[X] My Assistant

[RNeuhaus]

Biological research is essential and obligatory to the Vision for Space Exploration

Any astronauts would not be able to walk on Mars after losing so much bone consistency and strength during 7-10 months of trip. Hence, the man won't make any trip to Mars whenever there is a much better propulsion system to make a less than 2 months of trip.


I wholeheartedly endorse the President's goal to return humans to the Moon and Mars, but the current reductions in biological research funding appear sorely at odds with this goal. Simply put, the biological risks associated with exploration-class spaceflight are far from being mitigated.

This conclusion is based on analysis of 30 years of NASA-sponsored research. Since the days of Skylab NASA-funded investigators conducted an aggressive and successful biological research program that was robust, comprehensive, and internationally recognized. Beginning with those early efforts, and continuing with our international partners on the Mir and the International Space Station, we have built a knowledge base that defines the rate at which humans adapt during spaceflight up to six-months duration, with four data points exceeding one-year duration.

Musculoskeletal deconditioning remains a paramount concern. In the past two years our ability to differentiate the trabecular bone network in the hip has helped us to appreciate that the risk to bone during spaceflight may be even greater than we previously anticipated. The rate of osteoporosis in astronauts equal patients with spinal cord injury, and exceeds that seen in post-menopausal women by a factor of 10 or more. Extrapolating from published studies of astronauts and cosmonauts spending up to six months in low-earth orbit, we can offer preliminary estimates of the changes that would occur if humans made a 30-month trip to Mars today:

* 100% of crew members would lose more than 15% of their bone mineral in the femur and hip
* Approximately 80% would lose more than 25% of their bone mineral
* More than 40% would lose greater than 50% of their bone mineral
* Approximately 20% would lose more than 25% of their exercise capacity
* Approximately 40% would lose experience a decline in leg muscle strength of 30% or more

Each of these predictions takes into the account the fact that astronauts would be using the best countermeasures available currently! To my knowledge, no engineer would accept a spaceflight system where such degradation is expected. Nor should it be so for astronauts.

Rodolfo