These experiments are part of the Polaris Dawn mission, which launched earlier today aboard SpaceX's Dragon spacecraft and Falcon 9 rocket.
The Polaris Dawn crew - Jared Isaacman, Scott "Kidd" Poteet, Sarah Gillis, and Anna Menon - will contribute to critical health and human performance studies under NASA's Human Research Program. Their work will help scientists better understand how spaceflight impacts the human body. The crew will test telemedicine technologies, collect data on space motion sickness, and assess risks related to flight-associated injuries.
"Each mission, whether the crew is comprised of commercial or NASA astronauts, provides a key opportunity to expand our knowledge about how spaceflight affects human health," said Jancy McPhee, associate chief scientist for human research at NASA. "Information gathered from Polaris Dawn will give us critical insights to help NASA plan for deeper space travel to the Moon and Mars."
During the mission, the crew will evaluate a commercial device designed to gather various health measurements, including blood pressure, heart rate, respiration rate, and body temperature. The device also features ultrasound imaging and a camera focused on the throat and larynx. Additionally, it includes an experimental telemedicine function aimed at diagnosing health issues in near real-time.
To test the device, the crew will compare the health data it collects with results from standard health exams. The device's telemedicine capabilities, powered by SpaceX's Starlink communications system, will also be tested in a simulation, allowing the crew to seek medical diagnoses based on input and existing medical data.
"Crew members will need to be more self-reliant during lengthy missions, and we hope that telemedicine can provide crews with assistance," added McPhee.
Another research initiative will focus on understanding and mitigating the effects of space motion sickness, which many astronauts encounter. Crew members will document their symptoms, test various interventions, and report on their effectiveness.
Additionally, a NASA research project will survey the crew post-mission to identify any injuries or discomfort experienced during re-entry. Preston Greenhalgh, an injury biomechanist at NASA, is leading this study. He noted, "Our team will take the crew's survey data and combine it with information gathered from sensors on the spacecraft. This will allow us to link crews' reported experiences and health outcomes with the spacecraft's dynamics and landing loads."
NASA-funded TRISH (Translational Research Institute for Health), in collaboration with several academic institutions, is also involved in the mission's health research. The crew will participate in studies that will establish a new baseline for collecting health data on commercial spaceflights, which will complement the datasets routinely gathered from NASA astronauts.
Polaris Dawn crew members involved in these TRISH studies will undergo comprehensive medical assessments before, during, and after the mission. These tests will examine factors such as mental health, sleep patterns, bone density, cognitive function, and eye health. The research will also analyze blood, urine, and respiratory samples.
"We're so grateful to the crew members who volunteer to be part of NASA's work. The insights that we gain from each study may trigger breakthroughs that will help ensure future mission success," McPhee said.
Related Links
NASA Human Research Program
Space Medicine Technology and Systems
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