from the the-sickness-what-came-from-outer-space dept.
Prolonged Spaceflight Could Weaken Astronauts' Immune Systems:
NASA hopes to send humans to Mars by 2030 on a round-trip mission that could take up to three years -- far longer than any human has ever traveled in space. Such long-term spaceflights could adversely affect certain cells in the immune systems of astronauts, according to a new study led by University of Arizona [(UA)] researchers.
"What NASA and other space agencies are concerned about is whether or not the immune system is going to be compromised during very prolonged spaceflight missions," said Richard Simpson, senior author and associate professor of nutritional sciences at the UA. "What clinical risks are there to the astronauts during these missions when they're exposed to things like microgravity, radiation and isolation stress? Could it be catastrophic to the level that the astronaut wouldn't be able to complete the mission?"
Simpson and his team of researchers at the UA, the University of Houston, Louisiana State University and NASA-Johnson Space Center, studied the effects of spaceflights of six months or more on natural killer cells, or NK cells, a type of white blood cell that kills cancerous cells in the body and prevents old viruses from reactivating.
"Cancer is a big risk to astronauts during very prolonged spaceflight missions because of the exposure to radiation," Simpson said. "[NK-cells] are also very important to kill off virally infected cells. When you're in the space station, it's a very sterile environment -- you're not likely to pick up the flu or a rhinovirus or some community-type infection -- but the infections that are a problem are the viruses that are already in your body. These are mostly viruses that cause things like shingles, mononucleosis or cold sores; they stay in your body for the rest of your life, and they do reactivate when you're stressed."
Scientists compared blood samples of eight crewmembers who completed missions to the International Space Station with healthy individuals who remained on Earth. Blood samples were taken before launch, at several points during the mission and after the astronauts' return to Earth.
The results showed that NK-cell function is impaired in astronauts as compared with pre-flight levels and ground-based controls. At flight day 90, NK-cell cytotoxic activity against leukemia cells in vitro was reduced by approximately 50 percent in International Space Station crew members.
[...] Whether the drop in NK-cell function makes astronauts more susceptible to cancer and viral reactivation remains to be seen, Simpson said. He hopes to learn more from future studies.
So not only do astronauts face risks like muscle and bone loss, they now face the prospect of reactivation of old illnesses. Will Mars' gravity (38% that of Earth's) be enough to ward off this decline?
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The ISS is crawling with nasty bacteria
NASA scientists have found that the International Space Station (ISS), home to six astronauts, is infested with disease-inducing bacteria. Many of the organisms breeding on the craft's surfaces are known to form both bacterial and fungal biofilms that promote resistance to antibiotics. The NASA team published their findings in a new study -- the first comprehensive catalog of germs in closed space systems -- in the journal Microbiome [open, DOI: 10.1186/s40168-019-0666-x] [DX]. The biofilms ability to cause microbial-induced corrosion on Earth could also play havoc with the ISS' infrastructure by causing mechanical blockages, claim the researchers.
The microbes come from humans and are similar to the ones in gyms, offices, and hospitals on Earth. They include so-called opportunistic pathogens such as Staphylococcus aureus (commonly found on the skin and in the nasal passage) and Enterobacter (associated with the human gastrointestinal tract). Though they can cause diseases back on Earth, it's unclear what, if any, affect they'd have on the ISS' inhabitants.
Also at BGR.
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Microbes Sampled and Sequenced Aboard the ISS
Prolonged Spaceflight Could Weaken Astronauts' Immune Systems
(Score: 4, Interesting) by fyngyrz on Friday January 25 2019, @03:04PM (1 child)
Assuming that this is a gravity-related problem is jumping the gun.
Other potential factors include radiation, less activation of the immune system because of the smaller number of threats, diet, stress, air composition, chemicals present in the ISS from manufacture or add-ons, etc.
I'm not saying it isn't gravity related, just that it's not the only possible cause. It could also be something due to multiple factors, one of which might be gravity, or not.
--
Jst Sy N to Lssy Cmprssn.
(Score: 2) by Freeman on Friday January 25 2019, @08:13PM
I would be surprised, if gravity has any direct impact on your immune system. Bone density loss and muscle atrophy are a big problem in prolonged exposure to low gravity. Physical fitness can definitely affect your immune system and general health. I would really be hard pressed to relate it only to gravity though, since that's essentially just a constant physical force. I would definitely be concerned about the effects of various radiation that Earth's magnetic field naturally protects us from. Diet, Stress, Air Composition, and Chemicals used in manufacturing all have "easy" fixes. Effective radiation shielding is possibly the only real issue we have with regard to creating colonies on the Moon or Mars. Yes, money is an "issue" per se, but not one that would make Moon/Mars bases impossible. Realizing that all colonists will get cancer and die in 10 to 20 years from radiation poisoning is a much bigger problem than, it's too expensive. Especially considering we have private rocket companies that could conceivably bankroll their own extraterrestrial base.
