for aid to the imagination. \[But how mistakenly!\] I am not that assemblage of limbs we call… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ren-descartes/and-what-more-am-i-i-look-for-aid-to-the-imagination-but-how/)

[René Descartes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ren-descartes/)

> [If ergonomists have their way, future products won't be built for some hypothetical average person but will conform to the biomechanical needs of whatever…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mary-roach/if-ergonomists-have-their-way-future-products-won-t-be-built-for-some/)

[Mary Roach](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mary-roach/)

> [Every cancer is different. The symptoms and treatments are different, and every human body deals with it differently. There are no formulas to it.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sonali-bendre/every-cancer-is-different-the-symptoms-and-treatments-are-different/)

[Sonali Bendre](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sonali-bendre/)

> [Part of me says it's kind of crazy to think you can fly your human body. Another part of me thinks all of us…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dean-potter/part-of-me-says-it-s-kind-of-crazy-to-think-you-can-fly-your-human/)

[Dean Potter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dean-potter/)

> [We are victims of the post-Enlightenment view that the world functions like a sophisticated machine, to be understood like a textbook engineering problem and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nassim-nicholas-taleb/we-are-victims-of-the-post-enlightenment-view-that-the-world/)

[Nassim Nicholas Taleb](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nassim-nicholas-taleb/)

> [No lens is quick enough to track the movement of the human body. The molecules are always moving.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roger-rees/no-lens-is-quick-enough-to-track-the-movement-of-the-human-body-the/)

[Roger Rees](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roger-rees/)

> [We are beginning to see intimations of this in the implantation of computer devices into the human body.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ray-kurzweil/we-are-beginning-to-see-intimations-of-this-in-the-implantation-of/)

[Ray Kurzweil](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ray-kurzweil/)

> [“Dear Delphine, When you are older I want you to find Chinua Achebe. I want you to read Things Fall Apart. Don't be hardheaded…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rita-williams-garcia/dear-delphine-when-you-are-older-i-want-you-to-find-chinua-achebe-i/)

[Rita Williams-Garcia](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rita-williams-garcia/)

## More by Homer Hickam

> [After marketing surveys by Universal Studios indicated that 'Rocket Boys' as a movie title would not attract the female over-age-thirty demographic, the film was…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/homer-hickam/after-marketing-surveys-by-universal-studios-indicated-that-rocket/)

[Homer Hickam](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/homer-hickam/)

> [As I wrote more I became more critical of myself and I think that you have to be your harshest judge. I don't ever…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/homer-hickam/as-i-wrote-more-i-became-more-critical-of-myself-and-i-think-that-you/)

[Homer Hickam](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/homer-hickam/)

> [Writer's block to me is where you stop because you're afraid to go forward because you're not sure of what really should be happening…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/homer-hickam/writer-s-block-to-me-is-where-you-stop-because-you-re-afraid-to-go/)

[Homer Hickam](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/homer-hickam/)

> [The best way to learn to write is to read in the genre you might be interested in; then, you need to actually sit…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/homer-hickam/the-best-way-to-learn-to-write-is-to-read-in-the-genre-you-might-be/)

[Homer Hickam](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/homer-hickam/)

> [NASA's charter is to give Americans the means to get into the wild, black yonder, beyond even the grasp of the federal government that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/homer-hickam/nasa-s-charter-is-to-give-americans-the-means-to-get-into-the-wild/)

[Homer Hickam](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/homer-hickam/)

> [If politicians want to save money, that's fine. They can look for all the wasteful spending they want, but not where the lives of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/homer-hickam/if-politicians-want-to-save-money-that-s-fine-they-can-look-for-all/)

[Homer Hickam](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/homer-hickam/)

> [A rocket won't fly unless somebody lights the fuse!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/homer-hickam/a-rocket-won-t-fly-unless-somebody-lights-the-fuse/)

[Homer Hickam](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/homer-hickam/)

