Neutron Star

https://astro-keerthana.github.io/Space-Biology-Superhero/

https://1drv.ms/p/s!Au2VXCxCjNh4gWyVJFYEURSP1fZq?e=KamYFG

What exactly does it do?

All crew members will spend a significant portion of a long-duration manned spaceflight mission in a standalone spacecraft equipped with closed-loop bioregenerative life-support systems, such as a journey to Mars and beyond. The main technological gaps impending a human expedition into deep space are resource conservation and lowering medical risks, especially in mental health. The idea that humans could be forced into a state of suppressed metabolism that mimics “hibernation” in the 1960s was put forth by several scientists as a potential solution to many problems encountered during space travel. Synthetic torpor, a state that mimics hibernation, can now be induced in non-hibernating species thanks to the development of specific techniques. To conserve energy during challenging seasonal conditions, natural torpor is an intriguing but mysterious physiological process in which metabolic rate (MR), body core temperature, and behavioral activity are decreased. In response to environmental challenges, it orchestrates a homeostatic state of hypometabolism, hypothermia, and hypoactivity using a complex central neural network. The central nervous system’s (CNS) anatomical and functional connections are what regulate synthetic torpor. The precise mechanisms underlying the active regulation of the torpor-arousal transition, as well as their profound impact on neural function and behavior, which are crucial concerns for safe and reversible human torpor, are still poorly understood, even though progress has been made. (Griko. Y, 2018)

Reversible metabolic control techniques to lower the metabolic rates of test animals while they are travelling inside the spacecraft. The benefits of artificially inducing regulated, depressed metabolic states over maintaining experimental animals in active metabolic states include significantly reduced mass, volume, and power requirements within the spacecraft due to reduced life support requirements, as well as mitigated radiation-and microgravity-induced negative health effects on the animals due to torpor’s inherent physiological properties. Synthetic torpor-inducing systems will not only directly aid animal research but also act as test beds for future systems that may hold human crewmembers in similar metabolic states on long-duration missions.

The limits of gravity have always guided the evolution of life on Earth. In space, organisms experience entirely new circumstances like radiation and weightlessness. Most space experiments to date have shown that microgravity significantly affects the growth and behavior of organisms. The exploration of how microgravity affects living systems at the cellular and molecular levels, as well as the genetic stability, growth, and development of animal and plant systems, should be the primary objectives of future space and gravitational biology research programs. The limits of gravity have always guided the evolution of life on Earth. In space, organisms experience entirely new circumstances like radiation and weightlessness. Most space experiments to date have shown that microgravity significantly affects the growth and behavior of organisms. The exploration of how microgravity affects living systems at the cellular and molecular levels, as well as the genetic stability, growth, and development of animal and plant systems, should be the primary objectives of future space and gravitational biology research programs. Plants exposed to artificial stressors in microgravity will have their dormant genes activated, their global systemic organization altered, and their ability to recover from future stresses, such as quickly adapting to a pathogen, improved. Strains modified for the space environment can be a useful ally for traditional engineering tactics. Our understanding of the physiology and metabolism of organisms can be improved by characterizing evolved strains and identifying the significant mutations or molecular underpinnings that enabled evolved phenotype or behavior. We can also learn the significance of molecular mechanisms contributing to strain fitness and performance. To interpret the reasoning behind the evolution-based strain improvement approach, cutting-edge metabolic identification, and characterization techniques, as well as emerging genome and transcriptome sequencing and analysis tools, are needed. These studies may provide new insights into how to increase a strain's biotic or abiotic factor tolerance, increase the use of a target substrate for growth and yield, or enhance the production of a target compound. (CSA Report on Deep-Space Healthcare)

Studying cells grown in the microgravity environment, or "weightlessness," of the International Space Station can teach biologists a lot about how life functions differently in space and how this affects human health. With the help of the Bio culture System, a brand-new research facility for the orbiting laboratory, scientists will be able to conduct extensive cell biology studies on a variety of topics and different cell and tissue types. With the help of this new hardware, cell cultures can be remotely monitored in real-time, and their growth conditions can be managed more precisely. Cell Science Validation, the system's first mission, will thoroughly test the system's intricate engineering and life support capabilities to ensure that it can operate as intended in microgravity and successfully grow a variety of cells on the space station, including bone and heart cells in this experiment. The facility will be made available to the entire scientific community for exciting, new, cutting-edge research after the initial validation is finished, including fundamental cell biology, drug discovery, microbiology, and tissue engineering. Patients with long-term immobility due to injuries, cancer, aging, or other conditions frequently experience muscle wasting. Even in microgravity, astronauts experience muscle atrophy. To prevent muscle wasting and the need for daily or frequent drug administration, the Rodent Research-6 study will assess a novel drug delivery system that delivers continuous, low doses of medication. Through a silicone membrane with channels as small as 1/50,000 the width of a human hair, a tiny capsule implanted under the skin administers a consistent, low dose of the medication. The low-dose administration may also help prevent the known side effects of long-term use of high doses. Formoterol is a medication that is frequently used as a treatment for lung conditions such as asthma. It releases the muscles that are causing a patient's airways to constrict. When released by a tiny, but potentially strong device, Rodent Research-6 will examine how well it can prevent muscle wasting. Gravity is a constant stimulus for plants, which use it to send shoots up and roots down as well as to shape their overall shape. The mission to understand how much gravity a plant seedling can sense is called "Plant Gravity Perception." The experiment will use a centrifuge system to simulate various levels of gravity while operating in the space station's microgravity environment. To determine whether there is a threshold level that plants must reach in order to sense gravity, respond, and thrive, video data of the plants' reactions will be collected. Understanding how this operates could aid scientists in creating plants that are hardier for use in agriculture on Earth or that are well suited for growth on lengthy space missions. These are the same kinds of microorganisms that exist on Earth and would have been transported to the space station initially on supplies or on astronauts during crew changes. Researchers need to know what kinds of microorganisms may already be present on the space station in order to catalog and characterize potential disease-causing microbes. Before, during, and after the astronauts' flights, samples are taken from their bodies. Additionally, surface and air locations near the station are sampled for environmental factors. The samples are examined for potential microbe types and to determine whether any could have an impact on human health. Both the emergence of microbial communities and interactions between the microbes are investigated. SpaceX resupply missions have already delivered microbial sampling kits and returned earlier samples to Earth for scientific analysis. Researchers can observe how the microbial population on the space station is changing by taking numerous samples over time. The outcomes of this study may contribute to understanding how microbes impact the health of the crew and the effectiveness of the spacecraft. With this knowledge, NASA can create strategies to reduce the impact of microorganisms on lengthy space missions manned by explorers (NASA Genelab Data Repository Search).

The environmental stresses of space travel.

In 1957, the first living being was launched into space which is the dog whose name was Laika. After this, scientists could study space biology and space medicine and how the organisms show unique biological responses to the space environment. 

Especially the two major health hazards are space radiation and microgravity. Solar particle events (SPEs) are produced high-energy protons and heavy ions which are contained in galactic cosmic rays (GCRs) and secondary particles interact with spacecraft shielding. Additionally, microgravity, limited contact with Earth, and physiological and psychological impacts from prolonged isolation in a hostile ecology increase the health dangers from space radiation. 

Biological features of space flight

Space radiation

In deep space mission, ionizing radiation is a major health risk. The energetic solar particles released during solar flares and coronal mass ejections as well as galactic cosmic rays, which are made up of protons (85%), helium nuclei (12%), and heavier ions known as high-energy and high-charge particles (HZE; 1%), are all included in the space-radiation environment. According to Cucinotta and Durante (2006), astronauts on the ISS receive an average dose of 100-200 milliSieverts (mSv) of radiation per year, whereas the annual exposure limit for professionals who work with radiation is 50 mSv/year. According to Zeitlin et al (2013) and Iosim et al (2019), future missions to Mars will receive doses that are even higher, up to 350 mSv/year for a mission of about three years, and they will primarily be made up of highly biologically active galactic cosmic rays.

