Muscle-Wasting Effects of Weightlessness in Space.
“Astronauts report that six to eight hours of extra-vehicular activity is as exhausting as running a marathon,” said Michael Reid, head physiologist at the University of Kentucky who leads an ongoing study. “The muscle groups most affected are the hands and arms.”
The 50-year old drug N-acetylcysteine (NAC) is obviously not a new drug, already present for treating people on Earth to protect the liver against drug overdose. Recent studies have shown that it has increased muscle endurance by approximately 15% to 20%, with NASA beginning to use it for their spacewalking astronauts for less muscle fatigue.
How the drug works is to capture free radical molecules which are developed during heavy space exercise—damaging muscle tissue who are already dealing with muscle-wasting effects while in space. Weightlessness is always a big issue in space for astronauts, causing extreme fatigue with the muscle groups most found in the hands and arms. Considered a safe drug with a long track record, it is the only drug used that is known for its safety in addition to successful treatments for the liver, but research is being done to look for another one with less side effects.
Presently, a $1.2 million dollar funding for the National Space Biomedical Research Institute (NSBRI) has been given for a study until August 2009, with the results leading to usage in spaceflight from two to four years. But if the study is proved successful, those on Earth could be treated immediately, as they will not be required to wait for NASA’s approval.
“I’m looking out my office window at three different hospitals, each with patients suffering from premature muscle fatigue and weakness,” Reid said. He added that the NAC study stands as an example of “space research that’s driving the medical spinoffs” assuming that the drug proves beneficial, he added. Right now, astronauts are using a combination treatment of strength training and aerobic exercise while in space to keep fit, with the new drug offering antioxidant or drug treatment if the study proves successful.
Normally about 6 ½ hours on the average, the spacewalks cause even more exhaustion due to the heavy bulky spacewalks with lighter and more flexible spacewalks in the making to counteract the muscle fatigue which occurs in the areas of shoulders, arms, wrists and hands.
One of the new developments for astronauts is the spacesuit glove modification wraps modification called “turtleskin,” to prevent dangerous scratches and tears through the older space gloves. An advantage of the new gloves was to do away with the heavy and cumbersome mitten-like glovecovers which have enhanced for fine manipulation tasks.
This entry was posted on Friday, June 27th, 2008 at 10:05 am and is filed under Space Agency News. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.
