ORLANDO, Fla. — Doctors and researchers at the University of Central Florida College of Medicine are studying how spaceflight affects the human body, from the heart and brain to mental health, as humanity prepares for more extended and more distant missions.
A new program at UCF is focused on answering a fundamental question: How do you keep humans healthy in deep space? Those in the program say the timing could not be more critical.
The university recently launched the Center for Aerospace and Extreme Environments Medicine, bringing together doctors, engineers, psychologists, and computer scientists to address the medical risks of space travel.
Dr. Ed Powers, the center’s director and a former chief of NASA’s Medical Operations Branch, says the challenges ahead go far beyond what researchers have already learned aboard the International Space Station.
“We’ve learned a great deal about the microgravity environment for human beings, but now the next step is to get out to the moon, even Mars, where it’s farther out there, more remote and more radiation exposure,” he said.
Powers says UCF is especially well-positioned to support future missions with both NASA and private spaceflight companies.
“The University of Central Florida is uniquely qualified to support that because of the geographic location,” said Powers. “We’re the only medical school that is in close proximity to the Space Center.”
With NASA’s Artemis II mission scheduled to fly astronauts around the Moon and commercial spaceflight expected to continue expanding, researchers say the work being done now could play a decisive role in the success of future missions.
“I would say that right now we’re laying the groundwork for some very, very extensive support of future missions,” said Powers. “So, it’s very critical for us to be in that early stage of some of the preparation for what’s coming.”
Beyond space exploration, researchers say discoveries made in extreme environments could have significant benefits on Earth, including improving radiation treatments for cancer patients and expanding access to medical care for people in remote areas.
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