Microgravity

Gravity is a vector on the Earth. In the environment of space, gravity is removed mostly, and results is microgravity conditions. Additionally, there are frequently strong forces encountered during exit and descent transitions through atmospheres, which are frequently stronger than the force of gravity, stressing biological systems. The genome, epigenome, and proteome are all altered by microgravity, and these modifications increase the risk of developing a variety of pathologies. The biological mechanisms that have developed to react to gravity can cause abnormal physiological reactions in microgravity at the organismal level. For instance, fluids, including blood, move upward toward the head and thorax, resulting in a reduction in the volume of the legs and compensatory changes to the cardiovascular system. Furthermore, since there is no longer any gravitational loading on bones and muscles, they atrophy through remodeling processes, the molecular mechanisms of which are still poorly understood. Additionally, prolonged microgravity’s synergistic effects in addition to other risks associated with the space environment could exacerbate complex health issues in astronauts preparing for length missions.

Confinement and isolation   

Astronauts will spend a lot of time confined and alone in a small spacecraft during deep space travel. Risks to psychological, behavioral, and physiological health are likely to rise with increased physical and social isolation and unprecedented distance from Earth. On Earth, social isolation has been investigated using analog environments on human subjects as well as animal models, showing that it may result in neurological deficits, including impaired hippocampal functions. Additionally, isolation may directly contribute to immune dysregulation based on human results from analog missions in the Arctic. Findings in animal models exposed to simulated microgravity combined with social isolation suggest that social isolation combined with other spaceflight hazards could worsen outcomes (Tahimic et al., 2019).

Hostile and closed environment

Astronaut Continuous and prolonged habitation in an enclosed spacecraft ecosystem presents a biologically hostile and closed environment for astronaut health. Spacecraft habitability must be monitored for temperature, air quality, microbial inhabitants, pressure, lighting, and noise to help ensure effective countermeasures for a healthy environment. Constant noise, high carbon-dioxide levels, and limited microorganism ecosystems together might affect cardiovascular, neurological, and immune health. For example, levels of ambient noise have been demonstrated to contribute to cardiovascular impairments, sleep disturbance, and cognitive deficits (Münzel et al., 2020). In addition, due to limited efficacy of air recycling systems, increased CO2 is a common feature on spacecraft and can lead to a hypoxic/hypercapnic response (Beheshti et al., 2018). Finally, prolonged confinement is likely to reduce the variability of the environmental microbiome, which might adversely affect astronaut immune functions and metabolism (Voorhies and Lorenzi, 2016).

Distance from Earth

Distance from Earth itself, the final significant spaceflight hazard, results in psychological stress and disturbs team dynamics. Due to communication lags, the lack of rapid evacuation or immediate rescue during missions beyond low earth orbit, and other equipment limitations, distance from Earth will also limit medical treatment options and capabilities. Therefore, there is a gap in the market for autonomous health support for flight medical officers. This support could come in the form of surgical interventions advancements in wearable sensors and health monitoring, AI-assisted medical diagnostics, on-board genetics and sequencing capacity and health-risk prediction. 

We have use visual studio code for submitting our final project as a website and power-point for our demo.

• First we studied about the topic. What is space biology? What are the projects currently going on at International Space Station (ISS)? "5 Hazards of Human Spaceflight", "NASA GeneLab Data Respository Search", and "NASA Space Biology Program" from these data, we could clarify that space biology program.

• From "NASA Human Research Roadmap: Risks" , we could understand what are the challenges should be faced by human during the space travel.

• From "NASA GeneLab Data Repository Search", we could use most of the useful data about the research in space out of control of the gravity.

