Translating current biomedical therapies for long duration,deep space missions

It is been shown that spaceflight-induced molecular,cellular,and physiologic changes cause alterations across many modalities of the human body,including cardiovascular,musculoskeletal,hematological,immunological,ocular,and neurological systems.The Twin Study,a multi-year,multi-omic study of human response to spaceflight,provided detailed and comprehensive molecular and cellular maps of the human response to radiation,microgravity,isolation,and stress.These rich data identified epigenetic,gene expression,inflammatory,and metabolic responses to spaceflight,facilitating a better biomedical roadmap of features that should be monitored and safe-guarded in upcoming missions.Further,by exploring new developments in pre-clinical models and clinical trials,we can begin to design potential cellular interventions for exploration-class missions to Mars and potentially farther.This paper will discuss the overall risks astronauts face during spaceflight,what is currently known about human response to these risks,what pharmaceutical interventions exist for use in space,and which tools of precision medicine and cellular engineering could be applied to aerospace and astronaut medicine.

Effects of gravity,microgravity or microgravity simulation on early mouse embryogenesis:A review of the first two space embryo studies

Many simulated micro-gravity(micro-G)experiments on earth suggest that micro-G conditions are not compatible with early mammalian embryo development.Recently,the first two“space embryo”studies have been published showing that early mouse embryo development can occur in real microgravity(real micro-G)conditions in orbit.In the first of these studies,published in 2020,Lei and collaborators developed automated mini-incubator(AMI)devices for mouse embryos facilitating cultivation,microscopic observation,and fixation1.Within these AMI apparatuses,3400 non-frozen 2-cell embryos were launched in a recoverable satellite,experiencing sustained microgravity(~0.001G)for 64 h post-orbit before fixation in space and recovery on earth.In a subsequent study,in 2023,Wakayama and colleagues2 devised Embryo Thawing and Culturing(ETC)devices,enabling manual thawing,cultivation,and fixation of frozen 2-cell mouse embryos by a trained astronaut aboard the International Space Station(ISS).Within the ETCs,a total of 7202-cell mouse embryos underwent thawing and cultivation for 4 days on the ISS,subject to either microgravity(n?360)and simulated-1G(n?360)conditions.The primary findings from both space embryo experiments indicate that mouse embryos can progress through embryogenesis from the 2-cell stage to the blastocyst stage under real micro-G conditions with few defects.Collectively,these studies propose the potential for mammalian reproduction under real micro-G conditions,challenging earlier simulated micro-G research suggesting otherwise.

Temperature Responses to External Heat Fluxes of the Power Distribution System on Alpha Magnetic Spectrometer

High-temperature warnings frequently occurred at the Power Distribution System(PDS)of the Alpha Magnetic Spectrometer(AMS).To investigate the fundamental reasons,a theoretical model for the AMS PDS was established under the International Space Station(ISS)normal and special operating conditions.With the model,the study investigated the external heat fluxes and the temperature responses of the PDS.The effects of ISS special operations on the PDS’s thermal environment were also investigated.Results reveal that the total external heat flux at the PDS reaches its maximum value when the angleβis around–25°,where high-temperature warning frequently occurs.Under the ISS normal operating condition,the temperature response hysteresis at the PDS varies from 116 s to 230 s.When the ISS performed special operations,locking the ISS solar arrays had the greatest influence on the PDS’s external heat fluxes,and the average temperature at the PDS fell by 1.7°C.When the ISS performed multiple special operations,simultaneously locking the ISS solar arrays and adjusting the ISS flight attitude were the most frequent operations,of which the influences on the PDS temperature were the largest,i.e.,the changes in peak temperature reached up to+2.5°C.