Now Reading: Lunar healthcare will need trained crews and new technology
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Lunar healthcare will need trained crews and new technology
Human missions to the Moon will face medical risks from radiation, low gravity, dust, extreme temperatures and isolation. Bones can lose about 1 to 1.5% of mineral density each month in weightlessness,…
The Story in Brief
Human missions to the Moon will face medical risks from radiation, low gravity, dust, extreme temperatures and isolation. Bones can lose about 1 to 1.5% of mineral density each month in weightlessness, while muscles and the heart can weaken. Radiation may damage DNA and raise cancer and neurological risks. Sleep disruption, anxiety, impaired concentration and relationship difficulties could also affect crews.
Medical care would rely heavily on self-care because supplies, equipment and evacuation options would be limited. Surgery in one-sixth gravity could allow bodily fluids to float through the cabin, while CT and MRI scanners would be difficult to transport. The International Space Station has treated several conditions remotely. NASA also brought the four-member SpaceX Crew-11 mission home early on January 15 after an undisclosed medical issue.
The Indian Opinion
The idea that a lunar base simply needs a larger first-aid kit is as unrealistic as treating every space risk as a reason to abandon exploration. The harder problems are long-term bone loss, radiation, mental strain and delayed evacuation, not just dramatic emergencies. Training non-medical crew members, designing compact diagnostics and testing surgical procedures in low gravity should come before routine lunar tourism. The useful measure will be whether crews can manage serious illness safely for up to 30 days without returning to Earth.
Source: thehindu.com
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