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Added: 2026-05-25

[00:00:10]The largest catalog [music] of data describing the impact of space travel on the human body has been created.

[00:00:17]Man's presence in space [music] is becoming more and more visible.

[00:00:22]There are constantly astronauts in orbit aboard the International Space Station [music] or the Chinese Tiangong station.

[00:00:30]There are plans to travel to the moon or Mars.

[00:00:33]We travel more and more often into space [music] without fully knowing how it affects our bodies.

[00:00:40]Large-scale [music] research on the impact of space flights on the body shows what space travelers have to deal with and what the effects of microgravity and cosmic [music] radiation are, especially during long-term presence in space.

[00:00:55]How does space [music] travel affect the human body?

[00:00:58]The answer to this question will be crucial [music] not only for astronauts who want to go to Mars, but also for [music] the growing space tourism industry.

[00:01:08]In September 2021, four amateur astronauts [music] took off from Florida on a SpaceX rocket on a journey to Earth's orbit. [music] The flight of the Inspiration4 mission was the first entirely civilian flight into space [music] without the participation of representatives of NASA or other space agencies.

[00:01:30]The space tourists [music] spent 3 days in orbit at an altitude of 575 km in SpaceX's [music] Dragon capsule, then landed in the Atlantic.

[00:01:42]The journey was [music] entirely controlled by onboard computer systems and supervised by a team of experts on Earth.

[00:01:50]Since humans first appeared [music] in space, the impact that being in this environment has on body has [music] been studied.

[00:01:59]However, these studies concerned professional astronauts, people trained [music] for years and with special predispositions to fly into space.

[00:02:09]The Inspiration [music] 4 crew, consisting of Jared Isaacman, Hayley Arceneaux, Sian Proctor, and Chris Sembroski, [music] completed 6 months of intensive training prepared by SpaceX, but it cannot be [music] compared to the training of professional astronauts.

[00:02:27]The Inspiration [music] 4 flight provided an opportunity to examine the impact of the space environment on the bodies of ordinary people with various [music] health problems.

[00:02:38]The results of the analyzes were published in a series of scientific [music] articles published in nature.

[00:02:45]Before the flight, amateur [music] astronauts were thoroughly examined and the necessary samples of blood, saliva, urine, and other tissues were collected [music] from them.

[00:02:56]They also underwent cognitive tests.

[00:03:00]The Inspiration 4 crew collected samples while in orbit, and after returning to [music] Earth, they were thoroughly examined again.

[00:03:09]Armed with this unique data set, scientists analyzed how cosmic radiation and microgravity affected their bodies.

[00:03:18]More than 100 scientific institutions from 25 countries around the world were involved [music] in the work.

[00:03:26]This resulted in 44 publications, most of which are based on [music] data from the Inspiration 4 flight.

[00:03:34]The published spaceomics [music] and medical atlas, Soma, includes studies of the flight participants' [music] genomes, their microbiomes, transcriptomes, mRNA produced from their genes, and proteomes, their set of proteins.

[00:03:51][music] This is the largest catalog of data detailing the impact of space travel [music] on the human body.

[00:03:59]Of course, with data from only four people, it is difficult to draw clear conclusions about the impact of space flights on civilians. [music] Where possible, scientists compared their results with data from astronauts who worked with NASA or JAXA.

[00:04:18]>> [music] >> They also used data collected from raising mice and cell cultures in space, exposed to radiation or grown in microgravity.

[00:04:27]These studies show that just a few days in orbit can cause immune cell dysfunction, dehydration, [music] and thinking problems. But, most of these problems disappear after returning to Earth.

[00:04:40]However, some of the changes persisted [music] for at least 3 months after landing, suggesting longer recovery [music] period.

[00:04:50]Most data on the health effects of space flight [music] to date have been collected from white men aged 30 and older.

[00:04:57]In addition, many of them had a military background [music] and related training.

[00:05:03]Until now, it was unclear how other groups of people [music] would respond to the unique stresses of space flight, including exposure to radiation and microgravity.

[00:05:14]Studies of professional astronauts over recent years have shown that being in space increases the long-term risk of developing cancer due to exposure to cosmic radiation, muscle atrophy, and bone loss due to living in microgravity, >> [music] >> and changes in vision.

[00:05:32]One conclusion of the SOMA study is that the same health effects experienced [music] by professional astronauts on their long expeditions appear in space tourists who spend only a few days in orbit.

[00:05:45]>> [music] >> The new analysis could also implications for long-term space exploration [music] beyond the protective cocoon of Earth's magnetic field, which [music] blocks some cosmic radiation.

[00:05:57]We don't fully understand all the threats yet. [music] That's why it's so important for early space tourists to participate [music] in research, says Amy McGuire of Baylor College of Medicine.

[00:06:10]>> [music] >> One of the studies published as part of the Soma package confirms earlier NASA research involving twin brothers Scott and Mark Kelly.

[00:06:19]>> [music] >> Data collected from the Inspiration4 crew showed that the immune system was on high alert. [music] The stress of space flight affected the transcription of immune system genes, >> [music] >> possibly reducing the body's ability to defend itself against viruses.

[00:06:37]Another study documented [singing] lengthening of the telomeres of passengers on the Inspiration4 flight, which was also shown in twin studies.

[00:06:47]Telomeres are the final fragments of a chromosome whose function is to protect it from damage during copying.

[00:06:55]The aging process shortens [music] telomeres, but longer than normal telomeres are also not healthy because they are associated with a higher risk of cancer. [music] Analyzes also suggest that men and women react differently to being in space, which may [music] influence the selection of crews for space flights.

[00:07:15]Gene activity and immune response were more disturbed in men than in women, and recovery in men took longer [music] after returning to Earth.

[00:07:25]One of the proteins involved was fibrinogen, which [music] plays a key role in blood clotting.

[00:07:32]Women also seem to be less affected by vision problems, but more likely to develop cardiovascular disease and cancer.

[00:07:41]Radiation is a big problem, especially during long-duration space flights.

[00:07:46][music] It can damage cells and accelerate the development of certain diseases in a short [music] time.

[00:07:53]One study found that mice exposed to the equivalent of 2.5 years of radiation in space, which mimics space flight outside the Earth's magnetic field, suffered permanent kidney damage.

[00:08:07]>> [music] >> Analyses have shown that the conditions in space cause remodeling of the kidneys.

[00:08:13]Specific renal tubules responsible for fine-tuning the calcium and salt balance showed [music] signs of shrinking.

[00:08:21]Scientists also investigated a possible way to prevent some radiation damage by [music] suppressing the function of microRNAs, short RNA molecules that can silence [music] genes and are considered markers of cosmic [singing] radiation damage.

[00:08:37]>> [music] >> Scientists developed microRNA inhibitors called antagomers and applied them [music] to cell cultures from blood samples from the Inspiration4 crew and Japanese astronauts.

[00:08:50]Treated cells suffered less radiation damage than control samples.

[00:08:55]However, scientists are still far [music] from developing a therapy.

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