> [My father lost an eye to a snapped cable while trying to rescue trapped miners, though he kept on working for fifteen years afterward.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/homer-hickam/my-father-lost-an-eye-to-a-snapped-cable-while-trying-to-rescue/)

[Homer Hickam](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/homer-hickam/)

> [When I was a boy, one of my favorite places to go was a pine-filled hollow high on the mountain behind our house. It…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/homer-hickam/when-i-was-a-boy-one-of-my-favorite-places-to-go-was-a-pine-filled/)

[Homer Hickam](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/homer-hickam/)

> [“The way I see it, if everybody ran from bad things instead of trying to stop them, bad things would be all there is.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/homer-hickam/the-way-i-see-it-if-everybody-ran-from-bad-things-instead-of-trying/)

[Homer Hickam](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/homer-hickam/)

> [When the moon was first visited in 1969, the astronauts brought back a treasure trove of unique minerals. Contained within specimens was an isotope…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/homer-hickam/when-the-moon-was-first-visited-in-1969-the-astronauts-brought-back-a/)

[Homer Hickam](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/homer-hickam/)

> [You must completely dedicate yourselves to it. To do less will be to let down your country, your state, your parents, your teachers, and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/homer-hickam/you-must-completely-dedicate-yourselves-to-it-to-do-less-will-be-to/)

[Homer Hickam](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/homer-hickam/)

> [The key to not getting rejected if you're writing for a magazine, is to know to read that magazine and know everything about them…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/homer-hickam/the-key-to-not-getting-rejected-if-you-re-writing-for-a-magazine-is/)

[Homer Hickam](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/homer-hickam/)

> [Tired of burning fossil fuel and polluting the planet? The moon is covered with helium 3, an isotope from the sun that is the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/homer-hickam/tired-of-burning-fossil-fuel-and-polluting-the-planet-the-moon-is/)

[Homer Hickam](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/homer-hickam/)

> [My father use to say if coal died, the country died. He was right. Our economy rests on the back of the coal miner.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/homer-hickam/my-father-use-to-say-if-coal-died-the-country-died-he-was-right-our/)

[Homer Hickam](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/homer-hickam/)

[Explore all 64 Homer Hickam quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/homer-hickam/)

## More Body quotes

> [Most of us are convinced that we are our egos, which is who we think we are. The ego is part of our incarnation.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ram-dass/most-of-us-are-convinced-that-we-are-our-egos-which-is-who-we-think/)

[Ram Dass](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ram-dass/)

> [The very purpose for being in this body, for every one of us, is to live and rejoice in that virgin area, that untouched,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sri-sri-ravi-shankar/the-very-purpose-for-being-in-this-body-for-every-one-of-us-is-to/)

[Sri Sri Ravi Shankar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sri-sri-ravi-shankar/)

> [Because of the womb being a central phenomenon in the feminine body, the whole psychology of woman differs: she is non-aggressive, non-inquiring, non-questioning, non-doubting,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rajneesh/because-of-the-womb-being-a-central-phenomenon-in-the-feminine-body/)

[Rajneesh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rajneesh/)

> [When you're scared - and I mean really scared, not just hearing a noise in the night, or standing toe to toe with someone…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alexander-gordon-smith/when-you-re-scared-and-i-mean-really-scared-not-just-hearing-a-noise/)

[Alexander Gordon Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alexander-gordon-smith/)

> [I've used the Phoenix Centrifuge to replicate what the body's going to go through on the flight up. I've also done some gravity tests…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-branson/i-ve-used-the-phoenix-centrifuge-to-replicate-what-the-body-s-going/)

[Richard Branson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-branson/)

> [Practically all animals which move fast in a homogeneous medium have found means of giving their body a streamlined shape, thereby reducing friction to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/konrad-lorenz/practically-all-animals-which-move-fast-in-a-homogeneous-medium-have/)

[Konrad Lorenz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/konrad-lorenz/)

> [If the media is sending girls the message that their value lies in their bodies, this can only leave them feeling disempowered and distract…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jennifer-siebel-newsom/if-the-media-is-sending-girls-the-message-that-their-value-lies-in/)

