Nick Carr

Zack De Piero

14 November, 2018

Question - Do the affects of space on the human body cause a delay for the Mars landing in the next ten
years?

● https://psu.summon.serialssolutions.com/#!/search?bookMark=ePnHCXMwjV3NCsIwDC7iQZ2-Q-46W
NfOtl5l4n3zPLb-oBcd2zz58qbdEL15KyWEQvqTNPm-rMim9rXZ9yFguMzMN3cTLPYJvPnXePH5COF7
qbJ0SV5lKBTtIXSnAxtq0MLy4OEAz5e2B0DNUJ7zIr8UMII7wJvK9oBi-qeEc4cCn2z1DjAwxwm0Dkw0
Oldou9ujC8SlazIfuideyJdTXh7P8dSIINa4o2mseWa0YJybxDgtHW2scy7ds1oakTJ0cmhNBbXoujeCK6t
Ug2GArJWT1rLEsYhsR73fb1vVjnwSVQDIJlxkycjzGRH5v_RxovL2EPaBvQGvqXTT
Aubert, A. E., Larina, I., Momken, I., Blanc, S., White, O., Prisk, G. K., & Linnarsson, D,. (2016). Towards
human exploration of space: the THESEUS review series on cardiovascular, respiratory, and renal research
priorities. doi: ​10.1038/npjmgrav.2016.31

The authors of this journal point out a variaty of different problems that occur on the human body while
experiencing microgravity and aim to “further expand knowledge on the effects of long-duration spaceflight.”(1)
More specifically, they detail the cardiovascular, blood vessels, vision, and bone structure. Most of the
research that they use to argue their points are statistics from NASA’s THESEUS project, in which a European
commision aimed to “provide a cross-cutting, life science-based roadmap for Europe’s strategy towards human
exploration of space.”(1) In the end they conclude that developing the technology further “will enhance public
support and political will to continue…”(7) and increase intensity of exploration.

● https://psu.summon.serialssolutions.com/#!/search?bookMark=ePnHCXMw42LgTQStzc4rAe_hSmGAb
FczNjfUh4ROpl5Bfl6qnoGhhZmhmQUTeNLXSNfMyACYShFsDmhpCsyPZmacDCU--eW6KfnFqQqg4
wvy8xSKQDv3QU5XgK57UMjMU0hUKAEV8MCQz0xWAPWcUxXA98ko5KcpOOZUZaRm5qYWqRcr
QOc-FHQVPJGWbSsAW4kKwGycnAoypiw1h4eBpaSoFFhKa7u5hjh76CJXTPEFkMMg4sEXOJuZWJi
Abt80AN16RJpqC-JVO0NP7QbtVi8xBgC4P29l
Rudobeck, E., Bellone, J., Szucs, A., Bonnick, K., Mehrotra-Carter, S., Badaut, J., Nelson, G., Hartman,
R., Vlkolinsky, R. (2017). Low-dose proton radiation effects in a transgenic mouse model of alzheimer's
disease - implications for space travel.​ Plos One, 12​(11) doi:10.1371/journai.pone.0186168

The basic argument that the authors are trying to prove is that space radiation “may accelerate the
onset of Alzheimer’s disease (AD).”(1) to astronauts who are in space for prolonged periods of time. Their
support for the argument is based on ground-level studies of mice who were treated with similar radiation to
that of space. The tests consisted of behavioral testing, electrophysiology, and immunohistochemistry. The
results they found were generally pretty inconclusive because they determined that the radiation doses “either
do not significantly contribute to their spatial learning deficits, or they develop over prolonged periods of time
beyond the time scope of our study.”(29)
 ● https://psu.summon.serialssolutions.com/#!/search?bookMark=ePnHCXMwjV29TsQwDO5wA7_v4IEN
Fd25zSUZTycQC2Lh5ihJUwFCpYIwsPEOvCFPgt0k1W13c-w2sRR_dmR_PqsuLddmD3Hq4eqq_Zoq6
6O1lMJz191K3DB9JorFxBPZ1hT5ipPiRCUlAqfV82aAl3kcbAQ7s1XCew_0F0hMp3Qc6IPNBaXfZfGBc
kN4HAKQyfjtCcY3O8Dfzy_sRs6nO7CZ-eOiWsSPL3LIu7vbp-19nQcR1B6Zpw-V75YBO0fJv0WBqqc4h
FxFaLVDudLCSQxOLPug2wY9BrVWhLS-R93RBWaKUZm-W6DPjIlLwpQiq1cz28awbSgyN2Qb0rxKm
gUojHX8BuLjp-G7hU2DEg-IrYVWmie5nFcqie1j7LyXiYyGvE7TTpHgNpOEc3N8JNXr41VJepOkC8CbrJ
GA2pC_Pnj0f1WltA0
Do, S., Owens, A., Ho, K., Schreiner, S., & de Weck, O. (2016). An independent assessment of the
technical feasibility of the mars one mission plan – updated analysis. Acta Astronautica, 120,​ 192-228.
doi:10.1016/j.actaastro.2015.11.025

