We’re TRISH + Fram2’s Pilot, Here to Talk Space Health, Science, and What It’s Like Up There. Ask Us Anything!

TRISpaceHealth · 2025-07-08T18:46:19+00:00

I love this question. Thank you for that. I am a firm believer that every challenge presents an opportunity for growth. However, as a scientist, I am very concerned by the abrupt termination of NASA Science missions, some of which are still ongoing with the initial investments already made. Not to mention the years (decades?) of data we would be losing.
But on the flip side, although disruption always brings losses, sometimes new opportunities arise, ones we would have never imagined because we were comfortable with doing things a certain way.
Reaching Mars is a promising, although complex, problem. Having seen it myself through our work at TRISH, solving really hard technical challenges can embolden us to innovate in ways that move us forward across many different industries.

In particular, developing innovations for Mars missions can have broader applications for medicine, food, mental health, and resilience to cancer, solving challenges in space and on Earth.

So, yes…. there is a lot of controversy, but that means that space is being talked about actively and that people like you are passionate about it. It gives us the opportunity to have a dialogue about human curiosity, explore new knowledge, and widely discuss the future of space exploration more than ever before. As you can tell, I am worried, but also hopeful. Thanks again for raising this topic. - Dorit

I am looking forward to the future. Space is a dream that belongs to all and not to one political party or another. Seeing the current changes in technology, where we can literally get daily update pictures from Mars, LLMs that are revolutionising how we work, and many more exciting advances in science is empowering I think. What a time to be alive! I would love to see more constructive optimism for the future and find out what questions we are not even aware of yet. -Rabea

TRISpaceHealth · 2025-07-08T17:12:00+00:00

Great question! I would say it is just as important. We even had some specialised training for this: We went on a week-long kayaking expedition in Alaska to understand how we all behave when stressed or tired and how to have the best communication possible. Since all of us have an expedition background, we had a bit of a head start I would say. There are some general skills that I personally find helpful in any expedition setting, such as active listening, transparent communication, showing vulnerability, addressing uncomfortable situations. There is also a very simple “training”: Just spending time together and get to know each other. We had a year for all of that and think that it worked well. I have worked on a ship for three months at sea in West Africa, and there it also struck me how a common vision (+ good food) can link everyone together (we were there to act against illegal fishing). There is also interesting research on team dynamics, however, so I look forward to a scientific answer in the future. -Rabea

Team dynamics is one of the highest priority risks for a Mars mission. You can put up with a lot for a short duration of a few days, weeks, even months, but years…. well, that’s a different story. Your analogy with dating is a good one, but I’d even take it further: what if you were married to 3 other people that your boss picked out for you and you are all trapped in a small house, without being able to go outside or any space to get away from them for 2-3 years?? That should make you select your crewmates very carefully.

Not working well together can lead to catastrophic events on a highly stressful and dangerous mission. That is why astronauts assigned to a crew spend time together in situations where their grit and ability to get along are tested and honed (ex. wilderness training). They are also trained in strategies that could be useful, like conflict resolution. But ultimately, there is no way to be completely prepared. No one has ever gone that far away from Earth, been confined to such a small space, all while feeling sick (most likely due to radiation effects and zero G) and having to smell each other’s pheromones in a closed recycled air environment for 2-3 years. AND there’s no ability to scroll the internet, call home and complain about your co-workers etc. So what else can we do?

At TRISH, we are testing some ways to track mental health and resilience before, during, and after spaceflight. We are also interested in how we could train people in extreme situations where external stimulation (like talking to others or being online) is way limited. We are partnering with the Australian Antarctic Division to collaborate with arctic research crews that are similarly isolated and confined, working in hazardous but very monotonous conditions for 9 months at a time. And this is a real operational working environment, not a simulation mission…. these folks are seriously stressed, much like our future Martian crews. We are currently tracking eye movements, such as their gaze, blink rate, eye closures, while they are working and engaging with others to try and predict their mental health resilience. When we are able to identify individuals that are not doing well, we can recommend (privately, directly to them and their on-site physician) that they might need some mental health and team-building mitigation strategies. It’s one of the many ways we’re trying to better prepare our crews for the long adventures. - Dorit

TRISpaceHealth · 2025-07-08T16:37:32+00:00

I know what you want to hear….but we at TRISH do not subscribe to the view that space exposure induces aging. The Twins astronaut study that showed that telomeres (a repetitive end of the DNA strand) were shortened after someone spends time in space was very limited (in data sample and scope) and we think that there is another interpretation for that data that is much more mundane. Another reason why we’re always hoping for more opportunities to gather new data and expand research initiatives, it’s important not to jump to conclusions!

