Space Anemia Is Tied To Being In the Void and Can Stick Around Awhile (arstechnica.com) 26
fahrbot-bot shares a report from Ars Technica: Space isn't easy on humans. Some aspects are avoidable -- the vacuum, of course, and the cold, as well as some of the radiation. Astronauts can also lose bone density, thanks to a lack of gravity. NASA has even created a fun acronym for the issues: RIDGE, which stands for space radiation, isolation and confinement, distance from Earth, gravity fields, and hostile and closed environments. New research adds to the worries by describing how being in space destroys your blood. Or rather, something about space -- and we don't know what just yet -- causes the human body to perform hemolysis at a higher rate than back on Earth.
This phenomenon, called space anemia, has been well-studied. It's part of a suite of problems that astronauts face when they come back to terra firma, which is how Guy Trudel -- one of the paper's authors and a specialist in physical medicine and rehabilitation at The Ottawa Hospital -- got involved. "[W]hen the astronauts return from space, they are very much like the patients we admit in rehab," he told Ars. Space anemia had been viewed as an adaptation to shifting fluids in the astronauts' upper bodies when they first arrive in space. They rapidly lose 10 percent of the liquid in their blood vessels, and it was expected that their bodies destroyed a matching 10 percent of red blood cells to get things back into balance. People also suspected that things went back to normal after 10 days. Trudel and his team found, however, that the hemolysis was a primary response to being in space. "Our results were a bit of a surprise," he said. [...]
Trudel's team isn't sure exactly why being in space would cause the human body to destroy blood cells at this faster rate. There are some potential culprits, however. Hemolysis can happen in four different parts of the body: the bone marrow (where red blood cells are made), the blood vessels, the liver, or the spleen. From this list, Trudel suspects that the bone marrow or the spleen are the most likely problem areas, and his team has plans to investigate the issue further in the future. "What causes the anemia is the hemolysis, but what causes the hemolysis is the next step," he said. It's also uncertain how long a person in space can continue to destroy 54 percent more red blood cells than their Earth-bound kin. "We don't have data beyond six months. There's a knowledge gap for longer missions, for one-year missions, or missions to the Moon or Mars or other bodies," he said.
This phenomenon, called space anemia, has been well-studied. It's part of a suite of problems that astronauts face when they come back to terra firma, which is how Guy Trudel -- one of the paper's authors and a specialist in physical medicine and rehabilitation at The Ottawa Hospital -- got involved. "[W]hen the astronauts return from space, they are very much like the patients we admit in rehab," he told Ars. Space anemia had been viewed as an adaptation to shifting fluids in the astronauts' upper bodies when they first arrive in space. They rapidly lose 10 percent of the liquid in their blood vessels, and it was expected that their bodies destroyed a matching 10 percent of red blood cells to get things back into balance. People also suspected that things went back to normal after 10 days. Trudel and his team found, however, that the hemolysis was a primary response to being in space. "Our results were a bit of a surprise," he said. [...]
Trudel's team isn't sure exactly why being in space would cause the human body to destroy blood cells at this faster rate. There are some potential culprits, however. Hemolysis can happen in four different parts of the body: the bone marrow (where red blood cells are made), the blood vessels, the liver, or the spleen. From this list, Trudel suspects that the bone marrow or the spleen are the most likely problem areas, and his team has plans to investigate the issue further in the future. "What causes the anemia is the hemolysis, but what causes the hemolysis is the next step," he said. It's also uncertain how long a person in space can continue to destroy 54 percent more red blood cells than their Earth-bound kin. "We don't have data beyond six months. There's a knowledge gap for longer missions, for one-year missions, or missions to the Moon or Mars or other bodies," he said.
Distance from earth? (Score:1)
Other than psychological reason? I highly doubt that the distance from a certain body could be detrimental to a humans physiological being.
The feeling of being contained in a tin can with no hope of rescue if anything goes wrong. But plenty humans experience that every day here on earth, distance shouldn't have anything with it.
I believe, no evidence, that lack of gravity is a the root cause of most of the issues, as long as humans are sufficiently protected against the solar wind.
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Distance, I think, would be a problem because of medical issues that require access to a hospital, or an MRI machine, or a neurosurgeon if say, a brain tumor develops.
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Other than psychological reason?
That causes space-dementia. There was a docu-film about that in 1998 or so.
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Most people who have spent time in "space" were actually in low earth orbit and thus protected by the magnetosphere to some degree. As we travel father out, say toward the moon or mars, exposure to radiation from the solar wind becomes a greater concern, and requires greater shielding to reduce exposure.
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Other than psychological reason? I highly doubt that the distance from a certain body could be detrimental to a humans physiological being.
The feeling of being contained in a tin can with no hope of rescue if anything goes wrong. But plenty humans experience that every day here on earth, distance shouldn't have anything with it.
