Exercise Keeps Astronaut Hearts in Fighting Shape for the Journey to Mars
A new study published in the journal Circulation suggests that rigorous exercise regimens can prevent heart shrinkage in astronauts during long-duration spaceflight. This finding is crucial for ensuring crew health during potential future missions to Mars.
Why it matters
Addressing the physiological challenges of space travel is essential for the feasibility of long-term human exploration of the solar system.
Getting a human body to Mars will take a toll on it. NASA and other space agencies have been concerned for years that the 6-9 month travel time to get to the Red Planet could have such a deleterious impact on human anatomy that any crewed mission would fail before it even began. But a new study, co-led by Dr. Benjamin Levine of the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center and published in the journal Circulation, eases some of that concern by claiming that, given a sufficient exercise regimen in low gravity, astronauts should be able to operate on Mars upon arrival without any major cardiac issues.
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