What impact does traveling and staying on Mars have on the human mind and body?
In recent years, not only manned exploration of the moon, but also manned exploration of Mars has become a reality. It is feared that Mars, which has a longer
How living on Mars would warp the human body | Salon.com
https://www.salon.com/2023/02/07/how-living-on-mars-would-warp-the-human-body/
When astronauts stay in the International Space Station for a long time, various changes such as low gravity, decreased bone density, decreased muscle , and decreased vision appear. Therefore, it is said that it is necessary to train the body at the gym during space travel and staying on Mars.
People who think about space travel and Mars migration will need to train their bodies at the gym - GIGAZINE
In addition, health hazards caused by light energy radiation ( cosmic rays ) that fly through space are also a major issue. If you are staying on the International Space Station orbiting the Earth, you will be shielded from the sun's radiation for about half of your stay in the shadow of the Earth, but on the way from Earth to Mars, there is nothing that blocks cosmic rays. is not. A paper on the carcinogenicity of cosmic rays, published in the journal Neoplasia in October 2022, notes that while the pace of space exploration is accelerating, simulating the effects of cosmic radiation is difficult, and spaceflight It has been pointed out that uncertainty is involved in predicting risks to employees.
London-based doctor Kevin Fong is a NASA adviser investigating the effects of manned space exploration on the human body. In his book, Extreme Medicine: How Exploration Transformed Medicine in the Twentieth Century, Fong explores the effects of living on Mars on the human body. I am writing about
When thinking about the impact of a Mars exploration mission, Mr. Fong points out that it is necessary to think in terms of two aspects: 'the journey from Earth to Mars' and 'life on Mars.' First of all, it is necessary to live in a spaceship with almost zero gravity from the earth to Mars, but the human body evolved with the gravitational force of the earth. It can affect many systems.
'When you move between two celestial bodies, you're falling between them,' Fong said. 'There are physiological adaptations that can occur that can cause problems later. Your bones and muscles will fail, your heart will fail to some extent, and you'll have trouble coordinating your body's functions, and strange things will happen to your hematopoietic system, your blood-making organs, and your immune system, all of this. seems to be related to the weightlessness experience.'
Most astronauts are only exposed to weightlessness for a few weeks, but a one-way trip to Mars lasts seven to nine months, and a round trip takes twice as long. This could lead to even greater damage from the zero-gravity environment.
Also, if you land on Mars, you won't be weightless, but Mars' gravity is only one-third that of Earth, so it may still have some effect. ``I don't know how one-third gravity will affect the body. Will this provide any protection, or can gravity be used to give enough load to protect the skeleton and muscles? I don't know for the long term either, but I suspect that something will need to be done.'
In the Mars environment, it is unclear how the medicines we usually use work, and we cannot ignore the psychological impact of ``the earth is in a place where it can only be seen as a point in the night sky.'' Also, Mars has no breathable atmosphere or a magnetic field that blocks cosmic rays, and if you go outdoors, you will die from the overwhelming cold and low atmospheric pressure, so a space suit is essential even when going outdoors on Mars. These points may also affect mental health.
In addition, Fong points out that a day on Mars is slightly longer at 24 hours and 37 minutes than on Earth, and the darkness outside could disrupt circadian rhythms. Mr. Fong said, 'Every time you have a problem with your trip to Mars, you will thank the environment of the earth.'
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