I believe, no evidence, that lack of gravity is a the root cause of most of the issues, as long as humans are sufficiently protected against the solar wind.
>I believe, no evidence, that lack of gravity is a the root cause of most of the issues, as long as humans are sufficiently protected against the solar wind.
The problem is coming back to earth:
While in space, speculating: less gravity, easier to move blood, heart pumps less hard, blood vessels less distended, then from the article astronauts ...
"... rapidly lose 10 percent of the liquid in their blood vessels, and it was expected that their bodies destroyed a matching 10 percent of red blood cells to get
The void (Score:2)
So it's caused by the lack of gravity (or possibly radiation), not being in "the void."
tl:dr (Score:2)
Space Vampires (Score:2)
If they are knocking on the window, don't let them in.
Who would have guessed.. (Score:3, Interesting)
... that a physiology evolved over a billion years in a 1G gravity field would have issues in long term zero G.
Its time to reign in the sci-fi dreaming beloved of Elon Musk et al of colonising the solar system never mind any further because even if we solve all other issues, the lack of gravity will always be a problem for the human body unless and until some form of artificial gravity system is created. And I don't mean spinning a space station because rotation causes issues with the ear as well as being useless on the surface of a planet.
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And I don't mean spinning a space station because rotation causes issues with the ear as well as being useless on the surface of a planet.
Issues with the inner ear from rotating to simulate gravity can be mitigated with low RPM. Below about 3 RPM people tend to be absolutely fine and most people can adjust to up to about 7 RPM. You could get Earth gravity with a wheel about 200 meters across (or just a tethered pod rotating against a counterweight with the center of gravity 100 meters in from the pod) and about 3 rpms. You could get Mars gravity with the pod (or outside of the wheel) about 37 meters from the center and match the Moon at about
Re: Who would have guessed.. (Score:1)
So we build a giant carousel on the surface of a planet. Yeah, ok, keep taking the meds.
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So we build a giant carousel on the surface of a planet. Yeah, ok, keep taking the meds.
Reading. Learn to do it. I did not say a carousel. I did point out that simulating gravity on the surface of a planet is regularly done by carnies, despite you apparently thinking that it can't be done on the surface of a planet. I think it's unlikely that it will be necessary. It seems more probable that most of the problems that occur in a freefall environment won't be an issue in an environment that's simply low gravity. An exercise regimen, or just wearing weights will probably be beneficial to prevent
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"despite you apparently thinking that it can't be done on the surface of a planet"
Anything is physically possibly. But do suggest a way that pioneer astronauts could take enough equipment with them in a small module to do it.
" An exercise regimen, or just wearing weights will probably be beneficial to prevent muscle atrophy and bone loss, of course."
It doesn't prevent, it allows managed decline.
" it's not as if we couldn't build it."
No, we couldn't. Everything in the ISS was built on the ground and taken up
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Anything is physically possibly. But do suggest a way that pioneer astronauts could take enough equipment with them in a small module to do it.
As soon as you suggest a reason that they would need to? This is still all in response to your weird hypothetical. You said something stupid, and I replied to it and you're trying to turn it around and make me responsible for your stupid idea. Sorry, it's your baby, not mine.
We already know for sure that people can survive over a year in microgravity, with multiple years being highly probable, so there's no good reason to think that wouldn't be the case for low gravity. It's highly, highly likely th
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Heads up - the longer a response then generally the more self justifying BS its full of. Thanks for proving that rule of thumb.
I'll let you figure out the huge gaping hole in your logic above, I'm done here.
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Heads up - the longer a response then generally the more self justifying BS its full of. Thanks for proving that rule of thumb.
I'll let you figure out the huge gaping hole in your logic above, I'm done here.
Yeah, sure. You never had anything useful or intelligent to say and all you have for follow-through is middle-school vintage taunts. Does it not bother you that you never grew up?
Lots of microgravity studies and no low gravity's (Score:2)
Lack of Gravity is not the Problem (Score:2)
RIDGE, which stands for space radiation, isolation and confinement, distance from Earth, gravity fields, and hostile and closed environments
Gravitational fields are NOT the problem. The gravitational field in low Earth orbit is about 90% of that on the ground. Indeed, gravity is what is making the spacecraft travel in a circular orbit. The problem for the human body is that it no longer has to support its own weight against the pull of gravity because the ship is in freefall. This is what the problem is, not the lack of a gravitational field..
oreelee? (Score:1)
Good lord... (Score:2)
Part of alien quarantine. (Score:2)
You don't have to look very long or hard at Earth to know you don't want shit to do with us, and definitely don't want us showing up unannounced.
Things like these are why we must... (Score:2)
bioengineer ourselves first if we ever want to be spacefaring. You know, simple things like getting rid of respiration and metabolism. I'm not holding my breath.