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Astronauts go through an episode of loss of bone density during extended microgravity missions. This is why there have been very few lunar landing missions in the history of space science. A quick loss of bone density is deemed life-threatening, and this has been a major factor that space agencies are supposed to address before humans can be sent to Mars. 

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But now, experiments on a group of daring astronaut mice have provided a significant boost to the mission of sending humans to Mars.

The mice became the first animals to return safely to Earth after a space journey, pointing to a potential solution for preventing bone density loss in astronauts during extended microgravity missions.

Also read | 8 strangest things in Outer Space

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The mice were sent to the International Space Station (ISS) as part of a study whose results were published in the npj Microgravity journal.

Half of these mice were placed aboard a capsule and returned to Earth midway through the study, marking a historic "first ever live animal return of mice in US history."

NASA lauded this study, with an official readout saying that "rodents help NASA take the next step to Mars."

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Also read | India & US will undertake joint mission to international space station in 2024

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Astronauts aboard the ISS experience weightlessness because both the space station and its occupants are in freefall, creating the sensation of "microgravity."

How was the study conducted?

In 2017, 40 mice were sent to the International Space Station aboard a SpaceX vessel. Researchers from the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) and the Forsyth Institute in Massachusetts developed a therapy involving a supplement called neural epidermal growth factor-like 1 protein (Nell-1) to address the issue of exposure to microgravity.

On board the International Space Station, astronauts Peggy Whitson and Jack D Fischer administered either the Nell-1 protein or an inactive saline solution to the mice.

Another group of mice in Florida on the ground received the same treatment for comparison.

Half of the mice remained aboard the ISS for nine weeks to simulate extended space travel, while the others returned to Earth after four and a half weeks, reaching a laboratory within 72 hours. This marked the first instance of live mice re-entering Earth's atmosphere and safely returning to the surface in US space travel history.

The results of the study revealed that the treatment "significantly increased bone formation in both flight and ground-control mice without apparent adverse effects." This therapy holds promise as a "promising therapeutic to mitigate extreme bone loss from long-duration microgravity exposure."

Efforts and roadmap for human steps on Mars

NASA has been planning for a potential Mars mission in the late 2030s or 2040s, which could last nearly two years. To achieve this, concerns about significant bone density loss in astronauts must be rectified. 

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