New research investigates how short-term space travel affects 'space tourists'

Space tourists experience some of the same body changes as astronauts who spend months in orbit, according to new studies published Tuesday.

Those shifts mostly returned to normal once the amateurs returned to Earth, researchers reported.

Research on four space tourists is included in a series of studies on the health effects of space travel, down to the molecular level. The findings paint a clearer picture of how people — who don't undergo years of astronaut training — adapt to weightlessness and space radiation, the researchers said.

CRAZY-STRONG ROBOTIC DOGS GEAR UP FOR MOON MISSION

"This will allow us to be better prepared when we’re sending humans into space for whatever reason," said Allen Liu, a mechanical ...