March 1 will mark the end of a record-breaking space mission and the beginning of a study for many local researchers.
University of California, San Diego (UCSD) researcher Brinda Rana, PhD, is just one of several scientists who will be working on NASA's twin study of Scott and Mark Kelly.
“When NASA decided to do the twin study, they had an open call for proposals around the nation. Forty investigative groups applied to participate in the study and we were one of 10 that were selected,” Rana said.
Most grants are announced in some form of written communication. But, Rana said, not this time.
“We got a phone call from NASA and that was just amazing because NASA itself is just a cool place to get a phone call from," she said.
NASA and the teams of researchers across the country plan to use the information collected on twins Scott and Mark to better understand the effects of space travel on the human body.
Scott, an American astronaut who spent the last year living on the International Space Station, broke records during his one-of-a-kind mission in orbit. His time in space was twice as long as any American before him.
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Mark, Scott’s earth-bound identical twin brother, was meanwhile studied on earth. While Scott was orbiting the planet and taking periodical tests of health, Mark lived on earth, doing the same.
During the trajectory of the study, Rana will be looking at microgravity-induced fluid shift and its effects on the brain and vision, as well as heart and blood flow issues, according to UCSD.
In laymen terms, microgravity fluid shift is when a human body is in zero gravity and fluids move toward the heart and head. This phenomenon has resulted in brain pressure and vision in other astronauts, according to Rana.
Little molecules called metabolites will also be analyzed to assess the brothers’ health. These molecules are natural byproducts in the body, like sugar, and can be found in blood or urine, explained another study collaborator from UCSD Kumar Sharma, MD.
“Metabolite levels in the human body are influenced by everyday factors such as nutrition [and] can also be affected by stress and environmental factors, including those unique elements…experienced by astronauts,” explained Sharma.
The findings of this study may be able to provide great insight into the effects and risks of even longer missions in space, such as a 30-month trip to Mars.
NASA hopes the study will be completed by this December.
For those interested in watching Scott's return to earth, the schedule and information can be found here.
