![]() The rigorous 2.5-hour workout that astronauts are required to follow each day on the ISS has reduced the consequences of long periods in zero gravity, but it’s unclear whether this routine would be practical for long-duration missions or life on other planets.Īt this point, NASA has no way to simulate Mars’ reduced gravity, or determine how best to train astronauts to cope with the change, says Lehnhardt, who is also an expert in aerospace medicine. Kris Lehnhardt, an emergency room physician at George Washington University’s School of Medicine and Health Sciences. Scientists are still trying to understand the toll that such a journey might take on humans, says Dr. NASA The Ravages of SpaceĪ mission to Mars is expected to take about three years, with eight months of travel in each direction and 18 months on the red planet. Since they're identical twins, researchers had a first-of-a-kind chance to understand how the human body changes in space. To maximize the knowledge gained from Scott's mission, NASA also studied his brother, who remained on Earth. Retired NASA Astronaut Mark Kelly, left, fist pumps his identical twin brother, Scott Kelly, while Scott was in quarantine before his one-year mission to the space station in 2015. Wu and her colleagues at the Consortium are now considering how to find - or build - an astronaut that's genetically equipped to withstand the damages caused by low gravity and space radiation. Unless we resolve the genetic damage caused by space travel, missions will be limited to areas within close proximity of Earth, says Wu, whose own research suggests it may some day be possible to turn on a repair mechanism hidden deep within our genes. But first, scientists must learn to manipulate genes to fix themselves. Scientist Ting Wu, who directs Harvard Medical School's Consortium for Space Genetics, sees genetics as a solution to these problems. In August 2018, NASA astronaut Ricky Arnold first used a “swab to sequencer” DNA sequencing method that eliminates the need to culture bacteria before analysis.In addition, the cosmic radiation that bombards spaceships and the unprotected surfaces of other planets has caused dementia and other issues in mice and rats. The process she validated has potential for the in-flight identification of microbes and diagnosis of infectious diseases on future missions. In August 2016, NASA astronaut Kate Rubin sequenced DNA in space for the first time and in August 2017, NASA astronaut Peggy Whitson used sequencing to identify the first unknown microbe from the station. ESA (European Space Agency) astronaut Tim Peake first amplified DNA (an important step in the process of analyzing genetic material) in April 2016. Significant advances in the procedures and tools available on the space station have made this study and related DNA research possible. Insight into why telomeres lengthen in space could lead to a better understanding of their role in human aging as well. Currently, DNA samples are sent back to Earth for analysis, but this can cause the samples to degrade and is not feasible for future long-duration missions. Results from the investigation also could provide a way to measure DNA and to diagnose genetic-based medical problems during spaceflight. Analyzing telomere length could help determine the mechanism behind this effect. They shorten with age but have been found to lengthen in space, an effect noticed through NASA’s Twins Study following Mark Kelly’s year-long mission in space in 2015 and verified by subsequent research. Telomeres are cap-like genetic structures at the end of chromosomes that protect them from damage.
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