A study released Thursday by Cumming Medical School at the University of Calgary tracked 17 astronauts before and after their space flights. The TBone study, conducted over a seven-year period beginning in 2015, found that prolonged weight loss accelerated the loss of bone mass in astronauts. “We found that the weight-bearing bones partially recovered in most astronauts one year after the space flight,” said Dr. Leigh Gabel, an assistant professor at the School of Kinesiology and lead author of the study. “This suggests that permanent bone loss due to space flight is about the same as age-related bone loss on Earth in a decade.” The researchers traveled to the Johnson Space Center in Houston to scan the astronauts’ wrists and ankles before leaving for space, on their return to Earth after six months and a year. The findings, published in Scientific Reports, indicate that the loss occurs because bones that could normally carry weight on Earth, such as the feet, do not need to carry weight in a zero-gravity setting. “We’ve seen astronauts having trouble walking due to weakness and imbalance after returning from a space flight to others who happily rode their bikes to the Johnson Space Center campus to meet with us for a study visit,” he said. , director of the McCaig Institute for Bone and Joint Health and professor at Cumming Medical School. “There is a great variety of response among astronauts when they return to Earth.” The study found that some astronauts who flew on smaller missions, less than six months old, regained strength and bone density in the lower body compared to those who flew longer.
Next study that will focus on longer trips
As future space missions explore travel to more distant locations, the next iteration of the study plans to look at the results of even longer journeys to support astronauts who may one day travel beyond the International Space Station. Former University of Calgary Chancellor and astronaut Robert Tirsk has said he knows how difficult it can be to get back on solid ground. “Just as the body must adapt to space flight at the beginning of a mission, it must also adapt to the Earth’s gravitational field at the end,” he said. “Fatigue, dizziness and imbalance were immediate challenges for me on my return. The bones and muscles need the most time to recover from a space flight. But within a day of landing, I felt comfortable on Earth again. . “ The study was funded by the Canadian Space Agency in collaboration with the European Space Agency, NASA and astronauts from North America, Europe and Asia.
