NASA and SpaceX both want to send humans to Mars one day. SpaceX CEO Elon Musk has publicly spoken of his plans to colonize Mars for years, and NASA is planning a manned mission to Mars in the 2030s. Of course, there are many obstacles to overcome to achieve these goals, and now new concerns about kidney damage in astronauts could dash these hopes before they come to fruition.
We already know that sending humans to Mars will take several months, and possibly years in total. This is because the neighboring planet is roughly 225 million kilometers away, and scientists estimate that the journey there could take up to six months with current space technology. Of course, a nuclear rocket could change that, but it’s a gamble that hasn’t been fully explored yet.
But before we worry about all of that, a new concern needs to be addressed: the harsh environment of space travel can actually damage astronauts’ kidneys, according to a recently published study. The study used samples from over 40 space missions involving humans and mice. The data revealed that the space environment causes certain parts of the kidneys to atrophy within less than a month of being in space.
This is very alarming news, especially since recent studies have shown that even spending three days in space can reduce astronauts’ cognitive abilities. If we really want to send humans to Mars and beyond, we need to figure out how to protect their kidneys along the way. Otherwise, they could suffer from severe radiation poisoning, which could lead to kidney failure.
One big reason this news is especially concerning is that kidneys are very slow to show damage from radiation, meaning even with regular checkups, astronauts might not detect kidney damage right away and may have to undergo other treatments to keep their bodies functioning properly.
The researchers The findings were detailed in Nature CommunicationsWhile there is no way to use shielding to protect the kidneys from space radiation, he hopes that some technological or pharmaceutical solution can be developed to make deep space travel, like a manned mission to Mars, possible.