A new study in the journal Nature found that astronauts who go into space have a problem with space anemia when they return to Earth. It is believed that astronauts destroy their own blood at higher rates once they get back home, which could have a major impact on future space travel.
Understanding the health implications of living in space will be critical to planning safe journeys as humankind plans extraterrestrial travel, according to the study. Anemia in astronauts has been noted since the first space missions, but the mechanisms contributing to it have remained unclear.
NASA has a name for space radiation, isolation and confinement, and describes the most common physical and mental problems explorers face.
The authors of the study think that lower gravity in space may cause a loss in bone density.
The breakdown of red blood cells is called hemolysis. The study states that hemolysis happens in four parts of the body. Guy Trudel, a specialist in physical medicine and rehabilitation and a researcher at the University of Ottawa, thinks that bone marrow or the spleen are the problem areas, and wants his team to continue researching.
The next step in the hemolysis process is what causes the anemia. There is a knowledge gap for missions to the Moon or Mars.
NASA says it is running out of astronauts.
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