In about eight minutes of sending a person from the Earth's surface into orbit in space, their bodies will encounter gravitational forces that are not present on Earth.
Scientists are working with the European Space Observatory's large-diameter centrifuge to test whether such a massive launch would weaken astronauts' blood cell membranes, putting them in danger of rupture.
If this is true, it could help explain why astronauts are susceptible to "space anemia."
Studies have shown that the human body destroys 54% more red blood cells in space than on Earth, which reduces the availability of iron transporters in the blood.
Researchers believe this is why astronauts often feel tired, weak or dizzy when they return to normal gravity. Their blood cells are still adapting to microgravity.
Georgina Chávez, head of the research team at the University of San Pablo in Bolivia, explains: "Most of the existing studies are done in microgravity. ”
We believe that astronauts actually experience two major physical changes during space flight: In order to enter microgravity, they first experience a brief but intense state of hypergravity. Therefore, we decided to investigate the possible effects of this initial phase on subsequent hemolysis in space. ”
The study was inspired by 2022, when another group of scientists discovered that blood cells break down in microgravity, potentially causing anemia in space.
Chavez's team wanted to know if something similar could happen in hypergravity, so they decided to find out. Their experiment involved an 8-meter-wide centrifuge, owned by the European Space Agency and located in the Netherlands. It can simulate hypergravity up to 20 times the Earth's gravity.
Historically, spaceflight exerts three to six times more gravity than Earth.
To simulate this experience, Chavez and colleagues tied human red blood cells soaked in a hypotonic solution to a centrifuge. The speed of the device can then simulate normal gravity on Earth, as well as 75 and 15 Earth gravity.
Each test lasts 10 minutes, 30 minutes, or 60 minutes. The blood cells are then analyzed to see how they develop.
The study is still ongoing, so we don't yet know what happens to the blood cells after being on the centrifuge for a while.
However, there is reason to suspect that this will change.
Previous studies in mice have found that white blood cells can be destroyed under conditions of hypergravity, and hypergravity has also shown signs of weakening the cells that form a barrier between the mice's blood and brain.
The inner surface of blood vessels, which helps control cell survival, proliferation, death, and migration, shows signs of pressure from hypergravity.
Surprisingly, scientists know very little about the effects of gravity changes on the human body.
Perhaps, Chávez's team can burst this bubble.
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