Even short spaceflights in low Earth orbit result in molecular changes in the astronauts' bodies, according to a series of publications in the journals of the "Nature" group.
The collection of articles with the central title "Space Omics and Medical Atlas" is according to the "Nature" group the largest collection of data on aerospace medicine and space biology. More than 100 research institutions in 25 countries collaborated to investigate molecular, cellular, physiological and other changes in the astronauts' bodies.
To date, the health effects of space travel have been mapped by studying professional astronauts, many of whom trained for years to travel. These articles also focus on the effects of short-duration spaceflight on civilian astronauts, people with different health histories.
According to the studies, just a few days in orbit can cause a compromised immune system, dehydration and clouded thinking, although most of these conditions return to normal soon after the travelers return to Earth.
One of the publications presents data from SpaceX's Inspiration4 mission in 2021, in which four civilian astronauts, two men and two women aged 29-51, flew for three days 590 kilometers above Earth, i.e. more high above the International Space Station, which is in orbit 370-460 kilometers above Earth. The researchers found that this short mission caused some of the same changes seen in the bodies of astronauts who have participated in much longer missions. However, the changes recorded returned to normal in 95% of cases soon after the astronauts returned to Earth.
Individual research findings found that the effects of short-duration spaceflight on cardiovascular physiology and cognitive performance were modest and highly variable across individuals. Also, that their cognitive performance was not significantly affected. However, it is clarified that the few crew members (small sample size) and their limited time available for training are critical factors in assessing the quality of the data collected.
In another scientific study, a team of scientists from 40 research institutions on five continents studied how the kidneys are affected by spaceflight and found that their structure and function change. As astronauts have previously been found to develop kidney stones during space missions, researchers have shown that spaceflight fundamentally changes the way the kidneys process salts and this is likely a primary factor. In simulations they ran, they found that the kidneys of mice exposed to galactic cosmic radiation for two and a half years experienced permanent damage and loss of function.
A third paper shows how weightlessness affects the immune system during space travel. Astronauts in low orbit, such as on the International Space Station, suffer from immune system problems, especially infections, reactivation of latent viruses, and skin sensitivity. These reactions occur even on short-duration space flights.
It is noted that the surveys include data from a wide range of missions, including SpaceX Inspiration4, Polaris Dawn, Axiom, NASA Twins and the JAXA missions. The researchers stress that harnessing the data could help accelerate space medicine, improve astronaut health monitoring and mitigate risks for future space missions.
Source: protothema.gr