Long periods in space flight may take physiological, psychological toll among crew

Article Abstract:

Space travel involves several types of health risks that are currently under scrutiny by NASA (National Aeronautics and Space Administration) researchers. Physiological deconditioning can have serious consequences; astronauts who are removed from the gravitational force of the earth and cannot exercise for months at a time develop atrophy (weakening) of many muscles, including the heart. Once outside the protective magnetic field that surrounds the earth, space travelers are also exposed to cosmic radiation. A mission to Mars would require protection of the astronauts from solar flares that occur outside the earth's atmosphere. Psychological health is also at risk under conditions of extreme isolation, combined with stressful work and cramped living quarters. Soviet space program physicians monitor the reactions of cosmonauts during the flight, noting signs of stress in their speech and body language. Some degree of privacy and sufficient time off from demanding duties are needed. Radio contact with people on earth, including friends, family, and government leaders, is helpful. Design plans for space stations now include medical facilities that will treat ill and injured passengers; in an emergency, it would take four weeks for a space shuttle to reach the space station. Research to be performed during upcoming space missions includes the evaluation of how immune function and blood pressure are altered by space travel. (Consumer Summary produced by Reliance Medical Information, Inc.)

Health aspects, Life support systems (Space environment), Aerospace life support systems

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As space program approaches 21st century, medicine plays key role

Article Abstract:

A large proportion of this country's astronauts are physicians. Nine medical doctors have already flown on space missions and 10 are currently enrolled in the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) space program. It is anticipated that three physicians will take part in the upcoming Spacelab Life Sciences I mission, scheduled for August 1990. Some areas that will be examined are how the body adjusts to microgravity and what effect atmosphere re-entry has upon the body. Experiments will also include examination of the effects of space travel upon women, which has not been done before. NASA is currently contemplating long-term human space missions and the results of data from the first Spacelab Life Sciences mission will be critical to the planning and success of future missions. Plans for a space station are also underway and Congress has appropriated $1.8 billion for this project. The Soviet Union still holds the record for the longest human mission; a cosmonaut was in space for 326 days prior to a safe return. Another problem that will be examined is finding the most efficient way to avoid physical atrophy and maintain muscle tone without gravity. The examination of various exercise alternatives is underway.

United States, United States. National Aeronautics and Space Administration

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'Back to moon, on to Mars' becomes space medicine's 1990s rallying cry

Article Abstract:

In the mid-1990s (tentatively March 1995), the United States will launch into orbit the first pieces of a permanent orbiting space station. Two to four years later, the first occupants will arrive for a stay. Some hope that this will represent a return to aggressive space exploration and that the orbiting space station will be followed by the colonization of the moon. Ultimately, a manned mission to Mars may be undertaken. Although the primary scientific benefits of these missions are likely to be astronomical and geophysical, medicine will benefit as well. Greater knowledge of the physiologic mechanisms at work in weightless conditions will no doubt improve our understanding of muscular and skeletal physiology. A more remote possibility, but one which is scientifically more exciting, is gaining greater understanding of the origins of life by discovering a primitive life form on Mars, a planet widely thought to resemble the earth in its earliest stages. (Consumer Summary produced by Reliance Medical Information, Inc.)

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