• From "CSA Report on Deep-Space Healthcare", we could understand that Space medicine experiments of Canadian Space Agency and we got some ideas from this health care.
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This year Space Apps Challenge experience is awesome! We learnt a lot! We could understand some principles between microgravity and gravity. We have biotechnologists and data scientists. Therefore, biotechnologists selected this topic and the data scientists decided to create an analog for this topic. More than this, we have an interest like these topics like sci-fi movies - Inception and Passengers.

From this topic, we learnt a new topic from space biology and we could learn physiology of the animal body in the space - Rodent research and Drosophila research. We applied our knowledges in one point then merged them. We've used all of the Data from Space Agencies. Those data help us very much.

Especially, we would love to thank Universal Co-Lead Chris who helped us very much!

• Beischer, D.E. and Fregly, A.R.:1962, Animals and Man in Space – A Chronology and Annoated Bibliography through theYear 1960 off. Naval Res. Report ACR-64. USNSAM Monograph 5, p.101

• Bender, M.A.:1967, Gemini Summary Conference, Manned Spacecraft Center, Texas. NASA SP-138, p.298

• CSA Report on Deep-Space Healthcare

• Ebrahim Afshinnekoo., Ryan T. Scott., Matthew J. MacKay., Eloise Pariset., Egle Cekanaviciute., Richard Barker., Simon Gilroy., Duane Hassane., Scott M. Smith., Sara R. Zwart., Mayra Nelman-Gonzalez., Brian E. Crucisn., Sergey A. Ponomarev., Oleg I. Orlov., Dai Shiba., Masafumi Muratani., Masayuki Yamamoto., Stephanie E. Richards., Parag A. Vaishampayan., Cem Meydan., Jonathan Foox., Jacqueline Myrrhe., Eric Istasse., Nitin Singh., Kasthuri Venkateshwaran., Jessica A. Keune., Hami E. Ray., Mathias Basner., Jack Miller., Martha Hotz Vitaterna., Deanne M. Taylor., Douglas Wallace., Kathleen Rubins., Susan M. Bailey., Peter Grabham., Sylvian V. Costes., Christopher E. Mason., and Afshin Beheshti. (2020 November 25). Cell. Volume 183. Issue 5. p1162-1184 “Fundamental Biological Features of Spaceflight: Advancing the Field to Enable Deep-Space Exploration”

• Effects of Space on the Human Body (CSA)

• F.E. Garrett-Bakelman., M.Darshi., S.J.Green., R.C.Gur., L.Lin., B.R.Macias., M.J.McKenna., C.Meydan., T.Mishara., J.Nasrini, et al. “The NASA Twins Study: A multidimensional analysis of a year-long human spaceflight Science, 364 (2019). p6436

•  Griko, Y., & Regan, M. D. (2018). Synthetic torpor: A method for safely and practically transporting experimental animals aboard spaceflight missions to deep space. PubMed. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.lssr.2018.01.002

• 5 Hazards of Human Spaceflight

• NASA Genelab Data Repository Search

• NASA Human Research Roadmap: Risks

• NASA Space Biology Program

• Shi, Z., Qin, M., Huang, L., Xu, T., Chen, Y., Hu, Q., Peng, S., Peng, Z., Qu, L. N., Chen, S. G., Tuo, Q. H., Liao, D. F., Wang, X. P., Wu, R. R., Yuan, T. F., Li, Y. H., & Liu, X. M. (2020). Human torpor: translating insights from nature into manned deep space expedition. PubMed. https://doi.org/10.1111/brv.12671

• Tabor, A. (2017). Plants, Muscles, Microbes and Cells: NASA Biology Experiments are Space Station-Bound

• Whiting, M. NASA Johnson Space Center, Abadie, L. NASA Johnson Space Center. NASA Human Research Strategic Communications

• Young, S.R. 1968, Biological experiments in space. p665-689

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