The risk of heart attack in astronauts

For the first time, long-term exposure under the influence of micro-gravity on Earth's orbit is proven to make astronauts more likely to have a heart attack.

The NASA team trained astronauts to learn how to take heart images with an ultrasound machine on the International Space Station (ISS), and a total of 12 astronauts participated in the study.

Prolonged microgravity can seriously affect cardiovascular health - (Photo: NASA)

After analyzing the captured image, the scientists found that the heart tends to turn into a sphere when people participate in orbiting missions.

The 'round' heart condition appears only in time on orbit, and the heart returns to its normal shape when astronauts return to the ground.

However, this change can lead to problems in the cardiovascular system, if it goes on for a long time, according to Space.com.

Scientists are now looking to generalize the model to analyze conditions such as cardiac ischemia, cardiomyopathy, and heart valve openness in astronauts.

In the context of a soon-to-be mission to send people to Mars, new discoveries play an important role in understanding the health effects of long-term space travel for astronauts, estimated to be 18 month for round trip.

Researchers are analyzing the amount of exercise as well as the types of exercises needed to maintain health for those who participate in long-term missions in space.