Hours before Artemis II splashed down safely into the Pacific Ocean on April 10, 麻豆原创 researchers, university partners, an astronaut, and the former head of NASA gathered to start developing new technologies to keep space travelers healthy.
They proclaimed there is no better place than 麻豆原创, the closest medical school to Kennedy Space Center, to create a new frontier in healthcare as humans prepare for longer missions to the moon, Mars and beyond.
鈥淵ou are in a global destination for medical innovation,鈥� Michal Masternak told participants in the Star Nona 2026 event in Lake Nona鈥檚 Medical City. An anti-aging and cancer researcher at the 麻豆原创 College of Medicine, Masternak organized the event as part of the Lake Nona Research Council, which is focused on encouraging interdisciplinary scientific partnerships between industry, academia and healthcare.
Space medicine is one of the council鈥檚 priorities. Deep space travel and the commercialization of space bring unique health challenges that science is just beginning to explore. The College of Medicine鈥檚 focuses on how factors such as microgravity, radiation and isolation impact the human body in space and how that knowledge can drive innovation into diagnostics, treatment and disease prevention for patients on Earth.
Former NASA Administrator and U.S. Senator Bill Nelson told attendees the Artemis voyage鈥檚 return to the moon should inspire space medicine experts to make new discoveries.
鈥淲e鈥檙e in a whole new era, an exciting era, of space exploration that makes this time so special,鈥� Nelson said.
Star Nona鈥檚 goal was to bring together experts to understand current research on the health impacts of space travel and what challenges need to be addressed as more professional and commercial space travelers go to the moon and beyond.
The Physical Challenges of Space Flight
Former NASA astronaut Robert Curbeam holds the record for most spacewalks on a single mission. He described how the body feels during launch and splashdown when G-forces are so strong you must remind yourself to breathe. He presented with his former NASA flight surgeon, Smith Johnson, now a faculty member at 麻豆原创鈥檚 new Center for Aerospace and Extreme Environments Medicine (CASEEM). The two discussed the important relationship between physicians and space travelers before, during and after a mission.
鈥淚 loved being an astronaut and flying space shuttles,鈥� Curbeam says. 鈥淭he only problem with space travel is that not a lot of people get to do it.鈥�
Your Brain Actually Shifts in Space
Living in space causes the body鈥檚 fluids to move up to the head and brain. But symptoms of that condition do more than cause puffy faces. Space travel actually causes the brain to shift. Jogi Pattisapu, of the Hydrocephalus and Neuroscience Institute, said as astronauts go to Mars for years-long missions and settle on the moon, scientists will have to understand how living in space affects brain function and create predictive tests and preventative measures. Eye health will be key, as fluid buildup has caused spaceflight-associated neuro-ocular syndrome (SANS) in 70% of astronauts on the International Space Station, leading to farsightedness, optic nerve swelling and eyeball flattening.
鈥淲hat are we going to do if the pilot goes blind 210 million miles from Earth?鈥� he said.
Team Dynamics in Space
Interpersonal communication is key to any team鈥檚 success, but how do relationships change for crews in confined spaces and face additional challenges such as sleep deprivation, isolation and differences in rank and roles. Shawn Burke and Stephen Fiore from 麻豆原创鈥檚 Institute for Simulation and Training have researched team dynamics in space to understand and prevent collaboration failures that can impact mission success.
Their research has also identified the formal and informal roles crew members play in encouraging positive social interactions and teamwork, especially in long-term missions. Missions to Mars may take up to 36 months and include 20-minute communications delays to and from Mission Control. Team dynamics will impact performance, mental health and affect, Burke said, because 鈥測ou鈥檙e stuck with the people you have.鈥�
Conducting Medical Research in Microgravity: Everything鈥檚 Upside Down
The weightlessness of space provides a unique research environment for new discoveries in areas including nutrient production, waste treatment, crystallization and biomanufacturing, said Alain Berinstain, director of the Florida Space Institute at 麻豆原创.
鈥淭errestrially, whenever space can make a difference, it’s a great economic driver,鈥� he said.
In space, air doesn鈥檛 slow down processes, he explained, so experiments that involve weight, separation, sedimentation, fluid flow and buoyancy change. His advice to researchers considering space as a lab?
鈥淭urn your experiment upside down. Does it still work? If the answer is no, you have a lot of work to do.鈥�
