Astronauts’ hearts just passed a surprising test for Mars
A new study tracking 13 astronauts suggests that the human heart may be surprisingly well equipped for a journey to Mars, especially with regular exercise during spaceflight.
A new study tracking 13 astronauts suggests that the human heart may be surprisingly well equipped for a journey to Mars, especially with regular exercise during spaceflight.
The short version
- Researchers found that astronauts' hearts adapted to months of weightlessness and handled simulated Martian gravity without major problems, offering new hope for future missions to the Red Planet.
- A journey to Mars may be less challenging for the human heart than scientists once feared.
- A new study suggests that astronauts can adapt remarkably well to months of weightlessness, offering encouraging evidence that humans could endure the long trip to the Red Planet and function under its weaker gravity.
What happened
Researchers from Northwestern Medicine, UT Southwestern, and UT Houston monitored the hearts of 13 astronauts who spent approximately six months aboard the International Space Station. Their findings showed that although spaceflight initially affected heart performance, the astronauts gradually adapted, with intensive daily exercise playing an important role in maintaining their cardiovascular health.
Why it matters
Encouragingly, the researchers found that the astronauts showed no significant signs of cardiovascular strain when exposed to simulated Martian gravity after returning to Earth.
Summary by Nerd News Network. Read the full article at ScienceDaily — Top Science via the links above and below.