Responses of Cardiac Tissue to Simulated Weightlessness

Questions being addressed by this study • Which cardiac changes occur at the molecular level in response to the fluid shifts, musculoskeletal disuse and the relative inactivity that occur during long duration weightlessness? • Are these changes reversible, and do the animal data suggest a significant risk to astronaut health? • Are females as vulnerable as males to the adverse effects of long duration weightlessness? • Does age affect the ability of cardiac tissue to adapt to and recover from long duration weightlessness? MILESTONES