Research done in the August 17 edition of the Journal of Physiology states that astronauts on a mission to Mars could lose nearly half their muscle strength during the long trip, giving them the physiques of senior citizens by the time they arrived. Prolonged exposure to weightlessness could cause astronauts to lose more than 40 percent of their muscle strength even with regular exercise, researchers said. On a long voyage, a healthy 30- to 50- year-old astronaut could end up with the strength of an 80- year old.
A ten month trip to Mars would cause such extreme muscle deterioration that even routine tasks would be hard to perform, let alone move around the Martian surface in spacesuits, according to the study, which was lead by Robert Fitts of Marquette University. Returning to Earth would be even more perilous with astronauts too weak to evacuate their spacecraft if they needed to make an emergency landing.
Currently six-month stints aboard the International Space Station involve rigorous exercise for 2.5 hours per day, six days a week.
Trip to Mars Would Turn Astronauts Into Weaklings