Feb 13, 2023 07:01 PM
https://www.salon.com/2023/02/07/how-liv...uman-body/
EXCERPTS: . . . We do know that trips to the Moon and long periods in space, such as what the crew on the International Space Station experiences, have caused profound alterations to astronaut bodies. Microgravity can trigger muscle atrophy and loss of bone density. Pressure differences between the brain and eye when in space can cause visual impairments, like Spaceflight-Associated Neuro-ocular Syndrome.
Away from the Earth's electromagnetic field, ionizing radiation is everywhere, which can not only cause cancer, but also bleeding gums, one's hair falling out, brain damage and reduced immunity. And while astronauts on the International Space Station are shielded from the sun's radiation at least half the time (when the Earth is blocking it), astronauts headed to Mars would have no metaphorical lead apron during the seven-month journey to the red planet.
[...] In his 2014 book, "Extreme Medicine: How Exploration Transformed Medicine in the Twentieth Century," Fong goes into great detail on what life on Mars would do to the human body. It really comes down to two aspects: the journey there and then the stay on Mars.
[...] "When you're moving between two celestial objects, you're falling between them," Fong explains. "It leaves your physiology to make adaptations, which can later cause you problems. Your bones waste, your muscles waste, your heart deconditions to a certain degree. And then you have problems with balance and coordination. And then some really weird stuff happens with your hematopoietic system, [essentially] your blood-forming organs, your immunity. And all of that is in one way or another seems to be connected to the experience of weightlessness up there."
[...] we'll need to bring lots of medications and drugs to Mars, to anticipate every scenario, because we won't be able to jog down to Walgreens if someone needs heart medications or a sleep aid. Unfortunately, we also don't know much about how these meds might fare in space travel or if they'll act differently in our bodies under the unique conditions of Mars.
Likewise, the psychological effects could be staggering for the first humans in history to completely lose sight of the Earth. This could have unforeseen mental health consequences...
[...] "All of these journeys away from the Earth make you appreciate what you have here on Earth in the first place," Fong quipped... (MORE - missing details)
EXCERPTS: . . . We do know that trips to the Moon and long periods in space, such as what the crew on the International Space Station experiences, have caused profound alterations to astronaut bodies. Microgravity can trigger muscle atrophy and loss of bone density. Pressure differences between the brain and eye when in space can cause visual impairments, like Spaceflight-Associated Neuro-ocular Syndrome.
Away from the Earth's electromagnetic field, ionizing radiation is everywhere, which can not only cause cancer, but also bleeding gums, one's hair falling out, brain damage and reduced immunity. And while astronauts on the International Space Station are shielded from the sun's radiation at least half the time (when the Earth is blocking it), astronauts headed to Mars would have no metaphorical lead apron during the seven-month journey to the red planet.
[...] In his 2014 book, "Extreme Medicine: How Exploration Transformed Medicine in the Twentieth Century," Fong goes into great detail on what life on Mars would do to the human body. It really comes down to two aspects: the journey there and then the stay on Mars.
[...] "When you're moving between two celestial objects, you're falling between them," Fong explains. "It leaves your physiology to make adaptations, which can later cause you problems. Your bones waste, your muscles waste, your heart deconditions to a certain degree. And then you have problems with balance and coordination. And then some really weird stuff happens with your hematopoietic system, [essentially] your blood-forming organs, your immunity. And all of that is in one way or another seems to be connected to the experience of weightlessness up there."
[...] we'll need to bring lots of medications and drugs to Mars, to anticipate every scenario, because we won't be able to jog down to Walgreens if someone needs heart medications or a sleep aid. Unfortunately, we also don't know much about how these meds might fare in space travel or if they'll act differently in our bodies under the unique conditions of Mars.
Likewise, the psychological effects could be staggering for the first humans in history to completely lose sight of the Earth. This could have unforeseen mental health consequences...
[...] "All of these journeys away from the Earth make you appreciate what you have here on Earth in the first place," Fong quipped... (MORE - missing details)
