Missions to Mars could cause permanent kidney damage for astronauts, study warns
- Of the 24 astronauts who traveled to the moon, most suffered from kidney changes
- Astronauts who go to Mars may develop kidney stones and even require dialysis
Houston, we have a kidney problem.
Missions to Mars could cause permanent kidney damage for astronauts, a new study warns.
A review of the health effects of space travel on the 24 astronauts who traveled to the moon found that many of them suffered changes to their kidneys as a result.
And while most astronauts on lunar voyages spent only six to 12 days in space, eight years of exposure to galactic radiation — about four years of travel for each leg of a trip to the Red Planet — would result in much greater damage to the kidneys.
According to the study, astronauts would develop painful kidney stones and even require dialysis.
Missions to Mars could cause permanent kidney damage for astronauts, a new study warns (artist’s impression)
The American space agency NASA and electric car magnate Elon Musk have both set a manned mission to Mars as the goal.
Unless new drugs are developed to protect astronauts’ kidneys, the health risk would “jeopardize” any future 66 million-mile roundtrip flight to the Red Planet.
Such drugs could also have benefits on Earth: a protective drug could prevent cancer patients from suffering damage to their kidneys from radiotherapy.
A study into the possible health consequences of space travelers by scientists at University College London found that they are likely to suffer from kidney stones and likely need dialysis on the return flight, the study suggests.
The study, published in Nature Communications, is the largest analysis to date of kidney health during spaceflight.
Astronauts would develop painful kidney stones (artist’s impression) and could even need dialysis, according to the study
Researchers have known that spaceflight causes certain health problems since the 1970s, in the years after humans first traveled outside Earth’s magnetic field, most famously during the first moon landing in 1969.
These problems include loss of bone mass, weakening of the heart and vision, and the development of kidney stones.
Many of these problems are thought to arise from exposure to space radiation, such as solar winds from the Sun and galactic cosmic rays (GCR) from deep space, from which Earth’s magnetic field protects us on Earth.
Because most human spaceflights take place in low Earth orbit and are partially shielded from Earth’s magnetic field, only the 24 humans who have traveled to the Moon have been exposed to unlimited GCR, and only for a short time ( 6-12 days).
No one has investigated what changes might occur in the kidneys and other organs due to conditions that would arise during space travel outside the Earth’s magnetic field for extended periods of time.
A UCL-led team of researchers from more than 40 institutions across five continents carried out a series of experiments and analyzes to investigate how the kidneys respond to spaceflight.
The authors said that ‘the most alarming finding, at least for any astronaut considering a three-year tour to Mars, is that the kidneys of mice exposed to radiation simulating GCR for 2.5 years suffered permanent damage and loss of function.’
Dr. Keith Siew, first author of the study from the London Tubular Centre, based at UCL’s Department of Renal Medicine, said: ‘If we don’t develop new ways to protect the kidneys, I would say that, while an astronaut could do If they go to Mars, they may need dialysis on the way back.
‘We know that the kidneys only show signs of radiation damage late; By the time this becomes apparent, it will likely be too late to prevent failure, which would be catastrophic for the mission’s chances of success.’