Joshua 1:9 "Be strong and of a good courage; be not afraid, neither be thou dismayed: for the Lord thy God is with thee"
(Score: 2) by Runaway1956 on Friday January 25 2019, @03:11PM (3 children)
Prolonged immersion in atmosphere also weakens immune systems. Just start wading through the flu statistics for the past hundred years - which incidentally will include the huge-ass endemic (or pandemic?) of 1918. It's the old bastards who are most likely to succumb. The atmosphere is deadly, I tell you! If there were just some way to avoid being soaked in oxygen and crap all your life!
(Score: 2) by Azuma Hazuki on Friday January 25 2019, @06:03PM
Feel free to stop breathing. I think we'd all be better off.
I am "that girl" your mother warned you about...
(Score: 2) by MichaelDavidCrawford on Friday January 25 2019, @06:18PM
... as were the Olympic rowers in Brazil:
They dump raw sewage in the ocean there.
Yes I Have No Bananas. [gofundme.com]
(Score: 2) by lentilla on Friday January 25 2019, @09:35PM
Interestingly; in the case of the 1918 flu [wikipedia.org]; it was young adults who had the most problems.
(Score: 4, Funny) by ElizabethGreene on Friday January 25 2019, @05:03PM (6 children)
After the absolute disaster that followed the second group of colonists arrival we learned to not let anyone through the airlock until after the newest flu vaccine had been given to everyone. People still got sick, but it wasn't everyone like that first time.
Unfortunately we don't have Mars flu vaccines for the newbies. It's a hell of a way to welcome them. "Hi, Welcome to Mars. In about a day you're going to feel congestion, nausea, and you won't stop sneezing for a week. The good news is you probably won't die from it. Here's your commemorative Mars barf bag and snot rag. Please compost the first and wash the second when you are feeling better. Do you know what cave you are assigned to?"
(Score: 2) by takyon on Friday January 25 2019, @07:19PM (5 children)
By the time we start serious Mars colonization, we could have a universal flu and cold vaccines/cures.
One way to keep the threat of disease miminized would be to separate colonists into isolated groups. Might turn them into weirdos though.
This Post Was Made By Musk Gang
[SIG] 10/28/2017: Soylent Upgrade v14 [soylentnews.org]
(Score: 2) by Freeman on Friday January 25 2019, @08:18PM (1 child)
Also, considering the massive cost of a Mars Colony / Moon Colony, it would be "cheap" to make sure everyone in the colonies were up-to-date on their vaccines. Just need to make sure vaccines could be replicated up there or were shipped often enough.
Joshua 1:9 "Be strong and of a good courage; be not afraid, neither be thou dismayed: for the Lord thy God is with thee"
(Score: 2) by ElizabethGreene on Sunday January 27 2019, @12:17AM
> it would be "cheap" to make sure everyone in the colonies were up-to-date on their vaccines
This works for Earthlings coming to Mars. The problem is that the low delta-v Hohmann transfer windows mean that there will be (at least) a couple of years between the two populations "touching". This is a window for diseases to mutate and evolve. I hypothesize that when a new ship arrives these shiny new diseases are going to gnaw through the new victim pool like me in a gummy bear store.
(Score: 3, Insightful) by ElizabethGreene on Friday January 25 2019, @09:15PM
I'm optimistic enough to think I might see the first colonists on Mars before my last breath, but I have zero hope of universal vaccines for things like the cold and flu.
Evolution is a bitch.
(Score: 2) by fido_dogstoyevsky on Friday January 25 2019, @10:14PM
Especially after someone takes the Fallout Vault Experiments as a "how-to".
It's NOT a conspiracy... it's a plot.
(Score: 1) by khallow on Saturday January 26 2019, @01:47AM
Quarantine is very effective for dealing with this sort of thing. Have a mass of people who might be carrying unknown diseases from nasty old Earth? Let them relax for a couple of days while you test for contagious disease.
(Score: 2) by MichaelDavidCrawford on Friday January 25 2019, @06:17PM
"Captain? May I have a word with you?"
"Yes, Lieutenant. What's up?"
"The way you crack your knuckles is really getting on my fucking nerves. I'm gonna tear you a new asshole unless you stop doing that."
Yes I Have No Bananas. [gofundme.com]