NASA twin study

Nasa Twin Study.png

Biology, meet Space

Mark and Scott Kelly are both Engineers, retired US Navy Captains and now retired Astronauts.

 

Mark Kelly (@ShuttleCDRKelly) retired from NASA in 2011 and his space missions are:

2001: STS-108 (12 days)

2006: STS-121 (13 days)

2008: STS-124 (14 days)

2011: STS-134 (16 days)

 

Scott Kelly (@StationCDRKelly) retired from NASA in 2016. His space missions are:

1999: STS-103 (8 days)

2007: STS-118 (13 days)

2010: International Space Station, Expeditions 25-26 (159 days)

2015: International Space Station, Expeditions 43-45 (340 days). The twin study was conducted during this mission.

Twins Study is ten separate investigations coordinating together and sharing all data and analysis as one large, integrated research team. NASA has selected 10 investigations, two at Stanford, to conduct with identical twin astronauts Scott and Mark Kelly. These investigations will provide broader insight into the subtle effects and changes that may occur in spaceflight as compared to Earth by studying two individuals who have the same genetics, but are in different environments for one year. The studies are broadly classified under the four categories:

  1. Human Physiology: How does the spaceflight environment induce changes in different organs like the heart, muscles or brain?
  2. Behavioral Health: How does spaceflight affect perception, reasoning, decision making and alertness?
  3. Microbiology/Microbiome: How do dietary differences and stressors affect the organisms in the twins’ guts? 
  4. Molecular / Omics: How do genes in the cells turn on and off as a result of spaceflight; and how stressors like radiation, confinement and microgravity prompt changes in the proteins and metabolites gathered in biological samples like blood, saliva, urine and stool? 

 

    NASA Twin Study in News:

    • Oct 28, 2017: NASA Twins Study spots thousands of genes toggling on and off in Scott Kelly, PBS (Link)
    • Aug 26, 2017: NASA sent one identical twin brother to space for a year and studied how it changed him — here are the first results, Independent (Link)
    • Aug 24, 2017: Exploring the ground truth: NASA's twin study investigates metabolites, ScienceDaily (Link)
    • Sep 7, 2016: What are the long-term health effects of living in space? NASA is studying twins Mark and Scott Kelly to find out. - Los Angeles Times( Link)
    • Mar 4, 2016: "Everybody Stretches" without Gravity: Mark Kelly Talks About NASA's Twins Study - NPR ( Link)
    • Mar 1, 2016: A tale of two astronauts: Scott and Mark Kelly begin new phase of NASA Twins Study - Los Angeles Times ( Link)