NASA’s Glenn Research Center invites members of the media to learn more about how Glenn’s Human Research Program identifies and develops solutions to keep astronauts safe and healthy while exploring space, 9 to 11 a.m. EDT Wednesday, Aug. 28.
Human research project managers will be available for interviews to discuss Glenn’s role in exploration health; provide a tour of the center’s Exercise Countermeasures Lab and highlight some of the locally developed space health technology and equipment.
Over the past four decades of human space flight research, NASA has discovered that time spent in space poses added risks and affects the human body in many ways, causing permanent physical changes in some cases. While countermeasures have been developed to mitigate some of these issues, there are still more to overcome.
“During long-duration exploration missions beyond low Earth orbit, astronauts need medical capabilities to diagnose and treat disease, as well as maintain their health,” said Laurie Stauber, Glenn’s bioscience and technology watch agent. “This is critical to continued human exploration of space.”
The NASA Human Research Program, managed out of the Johnson Space Center, has identified 34 gaps in exploration medical capability that need to be addressed to ensure the success of long-term space exploration. These gaps range from figuring out how to sterilize medical instruments in space, to generating and delivering IV fluids to an ill or injured astronaut.
However, because of NASA’s limited expertise in the biomedical field, developing solutions for many of these capability gaps requires the collaboration of other federal laboratories, academia and bio-medical industry partners. This provides an opportunity to collaborate with NASA in the development of exploration medical technologies that have applications in space and, potentially, on Earth as well.
In addition, as space missions become longer and cover greater distances, the need for astronauts to remain physically capable of performing required tasks becomes more important.Therefore, Glenn is continuing to pursue development of exercise equipment and routines, through collaborative efforts, to help ensure astronauts’ mission success.
So far, these efforts have resulted in development of a Zero-Gravity Locomotion Simulator, compact exercise devices and an exercise harness that allows astronauts to use a treadmill while in the microgravity environment of the space station. However, because the existing equipment will most likely be too cumbersome for use in the confines of future crewed, long-haul, exploration vehicles, additional collaborative solutions will be needed.
To meet with Glenn’s Human Research Program project managers, contact Frank Jennings, Jr. by email at francis.t.jennings@nasa.gov or by phone at 216- 433-2776 by 1 p.m. EDT Tuesday, Aug. 27.
To learn more about NASA Glenn’s Human Research Program, visit:
http://microgravity.grc.nasa.gov/SOPO/ICHO/HRP/
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Frank Jennings, Jr.
Media Relations Office
216-433-2776
francis.t.jennings@nasa.gov