Equal access to space: New study explores ways to have more ‘astronauts’ up high
A new NASA-funded study has investigated the feasibility of safely sending disabled people into space and returning them to Earth.
The review, known as the Astronautical Feasibility Study, made several recommendations, including revising the medical standards for astronaut selection and use parabolic plane flights to demonstrate the cosmonaut’s principle.
New research you can find here, defines “astronauts” as people with certain physical disabilities, such as defects in the lower legs, short stature, and a difference in leg length. The purpose of the report is to make progress towards increasing the inclusion of humans in space flight.
Released in November by the Potomac Institute for Policy Studies of Arlington, Virginia, the months-long study was conducted for NASA’s Office of the Chief Medical Officer and in consultation with medical experts, military and industry leaders and other organizations, as well as actors. subject matter experts including former astronauts.
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The right tool and the difficulty
Step back in time more than 60 years and recall the “fit and difficult” prerequisites for America’s first astronaut corps, Mercury 7. Still in effect at NASA are many of the same strict rules that would disqualify individuals with known physical disabilities from spaceflight, keeping them on the ground.
“There are many ways to get astronauts into space safely. It’s important that NASA and space agencies around the world find ways to include more spaceflight candidates and not rule them out. exclude any potential astronaut candidates based on physical limitations that are inconsistent with current technology and medical advances,” said Potomac Institute CEO Jennifer Buss.
“Our findings and recommendations are derived from monthly data gathered from interviews, studies and other methodologies,” she added, referring to the new report.
Helping the private sector
Former NASA director and astronaut Charles Bolden is a senior fellow at the Potomac Institute and serves on the institute’s regency board. On the one hand, he told Space.com, there’s “no burning need” for NASA to go out and expand the selection criteria for its astronauts.
However, he added, “NASA should be open to doing as much research as possible to help the private sector understand how best to fully integrate less than purely physical people into one crew.” .”
“I believe there are very few physical limitations to being able to successfully fly in space,” Bolden told Space.com. An astronaut “can be an incredible crew member. I feel that way all the time.”
A key issue, Bolden said, is how to safely send an astronaut into space “and in the event something bad happens, how [to] get them out of the situation safely without putting the rest of the team in danger. “
Self-propelled space travel
Bolden cites SpaceX’s Inspiration4 mission, the first human space flight to orbit Earth with only private citizens on board. Inspiration4 has four crew members, who circled our planet for three days this past September aboard the SpaceX Crew Dragon spacecraft.
One of those civilian astronauts is Hayley Arceneaux, a physician assistant at St. Jude and a pediatric cancer survivor. During her hospital stay years ago, she underwent chemotherapy and surgery to replace some of the bones in her leg with a prosthetic leg.
Bolden emphasizes the Crew Dragon’s highly autonomous design, which reduces the need for human input and, for the most part, has space explorers simply accompanying them.
“There is a difference between NASA, a government organization, and the private sector, where their main driver is profit,” Bolden said. Transferring NASA’s know-how for safe human spaceflight, he said, could help private space transport become competitive on the open market.
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First step
“I see astronaut research as a first step towards a larger endeavor, an initial starting point,” said Alyssa Adcock, a Potomac Institute researcher who led the new report.
Adcock sees this study as “a first step towards inclusion and a much larger way for us to look at human flight and human access to spaceflight,” she told the BBC. Space.com.
From Adcock’s perspective, NASA has a real opportunity to set standards for astronauts, with other nations capable of human spaceflight then potentially looking to NASA and adopting the that standard.
Positive signs
Several data points suggest that astronauts may become a larger part of the future spacecraft picture.
For example, there’s Arceneaux in Inspiration4. And the European Space Agency (ESA) launch his own space travel project in early 2021.
ESA’s efforts are aimed at individuals who are psychologically, cognitively, technically, and professionally qualified to be astronauts but have physical disabilities that would normally prevent them from being selected due to requirements. requirements posed by the current use of space hardware. The project focuses on including people with physical disabilities while ensuring that the mission is safe and effective.
Similar work is being carried out by the American group AstroAccess, which focuses on bringing scientists, veterans, students, athletes and artists with disabilities on board flights in parabolic planes created by Xi. run by the Zero Gravity crew. AstroAccess also sees such engagement as the first step in the process towards mass flight into space.
Selected AstroAccess Ambassadors are responsible for sharing their experiences with the public. They became advocates for disability inclusion and equality in space exploration.
Risks and mitigation strategies
Like Bolden, Adcock pointed to the rise of commercial space.
“We’re seeing a shift in the way we think about space, not just NASA or ESA launching research efforts,” Adcock said. “We must stop thinking about the risks reserved for the ‘perfect person’, the most raucous and virile.”
Instead, says Adcock, it’s time to start thinking about how to apply research and knowledge about spaceflight risks and mitigation strategies to the broader public.
Adcock noticed that there was a growing international conversation about rallying support for more inclusiveness in space flight.
“There is a need to create a more inclusive environment for space travelers, regardless of their gender, race, gender, disability, and these are goals that have an impact on the next generation of astronauts,” said Adcock. next family”.
Leonard David is the author of the book “Moon Rush: The New Space Race”, published by National Geographic in May 2019. As a longtime Space.com writer, David reports on the space industry. for more than 5 decades. Follow them on Twitter @Spacedotcom or above Facebook.
https://www.space.com/inclusive-human-spaceflight-parastronaut-study Equal access to space: New study explores ways to have more ‘astronauts’ up high
