Aging Effects for Hearts in Microgravity

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Discussion Overview

The discussion centers on the aging effects on hearts in microgravity, exploring the potential medical issues associated with human life in space. It encompasses theoretical considerations, ethical implications, and the challenges of space settlement.

Discussion Character

  • Exploratory
  • Debate/contested
  • Technical explanation

Main Points Raised

  • Some participants highlight the need to understand aging effects at the molecular level in microgravity environments.
  • Concerns are raised about the ethical implications and medical issues related to human life outside Earth, suggesting that these challenges may hinder space settlement.
  • One participant argues that while there are many challenges, they may not all be insurmountable, and that the effects of microgravity and radiation exposure have been studied, though not extensively in long-term scenarios for the general population.
  • Another viewpoint suggests that the focus on manned missions may be misplaced, advocating for unmanned drones to conduct preparatory work and develop necessary technologies.
  • There is a discussion about the limited data on long-term effects of microgravity on ordinary people, particularly vulnerable populations such as children and pregnant women.

Areas of Agreement / Disagreement

Participants express a range of views, with some agreeing that challenges exist but may be manageable, while others emphasize the significant uncertainties and ethical concerns that remain unresolved.

Contextual Notes

Participants note that the understanding of risks associated with microgravity is still developing, particularly regarding long-term effects and the implications for different demographics.

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Currently reading A City on Mars, a good pop-sci skeptical look at space settlement - this is only one of a host of potential medical issues that pose severe ethical issues to test properly and, combined with the economic and engineering challenges likely ensure that humans will not live outside of earth at any scale
 
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BWV said:
Currently reading A City on Mars, a good pop-sci skeptical look at space settlement - this is only one of a host of potential medical issues that pose severe ethical issues to test properly and, combined with the economic and engineering challenges likely ensure that humans will not live outside of earth at any scale
Yeah, that makes sense. Because it's not possible due to a number of human-space compatibility issues :rolleyes:
 
While there are a great many challenges, this doesn't necessarily mean they will all be insurmountable, the greatest risks are likely to be in space and the effects of 0 gravity and high radiation exposure have been extensively studied. Despite the idea of using rotation as a form of artificial gravity, which potentially could solve a lot of problems, this remains untested. We also know a great deal about radiation shielding but there is an issue of getting it into space, again increasing the use of space based construction and resource collection could be the way forward.
Initially, there is no reason that some preparatory work could not be completed by unmanned drones, though they might also be subject to radiation effects. Many of the issues might be easier to deal with on planetary bodies like mars, though the problems would be different.
I think the real issue might end up being how well we have identified and understood the risks. I think that considering the already huge costs involved, many of the potential solutions might form quite a small percentage of economic considerations, there might also be economic advantages in developing exploitation of the asteroid belt with drones. It might make the most sense to reduce the focus on manned missions, the manned part being a major problem to use the time to develop the knowledge and technologies needed. I don't really see anything to indicate that these issues would prevent progress.
 
Laroxe said:
While there are a great many challenges, this doesn't necessarily mean they will all be insurmountable, the greatest risks are likely to be in space and the effects of 0 gravity and high radiation exposure have been extensively studied.
But given that only a handful of elite athletes (i.e. astronauts) have been exposed to these conditions and for no longer than about a year, we still have no clue about the long-term effects on ordinary people, let alone children or pregnant women
 

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