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NASA, the National Aeronautics and Space Administration, is gearing up to send its first crewed mission to Mars as early as 2029. Driven by the dream of conquering the Red Planet is billionaire, engineer, and entrepreneur Elon Musk.
Meanwhile, scientists are sounding the alarm. They believe that missions to Mars could lead to irreversible kidney damage in astronauts, as reported by the Daily Mail. The authors of the first study highlighting this threat are researchers from 40 scientific centers worldwide, led by University College London (UCL).
What Researchers Discovered
First and foremost, the team examined the health impacts of space travel on 24 astronauts who had been to the Moon. The results revealed that most of them experienced significant changes in their kidneys. Astronauts suffered from kidney stones and likely even required dialysis on their return journey.
At the start of the study, scientists were already aware that space flights had caused certain health issues for astronauts since the 1960s—ever since humans first ventured beyond Earth’s magnetic field. The most notable achievement during that time was the first Moon landing in 1969 by American astronauts of the Apollo 11 mission.
Researchers knew that space explorers regularly faced issues like bone mass loss, weakened hearts and vision, as well as the development of kidney stones.
It is believed that many of these problems arise from exposure to cosmic radiation, such as solar wind, as well as galactic cosmic radiation (GCR), which Earth’s magnetic field protects us from.
Since most crewed space flights occur in low Earth orbit and receive partial protection from Earth’s magnetic field, only 24 individuals who traveled to the Moon experienced full exposure to GCR for a short period (6-12 days). However, no one has yet studied the changes that may occur in the kidneys and other organs due to space travel beyond Earth’s magnetic field for extended periods.
Now, a large research team has conducted a series of experiments and analyses to determine how kidneys respond to such space flights.
Ultimately, the study’s authors stated, “The most concerning finding, at least for any astronaut planning a trip to Mars, is that after 2.5 years of radiation exposure simulating GCR, the kidneys of mice suffered irreversible damage and loss of function.”
But it’s important to remember that most astronauts typically spent 6 to 12 days on their Moon missions. In contrast, eight years of exposure to galactic radiation during a Mars mission (four years for each leg of the journey) could lead to significantly more dramatic kidney problems.
If new medications to protect astronauts’ kidneys are not developed soon, any mission to the Red Planet could pose serious health risks for the crew.
Dr. Keith Siu, the lead author of the study, noted, “If we don’t develop new ways to protect the kidneys, astronauts on the return journey may require dialysis.”
“We know that kidneys do not immediately show signs of radiation damage; by the time it becomes apparent, it may already be too late,” the scientist added.
The results of the study were published in the journal Nature Communications.
