Astronauts changed their bodies after a flight into space

The fascinating world of the effects of space on the human body, revealing amazing discoveries and challenges overcome by pioneers of space exploration.

A revolutionary mission marked a turning point in space exploration by sending 4 civilians into Earth orbit for a unique 3-day experience. It's both a journey into space, but it's also a unique opportunity for science. Researchers around the world have studied data collected from brave astronauts and have uncovered fascinating discoveries about the effects of the space environment on the human body.

Soma: Space secrets revealed by “Inspiration4”

In September 2021, SpaceX made history by sending 4 civilians into Earth's orbit During the Inspiration4 mission, funded exclusively by private funds, the first of its kind in space exploration. The launch took place on September 15 at 9:03 pm from Launch Complex 39A at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida.

The crew members returned valuable data about them The impact of space travel on human healthIt attracted the attention of scientists around the world. These experts recently published an unprecedented collection of 44 studies titled Space Omics and Medical Atlas (SOMA) in the prestigious journal Nature Portfolio.

The health secrets of astronauts revealed by the Soma study

Christopher Mason, a geneticist at Weill Cornell Medical College, led a study on astronaut health that pushed the boundaries of space research. This study is known as Satellite Omics and Medical Atlas (SOMA), is the largest ever collection of biomedical data on civilian spaceflight crew members. With approximately 30-40% of previously unpublished data, the results of this analysis are unprecedented.

Scientists closely followed the four crew members before, during and after their space flight. Using a variety of molecular, cellular, physiological and phenotypic data, the researchers conducted a series of in-depth analyses, including the genomes, microbiomes, transcriptomes (messenger RNA) and proteomes (proteomics) of the astronauts.

What makes this study even more remarkable is that the orbit that the SpaceX rocket traveled to was at an altitude of 585 kilometers, which is much higher than the orbit of the International Space Station (ISS). This high altitude puts the crew in danger A different and perhaps denser radiation environmentWhich makes the data collected even more valuable for understanding the effects of space travel on human health.

The effects of space on the health of astronauts

During this final mission in orbit, the civilian crew underwent a series of scientific experiments that highlighted 5 major side effects on their health once they returned to Earth. These effects include Changes in transcriptome, epigenome, cellular dynamics, microbiome and mitochondrial responses of individuals.

Astronauts' microbiota showed a trend toward convergence over time in space. Moreover, A Loss of muscle massBiomarkers of aging and skin inflammation were observed, all related to the physical stress experienced during the space mission.

Differences between the sexes were also observed, Women seem to regain normal immune systems more quickly than men after a flight. “Men and women respond differently to space risks and to their post-mission recovery,” noted Tejaswini Mishra of Stanford University.

It is clear that even on short missions, astronauts are exposed to health risks in space. Researchers in the SOMA study continue to explore these questions, and are now examining data from astronauts who traveled on Axiom Space's space missions to the International Space Station.