A Trip to Mars Could Break Your Heart - Literally
Researchers are studying the long-term effects of deep space travel on the human body, specifically focusing on radiation and weightlessness. Using rat models, the study highlights potential cardiovascular risks associated with the conditions astronauts would face on a mission to Mars.
Why it matters
Identifying the physiological risks of space travel is critical for ensuring the safety and success of future human missions to Mars.
When astronauts first travel to Mars, or anywhere else in deep space, they will have to contend with two problems that our planet itself protects us from on its surface - radiation and weightlessness. Scientists already know both can have a profound impact on the human body, but just how much of one, and how long that impact can last, remain a mystery. A new paper by researchers at the Medical College of Wisconsin, and published in PLoS One, tackles those questions, and unfortunately comes up with some less than ideal answers in terms of the long term implications of deep space exposure.
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5 other newsrooms covered this event. We read each version separately.
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