Texas A&M Leads the Way in Understanding Long-Term Health Effects of Space Travel
The final frontier poses significant challenges to human health. Astronauts endure years of rigorous training, yet space travel takes a toll on their bodies. Texas A&M University's Aerospace Medicine Program is pioneering research to understand and mitigate these effects, making long-duration spaceflight its central focus. This initiative is the first of its kind, aiming to address the unique health risks associated with venturing beyond Earth.
NASA uses the acronym RIDGE to define the challenges astronauts face: space radiation, isolation and confinement, distance from Earth, gravity fields, and hostile/closed environments. Exposure to radiation can lead to increased cancer risk and nervous system damage, mirroring potential outcomes observed after events like the Chernobyl disaster. Isolation and confinement can lead to mental health difficulties, impacting sleep and communication.
Dr. Jeffery Chancellor, a physicist and space radiation expert leading the program, has worked on over 10 NASA-funded flight studies. His wife, Dr. Serena Auñón-Chancellor, a physician and former astronaut, brings 15 years of spaceflight experience to the program as an associate professor.
Texas A&M's program emphasizes emerging spaceflight environments, particularly long-duration missions in microgravity and lunar surface operations. The program incorporates lessons from analog missions and spaceflight simulations, examining the biological impact of space exposure. Students participate in immersive training scenarios, including specialized training at the FAA's Civil Aerospace Medical Institute (CAMI) and shadowing flight surgeons at commercial spaceflight companies.
Meanwhile, a team led by researchers at Baylor College of Medicine has developed GENESTAR, a protocol for collecting and processing biospecimens from commercial spaceflight participants. Tested on crew members from the Axiom-2 mission, GENESTAR focuses on data privacy, ethical research, and effective sample tracking. The study aims to improve sample qualities to a standard for advanced molecular testing and can have major implications for healthcare on Earth.
GENESTAR is part of the Space Omics project. According to Dr. Rihana S. Bokhari, scientists collect omics data to understand the genetic, physiological, cellular and microbiome changes related to space travel. The researchers are using technologies like genomics(DNA), transcriptomics (RNA), proteomics (proteins) and microbiomics (microbes) to uncover how space travel affects the body at a molecular level.
The intersection of aerospace medicine and research is crucial as humanity looks to extended stays on the moon and even potentially Mars. Texas A&M, Baylor, and other institutions are laying the groundwork to ensure the health and safety of future space explorers. By better understanding the challenges and developing effective countermeasures, these programs are paving the way for safer, longer missions into the cosmos.
What other challenges do you foresee for long-duration space travel, and what solutions might be developed in the future? Share your thoughts in the comments below.
