A mathematical model developed by space medicine experts from The Australian National University could be used to predict if anastronomy can safely travel to Mars and fulfill their mission duties upon stepping foot on the Red Planet
The ANU team tried to determine if the human body could tolerate the effects of zero gravity on the cardiovascular system.
The impact of short and long duration space flight on the body could be assessed using the model.
Exposure to damaging radiation from the Sun is one of the risks associated with travelling to Mars.
The weightlessness experienced as a result of zero gravity space travel could cause the structure of your blood vessels or the strength of your heart to change.
With the rise of commercial space flight agencies like Space X and Blue Origin, there's more room for rich but not healthy people to go into space, so we want to use mathematical models to predict whether someone is fit to fly to Mars.
Exposure to zero gravity can cause the heart to become lazy because it doesn't have to work as hard to overcome gravity.
Some people find their legs swell up at the end of the day because gravity pulls fluid to the bottom of their body. When you go into space, the fluid moves to the top half of your body, which makes you think there is too much fluid.
"As a result, you start going to the toilet a lot, you start getting rid of extra fluid, you don't feel thirsty and you don't drink as much."
When astronauts step foot on Earth again, they may faint on the news. You are more likely to collapse when you return to gravity if you are in space for a long time.
The purpose of our model is to predict, with great accuracy, whether an astronauts can safely get to Mars. We think it's doable.
Due to a communication delay in relaying messages between Mars and Earth, astronauts must be able to out their duties without getting help from support crews. Depending on the alignment of the Sun, Earth and Mars, this window of radio silence could last for 20 minutes.
If there is a medical emergency on Mars, there will be no one on the red planet to help the astronauts.
We need to be certain that the astronauts are fit to fly and can adapt to Mars'gravity. They need to be able to operate effectively and efficiently with little support.
The model uses data from past space expeditions, including the Apollo Missions, to make predictions about the risks of travelling to Mars.
Although the space data used to inform the parameters of the model is derived from middle-aged and well-trained astronauts, the researchers hope to expand its capabilities by simulating the impact of prolonging space travel on relatively healthy individuals. If an everyday person were to travel into space, this would give researchers a more complete picture of what would happen.
The work is published in a journal.
More information: Lex M. van Loon et al, Computational modeling of orthostatic intolerance for travel to Mars, npj Microgravity (2022). DOI: 10.1038/s41526-022-00219-2
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