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9Local politics, the county, and the world, as viewed by Tammy Maygra Tammy’s views are her own, and do not necessarily reflect the views of Bill Eagle, his pastor, Tammy’s neighbors, Wayne Mayo, Betsy Johnson, Brad Witt, Former President Trump, Henry Heimuller, Joe Biden, Pat Robertson, Ted Cruz, Joe Biden’s dogs, or Claudia Eagle’s Cats. This Tammy’s Take (with the exception of this disclaimer) is not paid for or written by, or even reviewed by anyone but Tammy and she refuses to be bullied by anyone. See Bill’s Standard Disclaimer
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Exercises to keep weight bearing bones from losing density while traveling in voyages through space.
Wan’na be space travelers, Watch Out
Astronauts on space missions lasting longer than six months suffer decades' worth of bone loss, much of which could be irreversible. The finding may present a serious challenge to future crewed missions to Mars.
For missions that last six months or longer, astronauts' exposure to the microgravity of space causes them to experience bone loss equivalent to two decades of aging. And only half of the lost bone recovers after a year back on Earth, leaving them with a decade of age to their bone structure. Bones, like muscles, are always growing, and they have evolved to reshape themselves under the constant mechanical strain caused by Earth's gravity. And, just like muscles, if weight-bearing bones are not used, such as during a long, low-gravity period in space they can be weakened permanently.
Researchers assessed the bones of 17 astronauts who had stayed on the International Space Station (ISS). The astronauts 14 men and three women had an average age of 47. Their stays aboard the ISS ranged from four to seven months.
To track the astronauts' bone deterioration and recovery, the researchers scanned specific regions of the astronauts' bodies such as the wrists, ankles and shins. Before they traveled to the ISS and as soon as they returned. Scientists then conducted two follow-up scans six and 12 months after the astronauts stepped back on solid ground.
The scans were taken using a technique called high-resolution peripheral quantitative computed tomography (HR-pQCT), which builds 3D images of human bone structure at scales finer than the width of a human hair. Using these scans, the researchers figured out the astronauts' bone mineral content and bone density — key indicators of how susceptible bones are to fracturing.
The results showed that, of the 17 astronauts, 16 had not regained their pre-space tibia strength after one year of recovery. Additionally, after the recovery year, the eight astronauts who spent longer than six months in space had tibia bones that had experienced the equivalent of a decade of aging and could sustain 75 pounds of force less than they could before their space missions. In contrast, the bones of the spacefarers' lower arms had barely deteriorated at all, likely because these bones are not weight-bearing.
Previous research has predicted that, over a three-year round trip to Mars, 33% of astronauts would return at risk of osteoporosis, a progressive condition that sees the holes and spaces of the bone’s honeycomb grow larger, making them more susceptible to breaking.
And it's not just bone that deteriorates in low gravity. Prior studies have also shown that muscles, eyes, brains, hearts, spines, and even cells can all be damaged by prolonged stays in space — all of which present unique challenges to long-duration spaceflight. The silver lining from the new study is that in-flight deadlift training provided by the ISS's Advanced Resistive Exercise Device (ARED) slowed the rate of bone loss and boosted recovery — meaning that specific training regimens, equipment and targeted nutrition could be vital in keeping astronauts fit during long journeys such as a future three-year round trip mission to Mars.
NASA is addressing new exercise equipment for future voyages, they must adapt smaller equipment as space is limited.
So if you plan to be a Mars pilgrim, you might want to get ready for a strenuous exercise routine and refined diet, after all you will want to be able to site see when you reach your destination.
Tammy
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