Ongoing HRP Research in Space

Investigating if a daily B vitamin supplement can prevent or mitigate brain and eye changes that may affect some humans in space

Providing a better understand of how the human body changes while orbiting the Earth via a suite of studies examining multiple body systems

Collecting astronauts’ blood, urine, saliva, feces, and cells to document how long-duration spaceflight influences human health and performance and changes the body at the molecular level

Surveying crew members' potential discomfort during re-entry to Earth and combining it with sensor data on spacecraft

Collecting a consistent set of physiological and psychological measurements to better understand how spaceflight affects the bodies and minds of crew members

Testing if wearing tight thigh cuffs could keep more bodily fluids in the legs to help determine if future strategies can avert the eye disorders that can develop in space

Examining how exercise in space without a treadmill affects human health and performance ahead of deep space missions

HRP uses research to develop methods to protect the health and performance of astronauts in space.

HRP has identified five hazards of human spaceflight: space radiation, isolation and confinement, distance from Earth, gravity (or lack thereof), and hostile or closed environments.

The Human Research Roadmap provides an overview of the risks and knowledge gaps that HRP associates with human spaceflight.