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前往火星单程大约需要六个月，宇航员在长期失重之后，心脏能否适应只有地球约38%的火星重力，一直是载人登火计划需要回答的问题。美国西北大学10月18日发布消息，介绍该校医学院与得克萨斯大学西南医学中心、得克萨斯大学休斯敦健康科学中心学者合作的研究：团队跟踪了13名在国际空间站执行任务的宇航员（任务时长中位数为164天），在任务前、任务中和返回后用心脏超声记录心脏结构与功能的变化，在轨期间由宇航员每隔几周互相检查。结果显示，进入太空最初两周，心脏在两次搏动之间充盈的血量和每次搏动泵出的血量都有所下降，但这种变化是暂时的，随后逐渐回到接近飞行前的水平；研究者认为，每天最多两小时、结合耐力训练与抗阻训练的锻炼起了关键作用。返回地球后，研究者让宇航员从平躺状态向上倾斜22度来模拟火星重力，发现他们的心脏应对情况与飞行前在地球上直立时相当。论文已于9月发表在美国心脏协会期刊《循环》（Circulation）上。作者同时说明，这只是一项样本较小的探索性研究，倾斜模拟也不等于真正在火星上行走。文章按“问题—证据—局限”的思路展开，可留意 may、suggest、still 等词如何划定结论的边界。

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A trip to Mars would take about six months, and astronauts would spend that time floating in near weightlessness. When they arrived, they would need to stand, walk and work in gravity that is only about 38 percent of Earth’s. Could their hearts handle that change? A study of 13 astronauts suggests the answer may be yes, as long as they keep exercising. Northwestern University shared the findings on October 18, after they were published in the journal Circulation in September.

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前往火星大约需要六个月，宇航员会在这段时间里漂浮在近乎失重的环境中。到达之后，他们需要在只有地球约38%的重力下站立、行走和工作。他们的心脏能应对这种变化吗？一项针对13名宇航员的研究表明，只要坚持锻炼，答案可能是肯定的。这项研究的论文于9月发表在《循环》（Circulation）期刊上，西北大学在10月18日介绍了这些发现。

The question matters because space changes the body. On Earth, gravity pulls blood down toward the legs. In space, that pull almost disappears, so people use their muscles less. James Thomas, the study’s senior author, explained that they can lose muscle and heart mass. After earlier missions, many astronauts felt dizzy when they stood up again on Earth, because their blood pressure dropped suddenly.

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这个问题之所以重要，是因为太空会改变人的身体。在地球上，重力会把血液往下拉向双腿。在太空中，这种拉力几乎消失，所以人们使用肌肉的次数变少。该研究的资深作者詹姆斯·托马斯（James Thomas）解释说，宇航员可能会流失肌肉量和心肌量。在以往的任务结束后，许多宇航员回到地球再次站起来时会感到头晕，因为他们的血压突然下降了。

To find out what happens during a long stay, the team followed astronauts who spent a median of 164 days on the International Space Station. Each person had ultrasound scans of the heart before, during and after the mission. In orbit, the astronauts were trained to scan one another every few weeks. Thomas often watched the images arrive live at about 3 a.m. and coached the crew to improve them.

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为了弄清长期停留期间会发生什么，研究团队跟踪了在国际空间站停留时间中位数为164天的宇航员。每个人在任务前、任务中和任务后都接受了心脏超声检查。在轨道上，宇航员经过培训，每隔几周互相做一次检查。托马斯常常在凌晨3点左右实时观看传回的图像，并指导机组人员把图像拍得更好。

The scans showed an early drop. In the first two weeks, the astronauts’ hearts filled with less blood between beats and pumped less blood with each beat. But this change was temporary. As the missions went on, these measures gradually moved back toward their levels before flight. The researchers believe exercise was a key reason. Under a NASA program, the crew worked out for up to two hours a day, mixing endurance exercise with resistance training.

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检查显示心脏功能在初期有所下降。在最初两周里，宇航员的心脏在两次搏动之间充盈的血液变少，每次搏动泵出的血液也变少。但这种变化是暂时的。随着任务推进，这些指标逐渐回到接近飞行前的水平。研究人员认为锻炼是一个关键原因。按照美国国家航空航天局（NASA）的一项计划，机组人员每天锻炼最多两小时，把耐力训练与抗阻训练结合起来。

The most unusual test came after landing. Scientists cannot create Mars gravity on Earth, so each astronaut lay down and was then tilted 22 degrees upward. This moved blood toward the lower body in a way that copies the weaker pull of Mars. The astronauts’ hearts handled this position as well as they had handled standing upright on Earth before launch.

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最不寻常的测试是在着陆之后进行的。科学家无法在地球上制造出火星重力，因此让每名宇航员先躺下，再向上倾斜22度。这样会使血液流向下半身，以此模仿火星较弱的引力。宇航员的心脏对这种姿势的应对情况，与他们发射前在地球上直立时一样好。

Thomas said there is now reason to think people could travel to Mars and actually work on its surface. Still, the authors describe their work as a small exploratory study. It looked at only 13 people, and lying at an angle on Earth is not the same as walking on another planet. The results also cover only trips of about six months with similar exercise.

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托马斯说，现在有理由认为，人类可以前往火星，并真正在火星表面开展工作。不过，作者把这项工作称为一项小规模的探索性研究。它只观察了13个人，而在地球上斜躺并不等同于在另一颗行星上行走。这些结果也只适用于大约六个月、并进行类似锻炼的旅程。

新闻来源

• Northwestern University · Exercise helps astronauts’ hearts handle months in space, boosting prospects for Mars (18 Oct 2026)
• Circulation · Impact of Prolonged Spaceflight on Cardiac Structure and Function: An Exploratory Longitudinal Observational Study (15 Sep 2026)

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