[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nGefSuwGylg[/youtube]Astronauts serving long periods on the International Space Station can become far more susceptible than others to experiencing major loss of bone strength, making them more likely to suffering hipbone fractures, says Joyce Keyak, a UC Irvine bioengineer and orthopedic surgeon.
In a new study, Keyak used a computer program she created to analyze the hipbone structure of 13 space station astronauts -- 12 men and 1 women. Overall, the astronauts lost an average of 14 percent of the strength in their hipbone during their four to six month stay on station. But three lost between 20 and 30 of their strength.
"Losses like that are similar to what you'd find in older women with osteoporosis," Keyak told us. "If something isn't done to prevent this kind of problem, some astronauts in their 30s could have problems in their 50s, and those already in their 50s could have problems much sooner.
To help counter-act the problem, NASA makes astronauts exercise vigorously and some take medications used by people suffering from osteoporosis. However, Keyak says, "We need much more research to figure out how we can reverse the affects of bone strength."
The scope of the potential problem will soon become much larger. NASA and its international partners are going to increase the space station crew from three to six. One of those first crew members will be Cal State Fullerton graduate Tracy Caldwell, who will begin a six month stint on space station in spring 2010. (Story). Caldwell was a posdoc at UCI when she was chosen from astronaut training in 1998.
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