Andrew Pastor M.D.

Orthopedic Shoulder and Elbow Surgeon. Engineer. Edmonds, Washington

Healthcare Advances Prompted by Space Exploration #NASA #SpaceX #BlueOrigin #Space

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When considering the necessities for space exploration, it’s often forgotten that the health and medical requirements in such an environment are much different than what can be expected on firm ground.   With the majority of astronauts being physicists and engineers, it’s important to consider how to maintain health in a zero-gravity environment and what to do should something go wrong as there are no physicians or hospitals that can assist with such issues. 

 Past space exploration missions have proven that there is a unique subset of conditions that can develop in even the healthiest of astronauts after a relatively short period of time.  Without appropriate exercise, they lose bone and muscle mass, their hearts become deconditioned, and their blood vessels stiffen. A subset of astronauts develop a swelling of the optic nerve and possibly an increase in pressure on the brain. Even dormant viruses become activated, alongside changes to the immune system. There is a sense of urgency to solve these problems if we are to send humans to Mars and return them safely in the next decade or two.

 However, these kinds of issues being identified and studied have led to many medical and healthcare innovations on earth that serve a much greater population than just those who are slipping the bounds of our planet.  Discoveries in space robotics and new materials propelled the field of prosthetics, improving the quality of life for many. Millions of cancer patients depend on the digital imaging techniques developed by the space program to enhance MRI and computerized tomography (CT) scans so that we can detect tumors early, or better yet, that there are not any to find at all. Though many do not realize it, humans have been living and working in space continuously for the past two decades. The conditions of spaceflight have accelerated our ability to study progressive degenerative diseases as well. 

 With this being considered, it becomes more clear that these kinds of space missions have goals that go beyond just attempting to find what is out there.   These conditions allow for the rapid development of new technologies to ensure that not only astronauts, but all humans can receive the highest quality of care possible. 

 Space demands the best in healthcare innovations, focusing on prevention and early intervention using smart, creative solutions.  This is somewhat a shift in the existing paradigm of reactive treatment to conditions that arise in humans.  On a mission to Mars, blood tests must be done in a matter of minutes, by the patient, on a single drop of blood. A trained and adaptive computer algorithm will track health status based on a variety of physiological parameters and alert astronauts when important deviations from normal become evident.  These astronauts must rely on such computer resources because the sheer distance from Earth will prohibit the majority of communication.  Due to this, the astronauts must act as their own healthcare providers and rely on the assessment of these automated machines and computers to assist in the maintenance of their health.

 Space exploration has already produced hundreds of innovations that have saved the lives of countless humans. Simply put, to land women and men on Mars and return them healthy, we must reinvent healthcare. While this is an extremely daunting task, the positive consequences of this work will impact all of humanity.