Prolonged Space Travel Accelerates Alzheimer's Disease

With all the excitement surrounding space travel after the triumphs for 2012, it's easy to forget how unwelcoming space really is. What looks like a vast void is actually filled with debris and tiny particles that could easily wreak damage to both man and Earth. A new study shows just how drastic the effect of prolonged exposure to the cosmic radiation in space can be to a human. 

According to the study, published in PLOS One, cosmic radiation accelerates the onset of Alzheimer's disease. This would be a serious issue on long deep-space missions, such as a manned flight to Mars. 

"Galactic cosmic radiation poses a significant threat to future astronauts," said M. Kerry O'Banion, senior author of the study and a professor in the University of Rochester Medical Center Department of Neurobiology and Anatomy. 

"The possibility that radiation exposure in space may give rise to health problems such as cancer has long been recognized. However, this study shows for the first time that exposure to radiation levels equivalent to a mission to Mars could produce cognitive problems and speed up changes in the brain that are associated with Alzheimer's disease."

NASA plans on two prolonged manned missions into space: a trip to a faraway asteroid in 2021 and a trip to Mars in 2035. The round trip to Mars could take as long as three years. 

Earth's magnetic field normally deflects most harmful cosmic radiation, but once astronauts are outside of its protective shield they become constantly bombarded with these radioactive particles. The levels of radiation aren't high, but they can add up to cause some significant damage over time.

The study revealed that some high-mass, high-charged (HZE) particles have the ability to penetrate through most of a spacecraft's protective shielding. To protect against HZEs such as iron, the spacecraft would literally have to be encased in six feet of concrete or lead. Not exactly the most practical solution, meaning NASA researchers are going to have to get creative to circumvent this glaring roadblock. 

"This is yet another factor that NASA, which is clearly concerned about the health risks to its astronauts, will need to take into account as it plans future missions," said O'Banion.