Population analysis of space travelers

Abstract

Although many space missions have been completed in the last 60 years, space exploration is still technologically and medically challenging. While large-scale medical studies are impossible in space travelers, meta-analysis allows combining data from small crews that participated in space missions over several decades. Our primary objective was to examine space-travelers' sociodemographic characteristics and spaceflight activities, and their changes with time from the first spaceflight. Our secondary objective was to evaluate the publication practices to assess data availability for health-related meta-analytic studies. Based on state-funded space agencies used as primary sources, and third-party websites used as secondary sources, 565 humans (501 males/64 females) have currently completed spaceflight. The average age of space-travelers increased from 34±4 in the 1960s to 45±4 in the 2010s. While the duration of space missions has increased consistently, the number of missions per year varied in correlation with technological events. Using papers identified in the systematic review of bone health in astronauts, we examined the changes in reporting practices with time. The reported sample size varied from 1 to 58 people, in total providing data for 148 individuals. Data confidentiality significantly improved with time; however, the corresponding decrease in the availability of individual parameters did not allow stratification even by age, sex, and mission duration. Thus, space travelers represent a diverse population suitable for comparative studies, however, it is important to develop reporting practices that ensure consistent, transparent, and ethical presentation of outcomes to support meta-analyses that are critical for understanding the scope of spaceflight-induced health issues.

Keywords: Astronauts; Cosmonauts; Demographics; History; Population; Space flight.