• They are using an extremely small population from which to base their findings. To be clear, their calculation of 43% of deaths is based on the deaths of only three people: Neil Armstrong, Jim Irwin, and Ron Evans. Such a small sampling group is statistically irrelevant.

• Cardiovascular disease is the leading killer of Americans. In such a small sampling group as lunar-flown Apollo astronauts, it only takes an extra death or two from a particular disease to really shift the percentages. Irwin experienced cardiac irregularities while on the lunar surface, so it could be argued that he may have had a predisposition to heart problems before he ever flew to the moon.

• Comparing against other astronauts who have only flown in low earth orbit will not necessarily provide a valid comparison, unless one only compares against astronauts of the same age group. Shuttle astronauts comprise the majority of the flown astronaut population, and are generally younger than the Apollo astronauts. Therefore, Shuttle astronauts who have passed to date are more likely to have succumbed to other diseases or accidents more common to a younger population. As they age, one can expect to see a rise in deaths associated with older populations... including cardiovascular disease.

Dr. Delp said his team felt that it was important to release their findings, even with shortcomings.

"What it does is point to the fact that we need a lot more study on this," he said. "One of the things that NASA and others have been most concerned about with space radiation is cancer. The cardiovascular system has barely gotten mentioned."

"With only 10 years before people are planning to send people back to deep space, we thought, 'We can sit on this study, or we can try to get it out there,'" Dr. Delp said. "We felt it was important enough to get it out."

That leaves nine natural deaths among the non-lunar astronauts for which the causes are generally known. Of those deaths, three were due to cardiovascular disease (33% of the total). Two others had other diseases, but ultimately fell to heart attacks or heart failure (bringing the percentage up to 56%). The remaining four were either due to cancer (2) or other health issues (2).

Statistically speaking, the cardiovascular death rate is basically identical to the three lunar-flown astronauts (out of seven total for whom causes of death are publicly known) who died of cardiovascular disease (43%). Certainly, it is not "four or five times higher" as the article states.

Again, it's important to remember that cardiovascular disease (heart disease and strokes) accounts for roughly 29% of all deaths by white males in the United States, followed closely by cancer at around 24%. Those numbers for heart disease and cancer tend to be higher once you get over the age of 60.

It would appear to be unwarranted and, perhaps, even unethical to release a scientific report while admitting to knowing that there are shortcomings due to lack of data points.

To take 12 humans and interpolate medical data to make a huge assumption that the deep space astronauts had a higher than average death rate from heart disease is not really rational. One twelfth of the moonwalkers died in motorcycle accidents, therefore a majority of the astronaut corp is adverse to motorcycles.

Nine of the 14 members of the 1963 astronaut group are still alive and all are in their 80s. Only one of them has died from natural causes (Eisele, heart attack). Five of the nine-man 1962 group are still kicking, with only Armstrong dying from natural causes. Five from the six-member 1965 group, 11 of the 19-man 1966 group, seven of the "XS-11" group and four of the seven-man MOL-to-NASA group.

Only the Original 7 group has a lesser number with Glenn (the oldest and earliest born of all the astronauts, and thus far the only NASA astronaut to make it to age 90) the only surviving member.

The Galatic Cosmic Rays — a small but important part of which are also known as "high (or heavy) Z ions" — clearly pack a punch and have cancer implications... Big DNA splits and gene damage.

Additionally, even within the Earth's atmosphere, there now seem to be some clear ties between cardiovascular disease and ionizing radiation. NCRP has a big "million worker study" going on that is looking closely at all these aspects (not GCRs though). And if you aren't aware, more info is coming to light about severe cognitive degradation and neuron destruction from these high Z ionized particles.

Here's a brief popular article on the cognitive implications (not a medical journal piece).

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Originally posted by MCroft04:
I agree; a very weak study. And from my Florida State.

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However I don’t see how this study moves the needle on that topic in any way. As has been mentioned already, the sample size is just too small, the Apollo mission durations too short, and the flights in question produced many very active and fit octogenarian crew-members.

Like others, I toss out Jim Irwin as a study sample. There was a robust CS thread on Irwin a few months back. Whether he had a heart attack during the Apollo 15 mission or not can be debated, but he certainly suffered heart irregularities. I don’t see how his case could legitimately be used in this long term study.

Along with previously mentioned family history as a cardiovascular risk factor, poor diet is probably the biggest risk factor, i.e. cholesterol, saturated fats, triglycerides, etc.

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Originally posted by OV-105:
Funny that it was not brought up that none of the astronauts who flew to the moon twice were exposed to twice as much as the others who passed from heart disease.

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