TechChallenges in astronaut healthcare: Preparing for Mars and beyond
Challenges in astronaut healthcare: Preparing for Mars and beyond
ed. KMO
19 March 2024 19:44
The health of astronauts during long-term space missions raises many questions and poses significant challenges for scientists. Dr. Anna Fogtman from the European Space Agency (ESA) stresses that we don't fully understand how medicines react in space. An astronaut's medical kit contains only a limited number of medications, whose efficacy and safety in space haven't been thoroughly tested.
The ESA conducts research across various facilities worldwide to understand the impact of space on the human body. Dr. Fogtman oversees operations related to astronauts' radiological protection at the European Astronaut Centre in Cologne, Germany.
One such research endeavour is the Bed Rest project, where student volunteers spend six weeks lying on a specialized platform, positioned so their heads are slightly lower than their bodies, mimicking weightlessness. This position simulates physiological effects experienced in space, including fluid shifts, muscle and bone density loss, increased intracranial pressure, and reduced blood pressure.
"After six weeks, the body adapts to these new conditions without significant harm, managing even the lower blood pressure and altered intracranial pressure," explains Dr. Fogtman. "However, Spaceflight-Associated Neuro-ocular Syndrome (SANS), affecting the eyes, remains a concern, as these changes - including vision loss - are often permanent, persisting even 20 years post-mission."
Concerningly, eye changes have been observed as early as two to three weeks into the simulated weightlessness, impacting both men and women. This raises concerns for long-term missions, like those to Mars, where vision loss could pose a significant threat to astronauts' safety.
Understanding the mechanisms behind SANS is challenging, partly because examining the brain in space is logistically impossible without equipment like an MRI machine. Despite this, solutions like the Lower Body Negative Pressure suit, tested on the International Space Station, offer hope by potentially lowering intracranial pressure to mitigate these effects.
The Bed Rest project also explores new physical exercises to counteract muscle and bone density loss, vital for astronauts who exercise at least two hours daily. Combining study results has revealed the effectiveness of running and jumping, leading to the development of a prototype exercise device for future lunar and Martian missions.
"Space is at a premium on missions beyond Earth. We're exploring replacing the International Space Station's three core exercise devices with a single, more space-efficient option," says Dr. Fogtman. The insights from these studies may not only benefit astronauts but also improve life for those on Earth, particularly the bedridden.
Another research area of importance is the psychological impact of isolation. While ESA collaborates with the Syrius center in Moscow and Concordia station in Antarctica, it faces challenges in influencing the training and psychological profiling of participants.
Recent transport of an MRI machine to the isolated Concordia station, elevated around 3,228 meters above sea level where crews experience chronic hypoxia, aims at understanding its effects on the brain.
NASA has identified potential medical threats for missions to Mars, including urinary tract infections in women and psychological episodes in men, underscoring the need for a better understanding of medicine's effectiveness in space.
Despite these challenges, astronauts currently have constant access to psychological, medical, and familial support. However, Dr. Fogtman highlights the need for thorough preparation for missions to Mars or the Moon, where communication with Earth will be limited. Solutions like AI-assisted hologram doctors were piloted on the ISS last year.
Preparing for these missions involves multifaceted considerations, from improving onboard living conditions to navigating the political and financial intricacies of international cooperation. As Dr. Fogtman concludes, "ESA's structure as a membership organization means we constantly negotiate between scientific goals and political realities."