The authors start off by suggesting that the NASA plan to send people to Mars to colonize the red
planet is an idea worth following, but “little has been published in the technical literature on the formulation of
this mission architecture.”(193) The basis for their discomfort with the idea is that little is still known about the
dangers of travelling in space for that long, and even how the conditions on Mars will effect the humans safety.
To study the feasability of a Mars landing within the next ten years, they “have developed an integrated
simulation environment that captures both the functional performance and sizing of selected
technologies.”(196) They go on to discuss what exactly can be done to make the one way trip to Mars more
feasable, but they don’t push that their ideas are what ​should ​be done. In the end they show their conclusions
on what is needed in a large table that details the amount and the reasoning among other things.

● https://psu.summon.serialssolutions.com/#!/search?bookMark=ePnHCXMwjV3BSsQwEA2L4OriL8iARy
k2TWMar4sie1pkhb2FpGlF2G2XtR68-Ql-o1_iTJJWj1566aSlNJ1505n35pxdWOrN7obA4fIsCr5yLm5W
60KR2MssEH40AjuNOzOJeSvJ59Pff4Qtp2xOVCmNadMZ2z791p1h3_s02Qr6FsIoO8BbRhovUDigc3e
w67uX788v8nAQxCEPiEepVXn4gNcO8IOl-HIyHN_RET8_3G-Wj1kaQJD1BSL7DEO1yKuW9FQaldfSc
fRst1a4wnHXSG-tt8o3ui4b6XJd1R7jgMNj3krrNI1AuorXHd28STvkzSCuL0vq6yO-0GWyCiHQHKLOhB
mfHw2uo8Hf0DiZxeqeQNwf64oLVv3fepmUwIkBP9Ds-LSUXNK0JiYKwowv0GxWa4W5i_gBBsSSOA
Eckberg, D. L., Diedrich, A., Cooke, W. H., Biaggioni, I., Buckey, J. C., Pawelczyk, J. A., Ertl, A., Cox,
J., Kuusela, T., Tahvanainen, K., Mano, T., Iwase, S., Baisch, F., Levine, B., Adams-Huet, B., Robertson, D.,
Blomqvist, C. G. (2016). Respiratory modulation of human autonomic function: Long-term neuroplasticity in
space.​ The Journal of Physiology, 594(​ 19), 5629-5646. doi:10.1113/JP271656

The authors of this journal sought to prove that space travel is a causing factor of systematic changes
to the human automatic functions (i.e. breathing). The way the authors tried to prove their point was by taking
data of astronauts, once before they went into space, twice during the space flight, and then twice after the
space flight. Each time they took data the astronauts were told to “breathe at prescribed frequencies,
hyperventilate, and then hold your breaths in inspiration as long as you can.”(5634) In the end they concluded
that microgravity exposure provokes long term human autonomic neuroplasticity.
● Okutsu, M. and Longuski, J. M., “Mars Free Returns via Gravity Assist from Venus,”
Okutsu, M. and Longuski, J. M., “Mars Free Returns via Gravity Assist from Venus,” Journal of Spacecraft and
Rockets, Vol. 9, No.1, 2002. doi: 10.2514/2.3778

In Okutu and Longuski’s journal, they focus on the possibility that a manned mission to Mars could
have an emergency situation that would require the shuttle to return back to Earth. Their theory on how to do
so would be using gravity assists from Venus. Even though it seems out of the way, Venus and Mars are the
opposite directions, they argue that a path of either earth-mars-earth, earth-mars-venus-earth, and
earth-venus-mars-earth fit within the time frame NASA wants the launches to occur. In the end, they found
“that the Mars–Venus free return is acceptable because it can achieve a short transit time to Mars.”(36)