When astronauts go into space, their bodies experience many changes. Scientists are studying these changes to better understand how space travel can affect health. This is important as more people go to space and plan longer trips to the moon and maybe Mars one day.
What Happens to Astronauts in Space
A recent study looked at people who went on a short space trip with SpaceX and others who stayed up to a year on the International Space Station. They found that space travel can change many things in the body at the smallest levels, like molecules and cells. These changes can affect how the body works.
Changes After Coming Back to Earth
Most of these changes go back to normal a few months after the astronauts return to Earth. Some changes can last for three months or more, especially in proteins, genes, and cytokines (which help in cell signaling). Even though short trips, like the three-day SpaceX mission, are not very risky, these changes still need to be studied.
Differences Between Men and Women
The study also found that women’s bodies return to normal faster than men’s in terms of gene changes and chromatin states (related to DNA structure). Additionally, certain proteins involved in blood clotting and immune responses are affected differently in men and women.
Improving Health Care for Astronauts
There is a need to develop better tools and databases to study health in space, similar to precision medicine on Earth. Using data from space health studies (called Space Omics and Medical Atlas or SOMA), scientists can improve how they monitor health and manage risks in space. This will help prepare for future missions to the moon, Mars, and beyond.
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