SIX MONTHS IN SPACE LEFT ASTRONAUTS' HEARTS READY FOR MARS GRAVITY.
Exercise kept the heart inside the Mars envelope.
Researchers repeatedly measured heart structure and function in 13 astronauts before, during and after long stays on the International Space Station.
WHAT HAPPENED
After roughly six months in microgravity, simulated Martian gravity—about three-eighths of Earth's—did not produce greater volume load or cardiovascular stress than the astronauts experienced while standing on Earth before flight. The study points to intensive in-flight exercise as an important countermeasure.
WHY THIS IS HOPESLOP
Long-duration spaceflight is usually framed as pure bodily decline. Here, disciplined training helped keep a vital system within the range needed for the next gravitational step.
ORIGINAL SOURCECirculation / PubMedRead the original report
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