Bio-Medical Research on Response to Spaceflight for Emerging Civilian and Commercial Sectors in Cislunar Space, Mars and Beyond

Abstract

This review introduces an emerging commercial sector in cislunar space, which will soon extend to Mars, the asteroids and the moons of Jupiter and Saturn. Businesses will join state programs and provide opportunities for physicians and biomedical researchers to analyze data on the human body in space. With new capabilities at hand and with a concern for fairness, personal health and the goal of mission completion, physicians will be able to advise space travelers of their specific risks in microgravity. This review summarizes two lines of research, one very large and the other more limited. However, both will prove fruitful in preparing the larger numbers of civilians soon to enter space. Open access data available from the new Space Omics Medical Atlas (SOMA) will suggest remediations for specific groups, genders and risk profiles. Smaller studies will continue on the overall genetic and hormonal foundations of neuroplasticity in space, now in animal models and hopefully soon in humans. Of interest are the special abilities of the human species to adapt neurologically to a wide variety of environments, including exoplanets in other star systems. Here, existing remediations are summarized and experimental remediations for the future, described.