Scientists are still trying to figure out how the human body responds to long-duration spaceflight. It’s an important and open research question as NASA moves toward more deep space missions. In particular, a mission to Mars could require at least a three-year round trip that would take a toll both physically and psychologically.
At the American Association for the Advancement of Science conference last week, researchers revealed new insights into the physical effects of long-term stays in space. They focused mostly on studies of astronaut Scott Kelly, who spent a year on the International Space Station while his twin brother Mark Kelly stayed on the ground.
Meanwhile, another group of researchers revealed a new large-scale study of the psychological effects of space’s darkness and isolation, as if the dangers of mishaps, microgravity, and radiation weren’t enough. The scientists say it’s one of the first such efforts to tap a large ...
