‘Going to the moon can be deadly’ says NASA-backed study blaming cosmic radiation in space
Apollo astronauts were FIVE times more likely to die of heart disease than those who stayed within Earth's protective field
ASTRONAUTS are five times more likely to die of heart disease if they go all the way to the moon, a study reveals.
Three of the 24 Apollo astronauts who flew to the moon have died of heart disease, including the first man to walk on it, Neil Armstrong.
Cosmic radiation beyond Earth’s protective magnetic field is to blame, according to the US study.
The rays are more powerful beyond the magnetic bubble that surrounds the planet.
This means that spacemen whose missions have taken them only a few hundred miles high – like Brit astronaut Tim Peake – were not put at as much risk.
Scientists at Florida State University and NASA examined the death records of 42 astronauts who flew into space, including seven Apollo veterans from the 1960s-70s.
They also looked at the 35 astronauts who never made it into space.
The Apollo astronauts were up to five times more likely to die from heart disease than those who never flew, or those who flew low-altitude missions a few hundred miles above Earth.
Lab mice were also used to confirm the theory.
Exposure to simulated weightlessness and radiation showed the radiation was a far more dangerous factor for the animal’s hearts.
Lead scientist Michael Delp said: “What the mouse data shows is that deep space radiation is harmful to vascular health.”
The results of the study – the first to focus on the mortality of Apollo astronauts – have big implications for planned future space travel.
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Private companies like Elon Musk's SpaceX are looking at sending people to other planets, such as Mars.
Nasa disputed the findings despite backing the research.
It said too few people had been to the moon for conclusions to be reached.
So far, only 24 astronauts have flown beyond Earth’s protective magnetic shield, all in a period between 1968 and 1972.
Of those, eight have died, seven of which were included in the study.
It has not yet been revealed what killed the other astronaut – the sixth man to walk on the moon, Edgar Mitchell – who died in February 2016.
Delp and his colleagues are working on a follow-up study that includes more detail on family medical histories, smoking and other factors.
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