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3 months ago
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Houston, we have a kidney problem.
Missions to Mars could cause permanent kidney damage for astronauts, a new study has warned.
A review of the health impacts of space travel on the 24 astronauts who have travelled to the moon has found that many of them suffered changes to their kidneys as a result.
And while most astronauts on lunar trips only spent between 6-12 days in space, eight years exposed to galactic radiation - around four-years travel for each leg of a journey to the Red Planet - would result in much greater harm to the kidneys.
Astronauts would develop painful kidney stones and could even need dialysis, according to the study.
Missions to Mars could cause permanent kidney damage for astronauts, a new study has warned (artist's impression)
The US space agency NASA and the electric car tycoon Elon Musk have both set as a goal a manned mission to Mars.
Unless new drugs to protect astronauts' kidneys are developed the health risk 'would jeopardise' any future 66 million-mile round trip to the Red Planet.
Such drugs could have benefits on Earth too - a protective medication could prevent cancer patients suffering harm to their kidneys from radiotherapy.
A study of potential health impacts on space travellers by University College London scientists found they are likely to suffer from kidney stones and probably need dialysis on the return flight, the research suggests.
The study, published in Nature Communications, is the largest analysis of kidney health in space flight to date.
Astronauts would develop painful kidney stones (artist's impression) and could even need dialysis, according to the study
What are kidney stones?
Kidney stones are hard lumps that form due to a build up of waste products in the blood.
They are usually found in the kidney or the ureter — the tube that connects the kidneys to your bladder.
They can be extremely painful and can lead to kidney infections or the kidney not working properly if left untreated.
A tenth of Britons and Americans suffer kidney stones, with 30 to 60-year-olds most vulnerable.
It is more likely to happen if a person doesn't drink enough fluids, takes certain medication or has an underlying condition.
Those in severe pain, with a high temperature or have blood in their urine should contact their GP or NHS 111 immediately.
Once a kidney stone has formed, the body will tries to pass it through urine.
Most are small enough to do so and can be managed at home.
However, larger stones may need to be broken up with surgery.
Up to half of all sufferers will have kidney stones again within five years.
Source: NHS
Researchers have known that space flight causes certain health issues since the 1970s, in the years after humans first travelled beyond Earth's magnetic field, most famously during the first moon landing in 1969.
These issues include loss of bone mass, weakening of the heart and eyesight, and development of kidney stones.
It is thought that many of these issues stem from exposure to space radiation, such as solar winds from the Sun and Galactic Cosmic Radiation (GCR) from deep space, that the Earth's magnetic field protects us from on Earth.
As most manned space flights take place in Low Earth orbit and receive partial protection from Earth's magnetic field, only the 24 people who have travelled to the moon have been exposed to unmitigated GCR and only for a short time (6-12 days).
Nobody has studied what changes might be happening in the kidneys and other organs as a result of conditions that would be experienced during space travel beyond Earth's magnetic field over longer periods.
A UCL-led team of researchers from over 40 institutions across five continents conducted a range of experiments and analyses to investigate how the kidneys respond to space flight.
The authors said 'the most alarming finding, at least for any astronaut considering a three-year round trip to Mars, is that the kidneys of mice exposed to radiation simulating GCR for 2.5 years experienced permanent damage and loss of function'.
Dr Keith Siew, first author of the study from the London Tubular Centre, based at the UCL Department of Renal Medicine, said: 'If we don't develop new ways to protect the kidneys, I'd say that while an astronaut could make it to Mars they might need dialysis on the way back.
'We know that the kidneys are late to show signs of radiation damage; by the time this becomes apparent it's probably too late to prevent failure, which would be catastrophic for the mission's chances of success.'
