Date of Presentation
5-4-2023 12:00 AM
College
School of Osteopathic Medicine
Poster Abstract
Since the beginning of spaceflight, keeping humans healthy has been a serious concern. Prior to 2021, astronauts had to undergo an elite selection process to embark in space travel. Now that commercial spaceflight is a reality, the criteria to experience space has been significantly loosened, raising health concerns to a larger and unhealthier pool of travelers. Most commercial spaceflight clients are anticipated to be middle-aged adults, which implies many will suffer from high blood pressure and heart disease, both of which are frequent ailments in this age group. Because of the massive compression the body undergoes during takeoff and return, even a brief trip into space could pose major health risks to the elderly and those with comorbidities. Longer flights are likely to aggravate several common medical conditions like asthma, heart disease, and cancer, which would normally disqualify someone from a NASA flight according to NASA’s database. The space environment includes cosmic radiation, altered gravity fields, hostile environments, isolation/confinement, and distance from the earth. Some of the detrimental health outcomes include cancer, cardiovascular disease, central nervous system risks, impaired immune function, muscle atrophy/bone loss, sleep disorders and behavioral changes. While the space exposome proposes its own challenges, the individual factors of each civilian also contribute to disease outcome, and the differences between civilians and highly trained astronauts must be addressed. Since the industry of space travel is just beginning, the realities of space tourism for an average American are still unknown. However, evidence supports the alarming differences between an average American and a trained astronaut embarking in space travel.
Keywords
Space Flight, Middle Aged, Health Status, Space Research, Epidemiologic Factors, Space Tourism
Disciplines
Aerospace Medicine | Medical Humanities | Medicine and Health Sciences | Other Mental and Social Health | Pathological Conditions, Signs and Symptoms | Psychological Phenomena and Processes | Translational Medical Research
Document Type
Poster
Included in
Aerospace Medicine Commons, Medical Humanities Commons, Other Mental and Social Health Commons, Pathological Conditions, Signs and Symptoms Commons, Psychological Phenomena and Processes Commons, Translational Medical Research Commons
Awareness & Prevention of Health Hazards for Americans Embarking in Space Tourism
Since the beginning of spaceflight, keeping humans healthy has been a serious concern. Prior to 2021, astronauts had to undergo an elite selection process to embark in space travel. Now that commercial spaceflight is a reality, the criteria to experience space has been significantly loosened, raising health concerns to a larger and unhealthier pool of travelers. Most commercial spaceflight clients are anticipated to be middle-aged adults, which implies many will suffer from high blood pressure and heart disease, both of which are frequent ailments in this age group. Because of the massive compression the body undergoes during takeoff and return, even a brief trip into space could pose major health risks to the elderly and those with comorbidities. Longer flights are likely to aggravate several common medical conditions like asthma, heart disease, and cancer, which would normally disqualify someone from a NASA flight according to NASA’s database. The space environment includes cosmic radiation, altered gravity fields, hostile environments, isolation/confinement, and distance from the earth. Some of the detrimental health outcomes include cancer, cardiovascular disease, central nervous system risks, impaired immune function, muscle atrophy/bone loss, sleep disorders and behavioral changes. While the space exposome proposes its own challenges, the individual factors of each civilian also contribute to disease outcome, and the differences between civilians and highly trained astronauts must be addressed. Since the industry of space travel is just beginning, the realities of space tourism for an average American are still unknown. However, evidence supports the alarming differences between an average American and a trained astronaut embarking in space travel.