DANGER PAY: Not only do they have to brave the perils of leaving Earth, astronauts can also be prone to developing kidney stones (above) and other ailments during extended stays in space. ISTOCKPHOTO.COM, PGIAM
In November 1982, Soviet cosmonaut Anatoly Berezovoy, floating 475 kilometers above the surface of the Earth aboard the Salyut 7 space station, was seized by a sharp and sudden pain in his left side. For a couple of agonizing days, Berezovoy, who had spent more than 180 consecutive days in space, bent double in intense pain as crew member and onboard engineer Valentin Lebedev watched in distress.
Fearing that the cosmonaut was suffering from appendicitis, Soviet space program officials began preparing for a costly emergency evacuation. But just as they were getting ready to launch the rescue, Berezovoy passed a small kidney stone, and his symptoms dissipated.
The kidney-stone episode aboard Salyut 7 still serves as a stark warning of the unique medical challenges that ...
