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Medical experts play key role in space missions, says ISRO former chief

Last Updated 25 March 2015, 20:54 IST

A successful space mission would most often lead one to associate the mission with successful scientists alone. However, medical experts are also a significant part of space missions.

For, ambitious space missions need experts in medicine to help astronauts cope with challenges in space, said former ISRO chairman K Radhakrishnan. The senior scientist had the audience by the edge of their seats, who listened intently to his talk on space medicine.

He was delivering the 17 annual convocation address of Rajiv Gandhi University of Health Sciences (RGUHS) in the city on Wednesday. The convocation was held at the Nimhans convention centre.

In an interesting take on interlinking of the fields of medicine and space sciences, Radhakrishnan explained about the scope of space medicine and the significance of it in the coming years. Medicine has expanded to help humans survive in the space where astronauts are exposed to conditions detrimental to the body and mind.

“Exposure to microgravity conditions of space results in space motion sickness, loss of bone density, accumulation of body fluids in the upper part of the body and also problems of vertigo among other conditions. In helping cope with these challenges, space medicine has evolved as a field of research enhancing human confidence in encountering space over long durations, he observed.

At the convocation, as many as 87 gold medals were awarded to 56 candidates. Mangala Gowri K, from Bangalore Medical College and Research Institute, was awarded the highest number of gold medals (five), followed by two students who won four gold medals each: Vijeta Vithalray Rane, who completed MBBS from S Nijalingappa Medical College, Bagalkot, and Nikita Jain, who completed her degree from MS Ramaiah College.

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(Published 25 March 2015, 20:54 IST)

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