Effects of Spaceflight on Musculoskeletal Health: A Systematic Review and Meta-analysis, Considerations for Interplanetary Travel

Background If interplanetary travel is to be successful over the coming decades, it is essential that countermeasures to minimize deterioration of the musculoskeletal system are as effective as possible, given the increased duration of spaceflight associated with such missions. The aim of this review, therefore, is to determine the magnitude of deconditioning of the musculoskeletal system during prolonged spaceflight and recommend possible methods to enhance the existing countermeasures. Methods A literature search was conducted using PubMed, Ovid and Scopus databases. 5541 studies were identified prior to the removal of duplicates and the application of the following inclusion criteria: (1) group means and standard deviations for pre- and post-spaceflight for measures of strength, muscle mass or bone density were reported (or provided by the corresponding author when requested via e-mail), (2) exercise-based countermeasures were included, (3) the population of the studies were human, (4) muscle function was assessed and (5) spaceflight rather than simulated spaceflight was used. The methodological quality of the included studies was evaluated using a modified Physiotherapy Evidence Database (PEDro) scale for quality, with publication bias assessed using a failsafe N (Rosenthal method), and consistency of studies analysed using I2 as a test of heterogeneity. Secondary analysis of studies included Hedges’ g effect sizes, and between-study differences were estimated using a random-effects model. Results A total of 11 studies were included in the meta-analyses. Heterogeneity of the completed meta-analyses was conducted revealing homogeneity for bone mineral density (BMD) and spinal muscle size (Tau2 < 0.001; I2 = 0.00%, p > 0.05), although a high level of heterogeneity was noted for lower body force production (Tau2 = 1.546; I2 = 76.03%, p < 0.001) and lower body muscle mass (Tau2 = 1.386; I2 = 74.38%, p < 0.001). The estimated variance (≤ -0.306) for each of the meta-analyses was significant (p ≤ 0.033), for BMD (− 0.48 to − 0.53, p < 0.001), lower body force production (− 1.75, p < 0.001) and lower body muscle size (− 1.98, p < 0.001). Spaceflight results in small reductions in BMD of the femur (Hedges g = − 0.49 [− 0.69 to – 0.28]), trochanter (Hedges g = − 0.53 [− 0.77 to – 0.29]), and lumbo-pelvic region (Hedges g = − 0.48 [− 0.73 to – 0.23]), but large decreases in lower limb force production (Hedges g = − 1.75 [− 2.50 to – 0.99]) and lower limb muscle size (Hedges g = − 1.98 [− 2.72 to – 1.23]). Conclusions Current exercise countermeasures result in small reductions in BMD during long-duration spaceflight. In contrast, such exercise protocols do not alleviate the reductions in muscle function or muscle size, which may be attributable to the low to moderate loads reported by crewmembers and the interference effect associated with concurrent training. It is recommended that higher-load resistance exercise and the use of high-intensity interval training should be investigated, to determine if such modifications to the reported training practices result in more effective countermeasures to the deleterious effect of long-duration spaceflight on the muscular system.

Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation in Hypogravity Simulation

BACKGROUND: Limited research exists into extraterrestrial CPR, despite the drive for interplanetary travel. This study investigated whether the terrestrial CPR method can provide quality external chest compressions (ECCs) in line with the 2015 UK resuscitation guidelines during ground-based hypogravity simulation. It also explored whether gender, weight, and fatigue influence CPR quality.METHODS: There were 21 subjects who performed continuous ECCs for 5 min during ground-based hypogravity simulations of Mars (0.38 G) and the Moon (0.16 G), with Earths gravity (1 G) as the control. Subjects were unloaded using a body suspension device (BSD). ECC depth and rate, heart rate (HR), ventilation (VE), oxygen uptake (Vo2), and Borg scores were measured.RESULTS: ECC depth was lower in 0.38 G (42.9 9 mm) and 0.16 G (40.8 9 mm) compared to 1 G and did not meet current resuscitation guidelines. ECC rate was adequate in all gravity conditions. There were no differences in ECC depth and rate when comparing gender or weight. ECC depth trend showed a decrease by min 5 in 0.38 G and by min 2 in 0.16 G. Increases in HR, VE, and Vo2 were observed from CPR min 1 to min 5.DISCUSSION: The terrestrial method of CPR provides a consistent ECC rate but does not provide adequate ECC depths in simulated hypogravities. The results suggest that a mixed-gender space crew of varying bodyweights may not influence ECC quality. Extraterrestrial-specific CPR guidelines are warranted. With a move to increasing ECC rate, permitting lower ECC depths and substituting rescuers after 1 min in lunar gravity and 4 min in Martian gravity is recommended.Sriharan S, Kay G, Lee JCY, Pollock RD, Russomano T. Cardiopulmonary resuscitation in hypogravity simulation. Aerosp Med Hum Perform. 2021; 92(2):106112.

