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<\/a><\/figure>NASA researchers will soon benefit from a suite of experiments flying aboard a new fully-commercial human spaceflight mission, strengthening future agency science as we venture to the Moon, Mars and beyond.<\/p>\n
The experiments are flying as part of the Polaris Dawn mission which launched aboard a SpaceX Dragon spacecraft and Falcon 9 rocket earlier today.<\/p>\n
The four-person Polaris Dawn crew of Jared Isaacman, Scott \u201cKidd\u201d Poteet, Sarah Gillis, and Anna Menon will conduct science during the mission including essential health and human performance research for NASA\u2019s Human Research Program<\/a>. The research will help NASA scientists better understand how exposure to space conditions affects the human body. The crew will test new medical approaches and technology on telemedicine capabilities, gather data on space motion sickness, and better characterize flight-associated injury risks.<\/p>\n \u201cEach 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,\u201d said Jancy McPhee, associate chief scientist for human research at NASA. \u201cInformation gathered from Polaris Dawn will give us critical insights to help NASA plan for deeper space travel to the Moon and Mars.\u201d<\/p>\n The crew will test drive, <\/sup><\/em>a commercial device that can collect and integrate measurements of health, including blood pressure, heart rate, respiration rate, and temperature. The technology also provides ultrasound imaging and larynx and throat-focused video camera capabilities, and includes an experimental telemedicine feature that could help diagnose crew members in near-real time.<\/p>\n To test this technology during the mission, crew members will compare vital sign collection from the device with data gathered from standard periodic health status exams. The technology\u2019s telemedicine feature, which relies on SpaceX\u2019s Starlink communications system to connect with doctors and specialists on Earth, will also be tested during a simulation. During the test, the device will attempt to offer an appropriate diagnosis based on crew inputs and available documentation.<\/strong><\/p>\n \u201cCrew members will need to be more self-reliant during lengthy missions, and we hope that telemedicine can provide crews with assistance,\u201d said McPhee.<\/p>\n Another research project aims to better understand and prevent the motion sickness symptoms that many astronauts experience in space. Participating crew members will describe their motion sickness symptoms, what interventions they tried to alleviate their symptoms, and whether any approaches helped.<\/p>\n A separate NASA-based research project will survey crew members after their mission to see whether they experienced any injuries or discomfort during re-entry to Earth.<\/p>\n \u201cOur team will take the crew\u2019s survey data and combine it with information gathered from sensors on the spacecraft. This will allow us to link crews\u2019 reported experiences and health outcomes with the spacecraft\u2019s dynamics and landing loads,\u201d said Preston Greenhalgh, an injury biomechanist at NASA who is leading this work.<\/p>\n