Those who travel to Mars run a very serious and real risk
New study has bad news
Within the next decade, both the US and China intend to send astronauts to Mars. But apart from the problems of staying there, such as food, water, oxygen, waste, increased radiation and others, an important problem is the health of the astronauts before they get there. During their multi-month journey they will be exposed to cosmic radiation and zero gravity and will need a period of adjustment to the gravity of Mars.
Experts in the field of space medicine wanted to see the magnitude of these problems and developed a mathematical model to predict whether astronauts will be able to travel safely to Mars and whether they will be able to perform their duties when they reach the Red Planet.
The biggest enemy is the lack of gravity which combined with cosmic radiation will cause significant changes in the astronauts’ bodies. From our experience on the International Space Station we know that microgravity causes loss of muscle and bone mass, affects organ function, vision and the heart’s ability to pump blood.
We know that the trip to Mars takes six to seven months, and that would change the structure of the blood vessels or the strength of the heart, because of the lack of gravity. With the rise of commercial spaceflight like SpaceX and Blue Origin, there is room for rich but not necessarily unhealthy people in space, so we want to use mathematical models to predict whether someone is fit to travel to Mars.
On Earth, gravity pulls fluids into the lower body, which is why our feet swell at the end of the day. But when you go into space, that attraction disappears and fluids move to the upper body, tricking the body into thinking it has excess fluids. As a result, you go to the bathroom more often, you’re not thirsty and you don’t drink as much, so you get dehydrated in space.
This is why we see ISS astronauts passing out upon returning to Earth or needing to be transported in wheelchairs. The longer they stay in space, the more difficult it is to readjust to Earth’s gravity. Astronaut Mark Kelly who spent more than a year in orbit, when he returned he felt terrible pain and swelling.
Then there is the matter of communications, since it takes up to 20 minutes for a two-way communication between Mars and Earth.
If an astronaut passes out after exiting the spacecraft, or if there is a medical emergency, there will be no one on Mars to help them. That’s why we have to be absolutely sure that the astronaut is fit and can adapt to the gravitational field of Mars. They need to be able to function efficiently and effectively with minimal support during those critical first few minutes.
Like any research, of course, it needs a sufficient number of subjects. Current data is drawn from middle-aged, well-trained astronauts. Scientists want more data from commercial spaceflight participants. The goal is to create a mathematical model that will accurately simulate the effects of space travel on people not as healthy as astronauts, even with underlying heart disease. Thus, we will get a more complete picture of what will happen to the average human if he travels into space. We may also be able to predict the effects on children or on the development of a fetus.
The research was published in NPJ Microgravity .
