What physical, mental and genetic changes do astronauts undergo? Inspiration 4 Mission gives shocking information

Going to space can affect you, even on short trips. In September 2021, four people spent three days in space and underwent physical and mental changes, as reported by the ‘New York Times’. These included slight decreases in cognitive abilities, stressed immune systems, and genetic changes in their cells. These results have been released by scientists in periodicals such as ‘Nature’. At Earth’s surface, the majority of these modifications were reversed. As per the reports of the ‘New York Times’, we still have a lot to learn about the health implications of space travel, even though the results point to no significant concerns for upcoming space passengers.

What is Inspiration4 Mission?

Professor Christopher Mason of Weill Cornell Medicine in New York City called the latest articles and data the most thorough study yet done on a space crew. On Monday, he made his remarks at a press conference, according to the New York Times.

There were four astronauts on the Inspiration4 mission, which took them into orbit. This space expedition was headed by millionaire entrepreneur Jared Isaacman, rather than a typical team of professional astronauts. He selected three other tourists who represented diversity: Christopher Sembroski, an engineer; Sian Proctor, a professor of geosciences at a community college; and Hayley Arceneaux, a physician assistant and childhood cancer survivor.

The Inspiration4 crew agreed to participate in medical research while on mission. Samples of blood, urine, feces, and saliva were gathered. This information is kept in a publicly accessible online archive known as the Space Omics and Medical Atlas (SOMA).

There were only four crew members on Inspiration4, so it was easy to figure out who was who, according to Dr. Proctor, even if the data is anonymous. Scientists reported that during Scott Kelly’s year in space, his DNA age markers, called telomeres, grew longer, suggesting he became biologically younger. However, after returning to Earth, his telomeres mostly reverted to their original size, with some becoming even shorter, which scientists saw as accelerated aging.

They also noted that the telomeres of all four Inspiration4 astronauts lengthened and then shortened, showing that these changes happen quickly in all astronauts.

What is SOMA?

In addition to NASA astronauts, private space tourists and Japanese astronauts who have visited the International Space Station also provide data to SOMA, a new space health database.
In addition to data gathered from Japanese astronauts visiting the International Space Station, SOMA also conducts studies comparing the experiences of twin brother Mark, a senator, and space traveler Scott Kelly, who spent 340 days in space.

Beyond the older white guys who were early astronauts, SOMA hopes to collect a diverse range of data as more private citizens venture into space. This could make it easier to develop specialized therapies for space travel’s impacts.

FAQs

What changes occurred during the Inspiration4 mission?
The crew experienced slight cognitive declines, stressed immune systems, and genetic changes during their three days in space.

What is SOMA?
SOMA is a space health database that includes data from NASA astronauts, private space tourists, and Japanese astronauts.

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