ANU prepares for a Mars mission

The model can be used to determine the impact of space flight on the human body and whether astronauts could tolerate the Martian environment and the rigours of the trip to the red planet.

“We want to use mathematical models to predict whether someone is fit to fly to Mars,” lead researcher Lex van Loon said.

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Travelling to Mars would currently take up to seven months, and the combined exposure of microgravity and the Sun’s radiation could cause “fundamental” changes to the astronauts constitution.

“The structure of your blood vessels or the strength of your heart change due to the weightlessness experienced as a result of zero gravity space travel,” Dr van Loon said.

Drawing on data collected during previous space travels, including the Apollo missions, the team simulated the impact of prolonged exposure to zero gravity on the cardiovascular system to help prevent fainting or medical emergencies when setting foot on the red planet.

At zero gravity, astronauts risk dehydration and their heart can become ‘lazy’ as it doesn’t have to make much of an effort to pump blood around the body, which can lead to fainting.

“If an astronaut faints when they first step out of the spacecraft or if there’s a medical emergency, there’ll be nobody on Mars to help them,” Dr van Loon said.

Upon arrival on the red planet, experts have identified there will be a delay communicating with Earth, as messages could take at least 20 minutes to arrive and will depend on the alignment of the Earth, Mars and the Sun.

“This is why we must be absolutely certain the astronaut is fit to fly and can adapt to Mars’ gravitational field.

“They must be able to operate effectively and efficiently with minimal support during those crucial first few minutes,” Dr van Loon said.

For the past 60 years, exploring Mars has been a worldwide objective and more than 50 missions have been executed.

By 2033, NASA is set to retrieve its latest samples collected on the red planet.

Landing on Mars could arrive sooner than expected as the sector aims to fulfil that mission in the next 20 years.

In anticipation of space tourism, the ANU team also wishes to expand the modelling to ‘normal’ and ‘unhealthy’ people as well as individuals with pre-existing heart conditions to understand how space travel would affect “everyday” people.

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