Space Radiobiology

Dear Colleagues,

From the beginning of mankind, humans have always wondered about outer space and conquering it. The first answers to these questions arrived many years later, with the first human in space, launched in 1961, and with the following moon landing in 1969. Since then, the idea to leave our terrestrial shelters, to delve into space and colonize it, has become more and more concrete. However, space is an inhospitable place to explore, and it exposes human travellers to many challenges to their health. In the last 50 years, space biology has enriched the basic knowledge about the effects of space-radiation exposure and gravity unloading. However, the majority of studies have been aimed at the protection of astronauts flying in a low earth orbit (LEO), and they are based on an as yet limited amount of data collected from real space flight conditions or simulated ones.

The steady implementation of space transportation systems, and the future development of the Lunar Gateway, will inevitably lead astronauts to be involved in longer space missions that will be held beyond LEO. Therefore, a deeper elucidation of space-dependent effects related to health risks for the crew represents a major issue. In this context, future studies should not only be aimed at the prevention of health problems in space, but also at the management and resolution of pathological issues that may occur in an altered gravitational environment. It is important to note that these health risks both comprise those deriving from long-term radiation and microgravity exposure (cancer, immunological and neurological impairments, infections, muscle and bone loss, etc), together with those associated with isolation and confinement conditions (psychological problems). On the other hand, outputs coming from space biology research may be useful to ameliorate human life on Earth. 

On these bases, the role of space biology will be pivotal and functional in the future for the prediction, prevention, and management of diseases, and for the development of effective countermeasures to intervene promptly during space missions.

The main goal of this Special Issue is to collect multidisciplinary observations and provide new insights regarding space’s effects on biological systems in order to facilitate human permanence far from terrestrial orbit. Other topics of interest for this Special Issue will be the impact of space biology studies in improving life quality on Earth.

Dr. Marco Calvaruso
Dr. Giorgio Russo
Dr. Walter Tinganelli
Guest Editors

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