Loss of bone, serious problem threatens astronauts

In addition to cosmic radiation, solar storms or garbage moving at very high speeds in space, another dull danger also threatens the health of astronauts: it is the weakening of bones.

Hip bone taken through X-rays is one of the parts of the skeleton that is most affected by the gravitylessness (Photo: NASA).

According to a study carried out by NASA for 4 years, the average astronaut on the International Space Station (ISS) in a month lost bone density equivalent to a woman with osteoporosis. in a year.

NASA scientists studied bone density of 16 resident astronauts on the ISS Station from 2001 to 2004. On average, for 6 months, astronauts lost 11% of their hip mass. One year after returning to Earth, most are compensated for by increased bone mass. However, according to Dr. Thomas Lang of the University of California, who led the study, this offset does not guarantee complete recovery of bone recovery.

Bone loss is a serious problem for long-term residents in space. If one day, when flying to Mars, people will be at high risk of fracture at the time of making a difficult mission to explore the red planet.

When studying bone loss in astronauts, scientists try to find effective remedies that can help millions of people with osteoporosis in the world.