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Updated: May 15, 2026

Exploring the Effects of Spaceflight on Mouse Physiology using the Open Access NASA GeneLab Platform
Published on: January 13, 2019
Space flight calcium: implications for astronaut health, spacecraft operations, and Earth
Scott M Smith1, Torin McCoy, Daniel Gazda
1Human Health and Performance Directorate, NASA Lyndon B. Johnson Space Center, Houston, TX 77058, USA. scott.m.smith@nasa.gov
Abstract:
The space flight environment is known to induce bone loss and, subsequently, calcium loss. The longer the mission, generally the more bone and calcium are lost. This review provides a history of bone and calcium studies related to space flight and highlights issues related to calcium excretion that the space program must consider so that urine can be recycled. It also discusses a novel technique using natural stable isotopes of calcium that will be helpful in the future to determine calcium and bone balance during space flight.
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