Overview
- Coverage published Friday quotes SER spokesperson Dr. Laia Gifre saying astronauts can lose 1–1.5% of hip bone each month in microgravity.
- On missions longer than six months, total loss can reach 10–26%, and recovery after landing takes one to three years and may remain incomplete in some areas.
- Without normal weight-bearing, bone shifts toward breakdown and releases calcium into the blood, which can cause kidney stones and calcification in blood vessels.
- Crews use heavy resistance workouts with osteoporosis drugs because exercise alone does not preserve bone, a combined approach that also guides care for disuse bone loss on Earth.
- NASA has not disclosed the Artemis II crew’s bone‑protection regimen.