An Interplanetary Travel

&lt;p&gt;To promote STEAM vocations among our teenage students aged between 12 and 16, our institute has designed and implemented a project called &quot;AN INTERPLANETARY TRAVEL&quot; thanks to the collaboration of the EUROPEAN OFFICE RESOURCES FOR SPACE EDUCATION OF SPAIN (CESERO Spain) which provides us with a kit of materials for our purpose.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;The project is structured in different parts:&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;-First, we propose our students the possible fictitious alien invasion by recreating a radio program where all countries are informing of the alien threat existing by aliens who want to invade our planet.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Through a previous brainstorm the students consider the possibility of colonizing other planets of the Solar System in order to survive.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;-Second, to be able to choose the ideal future home, they must investigate various planets that match the requirements for the human being to live and do experiments in order to detect the existence of life.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;-Third, while some students are dedicated to designing and selling one-way tickets for this new place, through the creation of their own travel agency, and all the logistics involved others are dedicated to studying how to plan that trip . Subsequently, the &quot;clients&quot; select the agency that provides the best services.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;-Fourth, for the planning of the trip it is necessary that our students become spaceships engineers to design the space vehicle and the pertinent tests for its takeoff.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;To be able to build that spacecraft, it is necessary to investigate the different properties of the materials to find the perfect features that the different parts of the space vehicle must have: impact resistance, magnetism, densities, electrical properties and thermal conductivity, etc. and select the suitable ones to carry it out Both the water rocket and the reentry capsule are designed and tested in an open field. The idea is to land in our future home.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;-Fifth, calculations are made for the different phases of our trip: launch phase, space phase and reentry phase. (Level adapted for high school students). For the reentry phase the parachute is designed and tested with an egg so that it can land without breaking.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;-Sixth, the students study the possible health consequences of future colonizers.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;-And finally, all student groups teach their peers the achievements through exhibitions.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;br&gt;Good trip !!!&lt;/p&gt;

A secure base

This attachment science fiction short story expresses a number of possible developments linked to both psychotherapy and planetary exploration. The technological possibilities indicated include interplanetary travel, terraforming, sexbots, and attachment pattern typing for social purposes. There is some attention paid to cloning, cults, the meaning of dreams, and cognitive enhancers.

Draft Genome Sequences of 12 Dry-Heat-ResistantBacillusStrains Isolated from the Cleanrooms Where the Viking Spacecraft Were Assembled

ABSTRACTSpore-forming microorganisms are of concern for forward contamination because they can survive harsh interplanetary travel. Here, we report the draft genome sequences of 12 spore-forming strains isolated from the Manned Spacecraft Operations Building (MSOB) and the Vehicle Assembly Building (VAB) in Cape Canaveral, FL, where the Viking spacecraft were assembled.

The Tom Corbett Years

Following the success of Conquest, Ley became quite famous as a “rocket scientist,” who could excite American audiences about the impending future of interplanetary travel and satellites. Along with von Braun, he contributed articles to notable magazines, while appearing on television programs such as Disney’s “Man in Space.” Ley’s latest edition of Rockets became a best-seller. This chapter documents Ley’s importance as a cultural producer, at a time when popular culture became saturated with images of rockets and space travel. From television’s Tom Corbett, Space Cadet to the design of Disneyland’s “Tomorrowland,” Ley was an ever-present figure, working behind the scenes. This chapter revisits themes of Ley’s romantic science, as it analyzes enchanted representations of spaceflight in popular media.

Crime and punishment

In 1952 Turing was arrested and tried for being gay. The court convicted him and sentenced him to chemical castration. It was disgraceful treatment by the nation that he had done so much to save. Turing faced this ordeal with his usual courage. Turing wrote a short story. Although only a few pages long and incomplete, it offers an intimate glimpse of its author. The central character—a scientist by the name of Alec Pryce, who works at Manchester University—is a thinly disguised Alan Turing. Pryce, like Turing himself, always wore what Turing described as ‘an old sports coat and rather unpressed worsted trousers’. Turing called this Pryce’s ‘undergraduate uniform’, saying that it ‘encouraged him to believe he was still an attractive youth’. At just the wrong side of 40, Turing must have been feeling his age. Pryce, whose work related to interplanetary travel, made an important discovery in his twenties, which came to be called ‘Pryce’s buoy’. The nature of the discovery is left unexplained, and Pryce’s buoy is obviously a proxy for the universal Turing machine. ‘Alec always felt a glow of pride when this phrase was used’, Turing wrote revealingly. ‘The rather obvious double-entendre rather pleased him too’, Turing continued. ‘He always liked to parade his homosexuality, and in suitable company Alec would pretend that the word was spelt without the “u” ’. Pryce, we are told, has not had a sexual relationship since ‘that soldier in Paris last summer’. Walking through Manchester, Pryce passes a youth lounging on a bench, Ron Miller. Ron, who is out of work and keeps company with petty criminals, makes a small income from male prostitution. He responds to a glance that Alec gives him as he passes, calling out uncouthly ‘Got a fag?’. Shyly Alec joins him on the bench and the two sit together awkwardly. Eventually Alec plucks up courage to invite the boy to have lunch at a nearby restaurant. Beggars can’t be choosers, Ron thinks meanly. He is not impressed by Alec’s brusque approach and ‘lah-di-dah’ way of speaking, but says to himself philosophically, ‘Bed’s bed whatever way you get into it’.