
NASA Twins Study: How stressful will a trip to Mars be on the human body? - happy-go-lucky
https://www.nasa.gov/feature/how-stressful-will-a-trip-to-mars-be-on-the-human-body-we-now-have-a-peek-into-what-the-nasa
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toolbox
Hey everyone! I work in a lab that studies the effects of interplanetary space
radiation (NASA Grant), and we were actually discussing this study yesterday.
While the data from this study is a wonderful first step forward, there has
been a decent amount of criticism, because n is essentially 1 (with 1
control). This makes it very difficult to separate the inter-twin effects from
the space effects.

If there is anything that you feel that we should be focusing on or any
aspects of space radiation that haven't been properly explored, we're always
looking for new ideas!

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the_duke
If I am alone with this thought, please let me know, but:

Isn't the amount of research, meticulate care and millions upon millions spent
making space travel as safe as possible becoming ridiculous?

About 150,000 people die each day. That's about 50 million a year. Test pilots
used to die in crashes all the time.

I'd wager there are plenty of aspiring Astronauts that would be okay with an
earlier death (due to radiation exposure, bone degredation, whatever) for
having had the chance to go to Mars.

We won't really know anything beyond speculation until we actually send
someone anyway.

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toolbox
While "as safe as possible" is certainly the goal, most of the research is
centered around first clearing the low bar of "safe enough to even make it
there and then do some science". "Earlier death" might mean "on the way to
mars", which would end up being a much bigger waste of money and effort (to
say nothing of the political capital). Those are the questions we're trying to
answer right now.

The other side of these things is that the research being done is not single-
purpose. The lunar missions were an amazing human achievement, but their
lasting legacy can be seen much more clearly on earth. Our radiation work has
homeworld implications for understanding radiotherapy. Heavy ion therapy is a
rapidly emerging technology that has the potential to make some previously-
mortal cancers tractable, and understanding its full biological effects is
critical. By exploring new worlds, we hope to be able to improve the lives on
our own as well.

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the_duke
While thinking about it:

My claim was really totally unsubstantiated, because I have no idea how much
is spent on human safety. I just assumed because I read about that regularily.

It might very well be that the actual investment is miniscule when compared to
the technology spending.

Your other points are definitely valid as well.

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toolbox
Your point is still important, whether or not it is valid, because it
represents a not-uncommon sentiment in the public. It's up to many researchers
to try to make the results and potential of their work accessible to the
public. The best mentors I've seen are always able to transfer their own
excitement for their work to others.

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majkinetor
I wonder did NASA consider the study design in which both astronauts actually
follow the same regime - the same food, the same exercise profile, sleep
paterns, social exposure etc. That is, complete mirroring of the life style
except for the location.

I imagine this must be _very hard_ to accomplish but I wonder how meaningfull
is the study otherwise.

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lisper
It depends on what you're trying to figure out. If you're trying to figure out
_just_ the effects of location (which pretty much means zero G and extra
radiation) then you're right, you need to control all the other factors. (You
could even isolate the zero G effects by subjecting the control subject to
extra radiation, though that might not fly with the ethics boards.) But if
you're trying to figure out the sum total effects of space flight, _including_
all the ancillary effects (like decreased social interaction) then it makes
sense to let the control subject just live a normal life.

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ambrop7
What is the purpose of having a control person on the ground, can't the
control be the same person before they went to space? I don't suppose a person
changes so much in one year that aging would be a significant factor.

~~~
jahabrewer
You might miss things like this:

> telomerase activity (the enzyme that repairs the telomeres and lengthens
> them) increased in both twins in November, which may be related to a
> significant, stressful family event happening around that time

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mikequinlan
Sample size = 1. While this study might be an indication of the kinds of
things to look for, the results are not significant.

