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It may seem like an extended spa break, but when 20 women snuggle up in a waterbed in the south of France for five days this week, it will be under the guise of a scientific study into the impact of spaceflight on the world. female body.
The experiment, conducted by the European Space Agency, will simulate the impact of microgravity on the musculoskeletal system, immune and cardiovascular health, and hormone levels. With an increasing number of female astronauts participating in long-duration missions, the immersion study aims to bridge a gender divide where the vast majority of space medicine research has been conducted on men.
“There is almost no knowledge on the physiological and psychological effects on women in this area of research,” said Angélique Van Ombergen, an Esa scientist who is leading the experiment at the Medes space clinic in Toulouse. “We really hope this study can help fill in some of the knowledge gaps about how people react to this extreme environment.”
The weightlessness experienced by astronauts can have startling effects on the body in a short time. Without gravity to load the spine, water and other molecules are able to move around in the discs between the vertebrae, which means that astronauts tend to get taller in space – but also weaker because the supporting muscles and ligaments do less work.
The lack of gravity also causes fluids to move towards the head, which has been linked to hearing and vision problems. Previous studies have shown that the immune system can “calm down” in the sterile environment of a spaceship, which can lead to reactivation of old viruses. Many of these effects are likely to vary widely between men and women.
“Women seem less prone to blurred vision than men, due to fluid changes in the head, but women are more likely to pass out when they return to Earth,” said Professor Alan Hargens, who studies the impact of microgravity on the human body at the University of Surgery. of California San Diego.
So far, however, there has been a lack of data, making it difficult to tailor exercise programs during missions and return to Earth rehabilitation for female astronauts.
In the last study, the volunteers will first be wrapped in a cotton sheet and then a waterproof tarpaulin, before being suspended in an immersion basin with only their arms and head left outside. Volunteers will stay in their tank for five days in a “monotonous environment”, only going out for brief “hygiene breaks” to shower and go to the toilet, while remaining in a horizontal position to minimize movement of fluids in the tank. body. Scientists will take blood and urine samples, while taking measurements continuously to see how the body is adjusting.
Based on previous dry-immersion experiments – a Russian cohort spent 21 days in a similar setup – Van Ombergen said the experience was likely to be quite difficult for volunteers, rather than relaxing. “It takes dedication on the part of volunteers to stick with it,” she said.
The proportion of female astronauts has slowly increased over the past decade, with the first all-female spacewalk in 2019, with NASA announcing its goal of putting the first female on the moon and China expected to include a female astronaut. in next month’s mission to its new Tiangong space station.
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