NEWS

FSU study: Apollo astronauts had more heart disease

Study led by FSU Dean Michael Delp points to exposure to deep-space radiation

Byron Dobson
Democrat senior writer

A high number of astronauts from the breakthrough Apollo program suffered from cardiovascular problems, according to a just-released study led by a Florida State University professor and a team of researchers.

The huge, 363-foot-tall Apollo 11 space vehicle is launched from Pad A, Kennedy Space Center at 9:32 a.m., July 16, 1969. Apollo 11 was the United States first lunar landing mission. 
 NASA
16 JULY 1969--APOLLO 11 LIFTOFF--The huge, 363 foot tall Apollo 11 space vehicle is lanched from Pad A, Kennedy Space Center at 9:32 am EDT, July 16, 1969.  Aboard the Apollo 11 spacecraft were astronauts Neil A. Armstrong, commander, Michael Collins, Command module pilot, and Edwin Aldrin Jr., lunar module pilot.  Apollo 11 is the United States first lunar landing missiong.  NASA photo

The study on the death of the astronauts was conducted by Professor Michael Delp, dean of Florida State University’s College of Human Sciences, and a team of researchers, including FSU postdoctoral researcher Payal Ghosh. The report is being published in Scientific Reports.

Delp and his researchers are looking at the correlation between the development of cardiovascular problems and the astronauts’ exposure to deep-space radiation.

'Small astronaut' gets opportunity of a lifetime at Kennedy Space Center

The study is significant in that it represents the first time research has been conducted on the deaths of Apollo astronauts. The Apollo program lasted from 1961 to 1972. It launched 11 manned flights into space between 1968 and 1972. Nine of those flew beyond Earth’s orbit into deep space.

According to NASA’s website, the first four flights tested the equipment used in the Apollo program. Six of the other seven flights landed on the moon.The first moon landing occurred in 1969.

Twelve astronauts walked on the moon. They conducted scientific research studying the lunar surface and brought back Moon rocks to Earth.

Michael Delp, a professor and dean of the College of Human Science at FSU led first study to deep-space radiation and deaths of Apollo astronauts.

In the Scientific Reports paper, Delp says the men who traveled into deep space as part of the lunar missions were exposed to levels of galactic cosmic radiation that have not been experienced by any other astronauts or cosmonauts. That exposure has resulted in cardiovascular problems.

“We know very little about the effects of deep space radiation on human health, particularly on the cardiovascular system,” Delp said in a release. “This gives us the first glimpse into its adverse effects on humans.”

Delp is working with NASA to conduct additional studies on the Apollo astronauts regarding their cardiovascular health. The Apollo research was funded by National Space and Biomedical Research Institute and the NASA Space Biology Program.

Study could be significant to future space exploration

Delp’s research comes as the United States and other nations, plus private organizations, make plans for deep space travel.

NASA has plans for U.S. orbital missions around the moon from 2020 to 2030 in preparation for a manned flight to Mars. Russia, China and the European Space Agency are all looking at lunar missions. SpaceX, owned by Elon Musk, has proposed landing humans on Mars in the next 10 years.

The men in the Apollo program experienced different environmental conditions than anyone else in the world when they traveled into deep space, according to Delp.

He found that 43 percent of deceased Apollo astronauts died from a cardiovascular problem.  That is four to five times higher than non-flight astronauts and astronauts who have traveled in low Earth orbit.

Of the 24 men who flew into deep space on the Apollo lunar missions, eight have died and seven were included in the study.  The eighth — Edgar Mitchell — died after the data analysis had been completed.

Five times we wished we worked at NASA

Delp and his colleagues also exposed mice to the type of radiation that Apollo astronauts would have experienced. After six months — the equivalent of 20 human years — the mice demonstrated an impairment of arteries that is known to lead to the development of atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease in humans.

“What the mouse data show is that deep space radiation is harmful to vascular health,” Delp said.

Delp holds a doctorate and a master’s degree in exercise physiology from the University of Georgia. His expertise is in the study of effects of physical activity on the cardiovascular system and, more specifically, the microcirculation, according to his FSU web page.

Contact senior writer Byron Dobson at bdobson@tallahassee.com or on Twitter @byrondobson.

Research authors

Other authors on the paper include Jacqueline Charvat from Johnson Space Center, Charles Limoli from University of California Irvine, Ruth Globus from the NASA Ames Research Center.