(HealthDay News) — The first all-civilian space mission sheds light on the potential risks for the health that the private astronauts.
The conclusion: short-duration space flights do not seem to pose anything significant.
The study sample was small: four people who spent three days in low Earth orbit (LEO) on the 2021 Inspiration4 mission.
But it lays the foundation for a foundation of biomedical data open for health data commercial astronauts and establishes best practices for collecting and processing this information, according to a team led by the Center for Space Medicine at Baylor College of Medicine in Houston.
“Civilian participants have different educational backgrounds and medical conditions, compared to astronauts with exposure to long duration to space flights“said study co-author Dr. Emmanuel Urquieta, medical director of the Translational Research Institute for Space Health (TRISH) at Baylor. “Understanding their physiological and psychological responses to spaceflight and their ability to conduct research is of utmost importance as we continue to send more private astronauts to space.”
Just like astronauts who perform months-long tours of duty in the International Space Station, The dangers these four face include exposure to radiation, sustained microgravity, confinement and isolation. The researchers said the mission provided important information about the body’s earliest response to these stressors.
Some findings worth mentioning:
Two of the four citizen astronauts dizzy.
The effects of space flights on cardiac function and mental performance They varied from person to person, but were modest in all cases.
The changes in the immunity to viruses They fit in with findings from other space missions.
Biological analyzes of various body systems found “a broad set of molecular changes.
In short, the mission demonstrated that private astronauts can conduct meaningful scientific research in orbit with minimal risk.
But he also stressed the need to develop tools to monitor your health and performance in future missions.
“The data and biological samples represent the first of, hopefully, many commercial spaceflight missions to come,” said co-author Jimmy Wu, deputy director of TRISH.
Findings are based on data and biological samples collected before, during and after the mission, and demonstrated the effectiveness of several information collection tools that require little or no training to implement.
For example, astronauts used a portable ultrasound to obtain images of the bladder, jugular vein and eyes. Data from the Smart Watches, the skin swabs and the biopsies, saliva tests, as well as tests of memory and thinking skills, as well as sensory and nervous system function.
“Frequent space travel is on the horizon and more commercial spaceflight participants are eager to venture forward,” said co-author Dorit Donoviel, executive director of TRISH. “We must plan appropriately and ensure that scientific research in space is carried out with the greatest precision and safety for everyone.”
The findings were published in the June 11 issue of the journal Nature.
More information: More information about research on the health effects of space travel is available at the Translational Research Institute for Space Health.
SOURCE: Baylor College of Medicine, press release, June 11, 2024
*Carole Tanzer Miller HealthDay Reporter ©The New York Times
