That honour is shared with 30 mice who have been brought along as part of a new study into the crippling effect of space flight on our bones, which could have far-reaching benefits for both astronauts and osteoporosis sufferers.
Zero gravity is one of the most romanticised aspects of space flight, but prolonged weightlessness can have a dramatic and harmful impact on astronauts’ skeletons.
The lack of pressure on the muscles and bones during space travel – far less than our bodies are subjected to on Earth – leads to the wasting of muscle and bone tissue.
After the age of 20 the average person loses bone density at a rate of about one per cent each year, but while in space astronauts can experience a loss of one to two per cent a month.
Astronauts aboard the International Space Station perform a daily ritual of exercises to slow down the reduction of bone mass, but scientists have been unable to find a way to entirely halt the damaging process.
The symptoms are similar to those experienced by osteoporosis sufferers on Earth, with the loss of bone density leading to a higher risk of fracture and mobility problems.
After the Atlantis flight experts will test the group of 30 mice to monitor the effect of weightlessness on the production of sclerostin, a protein which blocks bone growth.
They expect to see heightened levels of the molecule, which is produced by bone cells called osteocytes, in half of the rodents after they return to Earth.
But the other half have been administered with an antibody to block sclerostin production, in the hope this will inoculate them against the bone wastage.
This could not only allow astronauts to take part in longer space flights, such as a manned mission to Mars, but could also lead to new treatments for conditions like osteoporosis back on Earth.
The antibody is being put through clinical trials by biotechnology companies Amgen and UCB.
Dr Chris Paszty, scientific executive director at Amgen, said the study would "enhance our understanding of the science behind the sclerostin antibody and arm us with important research to support potential future therapeutic applications in both astronauts and patients suffering from bone loss.”
Zero gravity is one of the most romanticised aspects of space flight, but prolonged weightlessness can have a dramatic and harmful impact on astronauts’ skeletons.
The lack of pressure on the muscles and bones during space travel – far less than our bodies are subjected to on Earth – leads to the wasting of muscle and bone tissue.
After the age of 20 the average person loses bone density at a rate of about one per cent each year, but while in space astronauts can experience a loss of one to two per cent a month.
The symptoms are similar to those experienced by osteoporosis sufferers on Earth, with the loss of bone density leading to a higher risk of fracture and mobility problems.
After the Atlantis flight experts will test the group of 30 mice to monitor the effect of weightlessness on the production of sclerostin, a protein which blocks bone growth.
They expect to see heightened levels of the molecule, which is produced by bone cells called osteocytes, in half of the rodents after they return to Earth.
But the other half have been administered with an antibody to block sclerostin production, in the hope this will inoculate them against the bone wastage.
This could not only allow astronauts to take part in longer space flights, such as a manned mission to Mars, but could also lead to new treatments for conditions like osteoporosis back on Earth.
The antibody is being put through clinical trials by biotechnology companies Amgen and UCB.
Dr Chris Paszty, scientific executive director at Amgen, said the study would "enhance our understanding of the science behind the sclerostin antibody and arm us with important research to support potential future therapeutic applications in both astronauts and patients suffering from bone loss.”
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