Preliminary Studies for Biomedical Analysis of Human Hair Exposed to Long-Term Space Flight (Hair) Project: An Analysis of Trace Elements in the Hair
TLDR Human hair can be used to study mineral changes from long-term space flight.
The study aimed to explore the feasibility of using human hair as a biospecimen to detect changes in mineral metabolism due to long-term space flight, particularly after the Space Shuttles' retirement made sample transportation challenging. Researchers focused on analyzing trace elements like calcium, sulfur, and chlorine in hair shafts from astronauts on the International Space Station. Ground-based studies established a methodology using Electron Probe Micro Analyzer (EPMA) to identify mineral distribution in human scalp hair. An animal study also showed a central concentration of calcium in mice hair exposed to microgravity, supporting the potential of hair analysis in space research.
