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Researchers: Help NASA Find Practical Ways to Monitor Astronaut Body Temperature in Low Earth Orbit

At center, Expedition 74 flight engineers Jack Hathaway of NASA and Sophie Adenot of ESA (European Space Agency) pose for a portrait with NASA flight engineers Jessica Meir (far left) and Chris Williams (far right) after assisting the pair into their spacesuits inside the International Space Station’s Quest airlock. Shortly afterward, Meir and Williams exited Quest to begin a seven‑hour‑and‑20‑minute spacewalk to replace a malfunctioning wrist joint on the Canadarm2 robotic arm.
(June 30, 2026) — At center, Expedition 74 flight engineers Jack Hathaway of NASA and Sophie Adenot of ESA pose with NASA flight engineers Jessica Meir (far left) and Chris Williams (far right) after assisting the pair into their spacesuits inside the International Space Station’s Quest airlock ahead of a spacewalk. 
CREDIT: ESA/Sophie Adenot

NASA invites the research community to provide input to improve how it monitors and manages astronauts’ core body temperature during a mission. 

Why Is Monitoring Core Temperatures Important? 

Emerging evidence suggests body temperature may run higher in microgravity and rise faster during exercise. NASA wants to better understand this and determine whether higher core body temperatures cause discomfort and overheating during exercise, spacewalks, and landing back on Earth. To best safeguard crews, NASA is exploring how monitoring technologies and research designs could improve models, protocols, and guidance during missions to low Earth orbit and during landing, as well as during future missions to the Moon.

What Are We seeking?

NASA’s Human Research Program (HRP) is seeking input from the scientific community on: 

  • Validated approaches practical for spaceflight to monitor and measure core body temperature and thermoregulatory responses at rest, during routine operations and exercise, and during re-entry/landing. Please provide rationale and methodology, prioritizing technologies viable for low Earth orbit. Note that we are very interested in your ideas for 24-hour monitoring. 
  • Methodologies for retrospective analyses of existing spaceflight datasets available through the NASA Life Sciences Data Portal. 
  • Recommendations for future research on thermoregulation relevant to short- and long-duration missions in low Earth orbit, in deeper space, and within partial-gravity habitation. Feel free to consider analogs such as relevant patient populations, parabolic and suborbital flight, and bed rest. 

Responses will guide work aligned with International Space Station missions and will inform future studies and operations on Artemis missions and on future commercial destinations in low Earth orbit. 

Is This a Funding Solicitation?

No. This RFI is for information gathering purposes only. NASA will use responses for planning and acquisition strategy on a non‑attributable basis. Please do not submit restricted/proprietary data.

Resources:

Deadline:  October 14, 2026, 2:00 p.m. CT. 

Apply: Click here to submit your ideas.

Questions: Contact the HRP chief science office at  js-hrp-chief-science-office@mail.nasa.gov.

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