Spaceflight is known to impose changes on human physiology with unknown molecular etiologies. To reveal these causes, we used a multi-omics, systems biology analytical approach using biomedical profiles from fifty-nine astronauts and data from NASA’s GeneLab derived from hundreds of samples flown in space to determine transcriptomic, proteomic, metabolomic, and epigenetic responses to spaceflight. Overall pathway analyses on the multi-omics datasets showed significant enrichment for mitochondrial processes, as well as innate immunity, chronic inflammation, cell cycle, circadian rhythm, and olfactory functions. Importantly, NASA’s Twin Study provided a platform to confirm several of our principal findings. Evidence of altered mitochondrial function and DNA damage was also found in the urine and blood metabolic data compiled from the astronaut cohort and NASA Twin Study data, indicating mitochondrial stress as a consistent phenotype of spaceflight.

众所周知，太空飞行会以未知的分子病因对人体生理产生变化。为了揭示这些原因，我们使用了多组学、系统生物学分析方法，使用来自 59 名宇航员的生物医学资料和来自美国宇航局基因实验室的数据，这些数据来自太空飞行的数百个样本，以确定对太空飞行的转录组学、蛋白质组学、代谢组学和表观遗传反应. 对多组学数据集的整体通路分析显示线粒体过程以及先天免疫、慢性炎症、细胞周期、昼夜节律和嗅觉功能显着丰富。重要的是，美国宇航局的双胞胎研究提供了一个平台来证实我们的几个主要发现。