14 DAY TRIAL // Now here's something that may put a dent in our plans to explore Mars! A new research has shown that prolonged exposure to microgravity can cause significant abnormalities in the eyes and brains of astronauts. The study was carried out on 27 people who've been to space.
Scientists used Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) to investigate the bodies of astronauts, and found intercranial hypertension-like symptoms in all of them, including optical abnormalities. The study appears in the latest online issue of the journal Radiology.
Findings such as this one have significant implications for long-term space exploration plans. NASA, for example, wants to send astronauts to Mars by 2035, and such a trip would last at least 18 months. The agency needs to be sure that its astronauts will return home alive and healthy.
The study has a silver lining as well. “These changes that occur during exposure to microgravity may help scientists to better understand the mechanisms responsible for intracranial hypertension in non-space traveling patients,” scientist Larry A. Kramer, MD, explains, quoted by Astrobiology Magazine.