Martian - Space medicine

by Burhanuddin Aliasghar Ezzi

 

Mark Watney (Matt Damon) 

Courtesy: originalprop.com 

 

What if one day you turn your head and see the entire world spinning around? Well, as astounding it may sound, this is very normal for astronauts who have just arrived from space. Ask Mark Watney, a human satellite from “The Martian” who landed on Earth like superman. Being an astronaut is no easy, but the harder part is to go in space. Astronauts suffer from serious medical conditions after their space travels such as blindness, bone and muscle loss, and increased vulnerability to genetic diseases like cancer. These diseases are quite common and known, but abstract illnesses such depression have also found their way in the space. Space doctors have a lot to worry about. and known, but abstract illnesses such depression have also found their way in the space. Space doctors have a lot to worry about. 

The obvious causes for these medical conditions are low gravity, radiation exposure, and the distance of millions of kilometers. Weightlessness causes loss of blood volume causing astronauts to loss immense weight when they arrive on Earth. Without countermeasures in space, bones become weak and muscles lessens slowly, giving rise to complex conditions. With these changes happening in the body, genes can get confused and damaged. Loss of “proprioceptive” abilities are quite common in space. For example, on Earth you know how much you need to move your hand to perform a simple task, in space, these things become harder to do. 

 

 

Mark Watney at the start of the movie (left) and at the end of the movie (right) after spending more than a year on Mars.

Courtesy: The Martian 

 

Prevention for Weightlessness 

Simple exercises are the number one solution to prevent medical disabilities in space. Astronauts in the International Space Station (ISS) workout for around 2 hours each day on treadmill, exercise bikes and special devices for resistance and strength training. Some of the conditions are prevented with the help of medications that can have some side effects. For example, bisphosphonates are used in space to slow the rate of bone loss in the human body. All these however, work well for brief time missions. For long missions, a quite different approach is used to prevent the effects of weightlessness; artificial gravity. Artificial gravity is produced by spinning the space craft along its axis at a perfect velocity to provide quite accurate amount of artificial force to substitute gravitational force. Producing artificial gravity is a simple and cost-effective solution for long term space travels. In the movie: “The Martian,” space crafts did have to provide artificial gravity to keep the astronauts healthy by accurate amount of artificial force to substitute gravitational force. Producing artificial gravity is a simple and cost-effective solution for long term space travels. 

 

The Hermes spaceship. The ship is built upon an axis so that it can spin to provide artificial gravity. 

Courtesy: www.stackexchange.com 

 

Prevention for Radiations 

The basic countermeasure for radiation is limiting astronaut exposure which means limiting the amount of time they are allowed in space. An exploration class space craft will include shielding from high energy cosmic radiations. The best material to absorb radiations is Hydrogen, however, hydrogen cannot be used in its pure form for this purpose. For this, materials with high percent of Hydrogen atoms are used such as polyethene (common plastic). The base in “The Martian” can be seen to be fully covered with a white shield like structure. These materials are heavy and expensive to launch in space. To stop all the radiations, spaceships need a hydrogen shield of up to 2 meters - which is impractical. Scientists however, have found that 30% of radiations can be blocked with only 5-7 inches of hydrogen. For the 70% of the radiation entering the spaceships, scientists are focusing on medical solutions. Antioxidants like Vitamin C and A, can help in sopping up radiation produced particles before they can cause any harm. Scientists at NASA are also looking for ways to help the body after the damage has been done. Some researches include instructing abnormal cells to destroy itself and pausing the cell division, so that cells occasionally check for damage and repairs. for damage and repairs.  

 

Martian base with thick shielding to hinder radiations. 

Courtesy: www.originalprop.com 

 

Mental Health and Other Medical Conditions in Space 

In space, the blood tends to collect in the upper body instead of the lower body as otherwise normally on Earth. This decreases the hearts tendency to supply enough blood to the brain without getting dizzy. Cosmic radiations can cause severe eyesight problems on long missions. Soviet cosmonaut Valentin Lebedev, who spent 211 days (about 7 months) in orbit during 1982 (an absolute record for stay in Earth's orbit), lost his eyesight to progressive cataract. Lebedev stated: “I suffered from a lot of radiation in space. It was all concealed back then, during the Soviet years, but now I can say that I caused damage to my health because of that flight.” These problems are a high concern for future space missions such as human mission to Mars. On December 12, 2002, a NASA supported study reported that human spaceflights may damage astronauts' brains and accelerate the onset of Alzheimer's disease. On November 12, 2017, scientists reported that significant changes in the position and the structure of the brain have been found in astronauts who have taken trips in space based on MRI studies. Astronauts who took longer spaceflights were associated with greater brain changes. Fifty percent of space shuttle astronauts take sleeping pills and still get 2 hours or less sleep. NASA is researching two areas of which may provide key to better nights’ sleep as improved sleep decrease fatigue and increase daytime productivity. The movie quite inaccurately depicted Mark’s mental stability for more than a year. Lebedev stated: “I suffered from a lot of radiation in space. It was all concealed back then, during the Soviet years, but now I can say that I caused damage to my health because of that flight.” These problems are a high concern for future space missions such as human mission to Mars. On December 12, 

 

DIAGNOSING THE ILLNESS 

“Prevention is one element, the other is the diagnosis and treatment of the disease,” says a doctor at NASA referring to space medicine. Astronauts need to treat injuries and illness by themselves, therefore they are trained and provided with the tools, especially in long term missions. Diagnosis and treatment include developing smart systems which can work effectively regardless of the expertise of the person who is operating it. These devices include: of the person who is operating it. These devices include: 

•  Miniaturized devices to perform minimally invasive surgeries. 

• Robot helpers with steady hands. 

• Smart systems for diagnosis 

• Telemedicine capabilities that allow astronauts to consult with experts on Earth 

External Defibrillator is a good example of these devices. These devices need to be tiny, light-weight and easy-to-use packages that contain all the expertise. Currently, the highly anticipated devices include a device that could produce medicine when needed, provided the substrates. This device eliminates the issue of shelf life. It could also provide astronauts with medicine that are made after their departure to space with just an update of the software. Currently, the highly anticipated devices include a device that could produce medicine when needed, provided the substrates. This device eliminates the issue of shelf life. It could also provide astronauts with medicine that are made after their departure to space with just an update of the software. 

Mark Watney carrying out surgery all by himself.                         

Courtesy: The Martian

 

Impact of Space Medicine 

Astronauts are not the only one who benefit from space medicine research. Several medical products have been developed with the help of the research done in the space programs such as Radiation therapy, foldable walkers, CAT and MRI scans, Muscle simulator devices, Orthopedic evaluation tools, etc. With the cooperation of NASA and the National Institutes on Aging (a part of the National Institutes of Health), and other aging-related organizations, space exploration has benefited a particular segment of society, seniors. Space has always been a colosseum for research and development in science.