2023-08-16 02:00:26
In 2018, NASA carried out 60 experiments with the purpose of investigating the behavior of cancer in a situation of weightlessness.
Specialists at Houston Methodist Hospital shared the most common injuries experienced by astronauts in space.
The ABC Campus Santa Fe Medical Center has an antigravity treadmill that is used in the rehabilitation of patients with low back pain, multiple sclerosis, stroke or spinal cord injuries.
Knowing what happens in outer space is one of man’s greatest fascinations. For thousands of years, people have wanted to know if there are forms of life on other planets. For the same, the Astronauts are so respected among society, but do you know what are the most common injuries they suffer while traveling?
On May 30, the second private Axiom Space mission (Ax-2) was successfully carried out. Its four-passenger crew lifted off the Florida coast at 11:04 PM (ET) and began its 10-day adventure in space, eight of which were spent in the International Space Station (ISS).
The mission was launched on a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket and a Dragon spacecraft from the NASA Kennedy Space Center in Florida. The crew included former NASA astronaut, Ax-2 commander Peggy Whitson; pilot John Shoffner; specialists from the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia Ali Alqarni and Rayyanah Barnawi.
Training to travel to space
The medical specialists of Hospital Houston Methodistincluding athletic trainer Jenna Tubbs, provided extensive support to the Axiom Space medical team throughout the mission.
“Houston Methodist Hospital, as a whole, provides medical care for the astronaut. My role in particular is to help them with their fitness before they go into space. Prior to the mission I met with the crew and did strength training, we worked on some cardio to prepare them for space.”
Since the space mission only lasted 10 days, Jenna Tubbs made sure that all the crew members were in good shape. Since each one had a different level of physical condition, the training had to be adapted accordingly to each one of them.
I did a history on each person I was going to work with, to see if they had a previous injury or what their specific goals were. Some people want to gain strength, others just want to keep up a bit, therefore it was my duty to find out what each crew member’s specific goal was for himself and tailor his training around that.”
The most common injuries suffered by astronauts
Regarding the most common physical injuries that a person can develop in space, Jenna Tubbs explained that in missions as short as these it is not common for them to happen. However, in stays longer than six months there may be some muscle atrophy, loss of bone density, decreased cardiovascular resistance, among other health issues.
Ax-2 is the second commercial mission to the ISS, with which Axiom Space seeks to facilitate frequent trips to the ISS while taking care of the health of all passengers and crew. For this reason, Axiom Space has partnered with Houston Methodist Hospital to physically prepare the crew to fly into space and perform specific missions and tasks.
The Ax-2 crew members have been training since September 2022 to be ready for their journey in May 2023.
During your stay on the ISS, Rayyanah Barnawia Saudi research scientist, performed DNA (medical) nanotherapy operations and worked together with her colleague Ali Alqarni on an advanced microscope called the Kermit.
While Commander Peggy Whitson worked with pilot John Shoffner and conducted stem cell research. Additionally, Shoffner held two live conversations with students in the UK.
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