New Research Findings on the Dangers of Traveling to Mars | Mars Is No Place for Humans

New research shows that exposure to space radiation and weightlessness can damage the heart and immune system, increasing the risk of heart disease and cancer, a finding that raises new questions about the safety of long-duration space travel.

New research has shown that exposure to space radiation and weightless conditions can damage the heart and immune system and increase the risk of heart disease and cancer; A finding that raises new questions about the safety of long space travel.

Arjan's ambassador, Farkhunde Rafai: Traveling to Mars is one of the most ambitious plans for the future of space exploration, but reaching this planet does not depend only on the technology of rockets and spacecraft. The human body must also be able to survive for months away from the earth and in different conditions from its living environment. Now a new research has revealed some of the dangers that may threaten the health of astronauts during long journeys.

In a study published in the scientific journal PLOS One, researchers from the Medical School of Wisconsin investigated the effects of space radiation and simulated weightlessness on the health of mice. The results showed that these factors can cause changes in the heart and immune system, whose effects remain even months after the end of exposure to radiation.

To simulate weightlessness, the researchers used a method called "hindlimb unloading." In this method, the rear legs of the mice were kept at an angle of 30 degrees from the ground so that the body fluids move to the head; A situation that mimics some of the effects of weightlessness in space. Researchers also exposed animals to high-energy radiation using NASA's Space Radiation Laboratory.

Damage to the heart and immune system

One of the most important findings was the development of fibrosis around the vessels; A condition in which scar tissue forms around the coronary arteries of the heart. These vessels are responsible for supplying blood to the heart muscle. In mice that received high doses of radiation, this damaged tissue expanded over 270 days, and as the arteries compressed, the likelihood of heart problems increased.

In the group that received a lower dose of radiation, equivalent to the amount of exposure expected during a three-year Mars mission, this damage was not initially visible; However, after one year, 83% of the mice developed it. Researchers believe that it takes more time for such injuries to occur in humans.

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The experiment also showed that the combination of radiation and weightlessness can weaken the immune system. The number of natural killer cells in the mice's spleens, which are involved in fighting virus-infected cells and cancer cells, was reduced by about two-thirds. Examination of white blood cell genes also showed stable mutations, some of which are associated with increased risk of leukemia and heart diseases.

Of course, these findings do not mean that the human heart is definitely incapable of enduring a trip to Mars. The research was done on mice and the radiation was also done in a short period of time; Therefore, more research is needed to determine the true extent of the risk to astronauts.