[Jennifer Siebel Newsom](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jennifer-siebel-newsom/)

> [Boys and boys' body image and clothes have become just as important an issue for boys as for girls.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rosalind-wiseman/boys-and-boys-body-image-and-clothes-have-become-just-as-important-an/)

[Rosalind Wiseman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rosalind-wiseman/)

> [By making conscious choices in our behavior and where we focus our attention, we can transform our experience of our body, decrease our biological…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/deepak-chopra/by-making-conscious-choices-in-our-behavior-and-where-we-focus-our/)

[Deepak Chopra](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/deepak-chopra/)

> [Racism is a cancer. You cannot ignore it and it'll go away. If you ignore cancer, it simply metastasizes and consumes the whole body.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daryl-davis/racism-is-a-cancer-you-cannot-ignore-it-and-it-ll-go-away-if-you/)

[Daryl Davis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daryl-davis/)

> [America, you're sending girls a mixed message. On one hand, you're saying to have positive body image and love who we are; on the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/adora-svitak/america-you-re-sending-girls-a-mixed-message-on-one-hand-you-re/)

[Adora Svitak](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/adora-svitak/)

> [I read a couple of books about neuroscience and the relationship between the mind and the body.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joel-kinnaman/i-read-a-couple-of-books-about-neuroscience-and-the-relationship/)

[Joel Kinnaman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joel-kinnaman/)

> [If japa is maintained, no useless talk during work will be possible. The mind will always remain peaceful. Modern day diseases are mostly psychosomatic.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mata-amritanandamayi/if-japa-is-maintained-no-useless-talk-during-work-will-be-possible/)

[Mata Amritanandamayi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mata-amritanandamayi/)

> [It is the incongruous thing in my entire life, this isolation.. ... My work requires it - but I myself have no need or…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marsden-hartley/it-is-the-incongruous-thing-in-my-entire-life-this-isolation-my-work/)

[Marsden Hartley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marsden-hartley/)

> [My friends, this body - perhaps more than any other gathering in human history - now faces that difficult task.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leonardo-dicaprio/my-friends-this-body-perhaps-more-than-any-other-gathering-in-human/)

[Leonardo DiCaprio](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leonardo-dicaprio/)

[Browse all 20,814 Body quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/body/)

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "One thing we've learned about space is that the human body starts to fall apart after relatively short exposures to microgravity.",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "Homer Hickam"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/homer-hickam/one-thing-we-ve-learned-about-space-is-that-the-human-body-starts-to/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Body"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/homer-hickam/one-thing-we-ve-learned-about-space-is-that-the-human-body-starts-to/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/4d2/homer-hickam-10698_body_one-thing-we-ve-learned-about-space-is-t_1735242.jpg",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/4d2/homer-hickam-10698_body_one-thing-we-ve-learned-about-space-is-t_1735242.jpg",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/4d2/homer-hickam-10698_body_one-thing-we-ve-learned-about-space-is-t_1735242.jpg",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“One thing we've learned about space is that the human body starts to fall apart after relatively short…” — Homer Hickam",
                "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes",
                "creator": {
                    "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization"
                }
            }
        },
        {
            "@type": "BreadcrumbList",
            "itemListElement": [
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 1,
                    "name": "Home",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 2,
                    "name": "Quotes",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 3,
                    "name": "Homer Hickam",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/homer-hickam/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "One thing we've learned about space...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/homer-hickam/one-thing-we-ve-learned-about-space-is-that-the-human-body-starts-to/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/homer-hickam/one-thing-we-ve-learned-about-space-is-that-the-human-body-starts-to/#breadcrumb"
        },
        {
            "@type": "WebSite",
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website",
            "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes",
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/",
            "publisher": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization"
            }
        },
        {
            "@type": "Organization",
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization",
            "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes",
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/",
            "logo": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/themes/sq/assets/icons/icon-512.png",
                "width": 512,
                "height": 512
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
