[ RadSafe ] Space Radiation Devastated the Lives of Apollo Astronauts

[Mattias Lantz]

Small sample size indeed! According to table 2 in the report there are 
only 7 deceased Apollo astronauts. 3 of them died of cardiovascular 
disease, making up the 43%.
Why is this even allowed to be published with the headline and the 
speculations done in the article?

Best wishes,
Mattias Lantz

-- 
Mattias Lantz - Researcher, PhD
ランツ マティアス
Department of Physics and Astronomy
Division of Applied Nuclear Physics
Uppsala University, Box 516
SE - 751 20, Uppsala, Sweden
phone:  +46-(0)18-471-3754
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fax:    +46-(0)18-471-5999
email:  mattias.lantz at physics.uu.se




On 07/29/2016 09:11 PM, Brennan, Mike (DOH) wrote:
> Small sample size makes this pretty shaky.  Additionally, their control group is not of the same age cohort, and that might be significant.
>
> But be that as it may, SO WHAT?  These were men who competed in one of the most comprehensive selection process the world has ever seen, to lay upon a big bomb that (hopefully) explodes slowly at one end, so they could navigate to another gravity well with less sophisticated equipment than I use to find a new restaurant, so some of them could land, walk around, and come back.  Heck, I suspect if you told them there would be a 43% mortality rate during the mission most would have still gone, and the slots of those that dropped out would have been filled before the day was done.
>
> As I understand it, going to the Moon radically altered the lives of the men who did it, though I doubt any would use the word "devastated".  Even if what the authors of this study say is true, the astronauts traded some quantity for quality, which is almost always the way Heroes choose.
>
> -----Original Message-----
> From: radsafe-bounces at health.phys.iit.edu [mailto:radsafe-bounces at health.phys.iit.edu] On Behalf Of Rahim Ghanooni
> Sent: Thursday, July 28, 2016 7:36 PM
> To: 'The International Radiation Protection (Health Physics) Mailing List' <radsafe at health.phys.iit.edu>
> Subject: [ RadSafe ] Space Radiation Devastated the Lives of Apollo Astronauts
>
> New research points to serious concerns about human survival during deep space travel.
>
> A startling new study has revealed that a troubling number of the lunar astronauts from NASA's Apollo program are suffering high mortality rates due to heart disease. The cause? Exposure to high levels of deep space radiation during their trip to the Moon.
>
> This is the first time research has been done into the mortality of the Apollo astronauts and it was published in Scientific Reports by Professor and Dean of the college of Human Sciences at Florida State University, Michael Delp. The conclusions drawn from studying the deaths of the only humans that have ventured into deep space casts an immense shadow on the manned missions to Mars being planned by both NASA and SpaceX.
>
> "We know very little about the effects of deep space radiation on human health, particularly on the cardiovascular system," said Delp in an official release. "This gives us the first glimpse into its adverse effects on humans." Deep space refers to the frontier beyond Earth's protective magnetosphere and atmosphere where only 24 humans in history-all Apollo astronauts, have ever travelled.
>
> http://observer.com/2016/07/space-radiation-devastated-the-lives-of-apollo-a
> stronauts/
>
>
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