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Private Spaceflight: A New Landscape for Dealing with Medical Risk
Yuri V Griko1, David J Loftus1, Viktor Stolc1
1Division of Space Biosciences, NASA Ames Research Center, Moffett Field, CA, 94035.
Life Sciences in Space Research
|May 1, 2022
Summary
As space travel expands to civilians, new risks emerge. Genomic tools may help select individuals best suited for spaceflight, ensuring safety beyond Earth orbit.
Area of Science:
- Space exploration
- Aerospace medicine
- Human physiology in space
Background:
- Increasing private sector involvement in spaceflight beyond low Earth orbit (LEO).
- Growing number of civilian space travelers, including those with disabilities.
- Limited understanding of individual tolerance to spaceflight hazards for non-professional astronauts.
Purpose of the Study:
- To address the need for selection strategies for non-government space travelers.
- To explore the use of advanced tools like genomics for risk assessment.
- To ensure the safety and well-being of civilians in space.
Main Methods:
- Review of current space exploration initiatives and civilian space travel trends.
- Analysis of medical and behavioral data from professional astronauts.
- Consideration of genomic and other modern assessment tools.
Main Results:
- Short-duration orbital flights have shown few issues for healthy astronauts.
- Extended missions reveal individual differences in tolerating spaceflight environments.
- Current selection criteria may be insufficient for a diverse civilian spacefaring population.
Conclusions:
- Development of robust selection strategies for civilian space travelers is crucial.
- Genomic and personalized medicine approaches can identify susceptibility to spaceflight risks.
- Proactive assessment is needed to mitigate medical risks in the expanding space tourism industry.
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