back to article Astronauts suffer 'exploding' space headache

Dutch scientists have discovered that a good number of astronauts have suffered "space headache" - a unique condition apparently unrelated to the usual woes of space motion sickness (SMS) and characterised by an "exploding" pain. Researchers from the Department of Neurology at Leiden University Medical Centre questioned 17 …

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  1. DZ-Jay

    Brilliant!

    >> "Lead researcher Dr Alla Vein concluded..."

    Dr. Vein? Participating on a research dealing with intracranial blood pressure? Really?!

    Who makes this stuff up?

    -dZ.

  2. Tim

    Intracranial pressure? Balls

    It's mind probes from Mars, obviously. The 'nauts need to remember their tinfoil hats next time.

  3. Seán

    THC

    THC pills will sort them out

  4. Stevie

    Bah!

    Obviously some hideously dangerous mind-creature has invaded the brains of these former human now-alien pod-puppets. We all saw how this played out in "The Astronauts Wife", now revealed as the truest film ever. It's only a matter of time before everyone is infected now.

    It *does* explain the heretofore inexplicable fondness some have for overpriced and proprietary Apple products in a world otherwise in love with Open and Cheap Thingies though...

    You don't think the earth-bound vector is via...the iPod do you? *Now* I understand all that insanitary earbud-sharing I see. This is obviously a bigger problem than we realise. I'll bet there's nothing on those iPods but white noise!

  5. Anonymous Coward
    Alert

    What about us mortals

    When space ship one gets going it's lardy passengers heads will be bursting open like sun ripened tomatoes.........

  6. Doug
    Happy

    it's because they drink Tang instead of coffee

    They are experiencing caffeine deprivation headaches. ;-)

    Send an espresso machine up on the next resupply mission!

  7. Christopher Ahrens
    Boffin

    Sounds fair...

    There are bound to be problems like this when Humans explore an area which their bodies have never developed in.

    The fact that the astronauts who don't have headaches on Earth are experiencing them more in space could be explained that their bodies aren't used to headaches and thus do no have the mechanisms to protect them. Similar to how living in a clean environment will increase the risk of complications when fighting disease.

  8. Ermie Mercer
    Joke

    The logical conclusion

    If these headaches are indeed "a microgravitational pain in the butt", the logical conclusion is...

  9. Anonymous Coward
    Go

    Exciting stuff

    As someone who suffers from permanently raised intracranial pressure (IIH) this is an exciting development, as it means more research will be carried out into all forms of raised IC and how to alleviate it. This is excellent news for sufferers, as currently there is no cure, only poor treatment options, and no real research being carried out. This could make a big difference in the lives of people like me, and might mean that future patients don't go blind, or end up in wheelchairs like a lot of us.

  10. Andy Bright
    Alien

    Oh really..

    And I suppose no one bothered to check the back of their necks for suspicious bumps or other evidence of implants.. if this isn't enough of a warning to break out the alien weapons and other tech they plan to flaunt in front of Gary McKinnon once they have him secured, I don't know what is.

  11. Solomon Grundy

    Relationship to the Whole

    As any good geek knows, actually seeing one's insignificance in relation to the entire universe is usually fatal. It would only stand to reason that seeing the Earth from orbit would cause headaches...

  12. Anonymous Coward
    Alien

    Treppaning (vent in the head)

    or some other way to equalise the pressure may help e.g. simulated or artificial gravity.

  13. A

    I wonder

    Could it be something as simple as persistent noise outside the normal human hearing range?

  14. TeeCee Gold badge
    Stop

    Those titles.

    Astronauts' headaches are a "pain in the butt"?

    Is there something about yer average astronaut's thinking equipment that you're attempting to make a snide comment about here?

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