Mars Mission In Danger Because Of Kidney Stones
The conditions in space can lead to an increased risk of kidney stones for astronauts, and this danger could spell trouble for the Mars mission. Kidney stones can occur when there’s a problem expelling salts and excess calcium that build up in your body, and it’s believed that the microgravity astronauts are exposed to in space can cause bones to break down more quickly than they would on Earth. For Mars mission hopefuls, this means that kidney stones could prevent them from going to explore the universe.
Mars Mission Poses Threats
The increase in kidney stones experienced by astronauts for extended periods of time after they have returned to Earth points to this becoming an issue for longer space flights.
The Mars mission being a much longer travel time than anything previously attempted means that kidney stones could pose a serious threat to the astronauts’ health. This problem prompted a team of physiology scientists to try and figure out more about space-induced kidney stones.
Microgravity And Astronauts
Because astronauts experience kidney stones at an increased rate of between two and seven times that expected before space travel, sometimes for years after returning to Earth, researchers wondered if more than just microgravity was at play.
So, a team of researchers across disciplines endeavored to determine how the space environment was affecting the astronauts’ kidneys.
The study, geared toward solving this problem for the Mars mission, aimed to interrogate the effect of radiation and microgravity on the formation of kidney stones as a result of space travel.
Exposure To Radiation
The study, published in the journal Nature Communications, analyzed the biomolecular clinical chemistry and morphometric effects of exposure to microgravity and galactic cosmic radiation on mice and humans who experienced space travel.
What they found is that exposure to radiation bombardment in space, combined with microgravity, can cause the blood vessels of the kidneys to become stiffer, making them more susceptible to inflammation caused by exposure to radiation.
The Mars mission, while seeming ever more possible, will have to grapple with the combined effects of galactic cosmic radiation and microgravity on the organs, especially with regard to kidney stones.
Preventing Kidney Stones
The kidneys help to regulate blood pressure, salt, and moisture in the body, balancing out our internal environment. When this process is interrupted, the kidneys aren’t able to keep up, which can cause kidney stones, but also more serious issues with blood pressure and hydration, and eventually kidney failure.
To address this issue, the Mars mission will need to mitigate these symptoms for astronauts, beginning with better countermeasures to prevent kidney stones.
More To Consider With Mars
Scientists tested samples from five humans and eleven mice who had experienced space flight and determined using modeling that exposure to microgravity and galactic cosmic radiation for the length of time a flight to Mars would likely take would cause severe damage to the kidneys.
This means that the Mars mission isn’t just threatened by kidney stones, it could be threatened by renal failure, a much more serious condition.
While oral supplements like potassium citrate combined with increased fluid consumption could mitigate the formation of kidney stones, this intervention likely won’t address the other consequences of exposure to radiation.
Source: Nature