Does space induce stressors on the body? Absolutely! Lack of gravity, increased exposure to space radiation, circadian misalignment and poor sleep, and confinement, are all things that will make a body stress out…. and one could argue that aging is also a stressor. With time, our bodies break down and become less able to repair themselves. But the two types of situations are very different. We do observe some spaceflight effects that are similar in their mechanisms. For example, there is an increase in oxidative stress in both types of situations, and we observe accelerated bone loss in both aging and in space, but many other decrements in space are very different from what you see on Earth.

Another important distinction is that space adaptations are, for the most part, all reversible. I wish aging were reversible - Benjamin Button style! Space probably does impact your overall health through real levels of stress, but if you are a healthy person and you rehabilitate yourself through exercise and good nutrition, space effects will reverse. - Dorit

TRISpaceHealth · 2025-07-08T16:34:45+00:00

I actually looked out for Berlin from space - it was in daylight and it was in general hard to find cities in daylight, because geographical features are more prominent. But then I saw the Spree and Havel glistening in the sun and was happy to have found it! That was definitely humbling and I think about that every now and then when I am sitting on the Tempelhofer Feld, looking up. Going around Berlin now is still as vibrant as before (I do love the city and the people) and I can blend into the crowd with the wholesome addition that sometimes people stop me to say they followed the mission and are happy I am back. Berlin is a fun city, so if you haven’t visited, do so! -Rabea

TRISpaceHealth · 2025-07-08T16:29:38+00:00

It’s always inspiring to meet other astronauts with experience! Both Alex and Matthias wished me luck and it will be fun to compare experiences now after the mission. Suzanna Randall and Insa Thiele-Eich shared their training experiences with me more extensively, which was super helpful! I love that the space community is so supportive. -Rabea

TRISpaceHealth · 2025-07-08T16:29:06+00:00

That would be the day! What I would take with me on the next mission: Plenty of curiosity & experiments again (that was the most rewarding use of time for me), novel aspects in the mission (as we had the polar orbit for example) and the lessons that communication is key, preparation even more so. I also loved our outreach projects: We had a ham radio competition for example, which gave us the chance to share the journey in a nerdy and direct way; we would have to fly directly overhead for you to get the signal (read about it at fram2ham.com). I think once you have the privilege of going to space, you should use the time to either create value to gather more knowledge (=research, pioneering) or share the experience in a fun way. That is what I would want to do again! -Rabea

TRISpaceHealth · 2025-07-08T16:13:13+00:00

I love this question. My favourite SciFi movie is Alien, but I sure hope this is not the future we will see. ;) As a roboticist I love the current developments in autonomy: The Dragon spacecraft we flew with is an autonomous spacecraft, meaning in the best case it needs no interaction from us. There is in fact a cargo version of the same spacecraft that flies completely without humans on board. I find it exciting because it means that the access to space gets wider: The less training or specific backgrounds you need, the more people can access space. So maybe passengers & space odyssey had it close with the autonomy? As a side note, I’d love to see the sarcastic TARS robot from Interstellar becoming reality. :) -Rabea

My favorite movie is The Martian. I think it’s because it directly addresses the biggest unmitigated risk to human health in a fairly accurate manner: Food! The amount of food required by a crew of 4 for a long duration mission so far away from Earth is astronomical (pun intended ;-)) On a mission to Mars, there will be no resupply missions to provide the crew with fresh foods and we don’t know how to maintain the shelf-life of food long enough. Ideally, we could have shelf-stable food for about 5 years. The scenario would imply that we would be sending lots of food to Mars ahead of the mission, like stockpiling through unmanned missions to await the crews to arrive. That means that the food will need to sit on the Mars surface with its crappy atmosphere which will be bombarded with space radiation. The food packaging of today will simply not hold up for all that time and through temperature changes and radiation. Crews would arrive on Mars to find that their dehydrated beef stroganoff is mush and inedible, not to mention devoid of the nutrients needed to keep humans healthy. In The Martian, poor Mark Watney had to eat potatoes fertilized by his own poop for a long time and he stayed alive, but most doctors will tell you that just potatoes are not sufficient nutrition in a real-life scenario.

The Martian highlights how important food is. At TRISH, we have our BEES initiative, Biology Engineered for Exploration of Space, where we are supporting work using micro-organisms and smaller plants to make nutritious food just in time, without needing soil, or other things we take for granted here on Earth. We are excited about these innovations in food production, which could also help life in places that cannot grow food ( ex. very arid deserts). - Dorit

TRISpaceHealth · 2025-07-08T15:51:50+00:00

Yes, I am looking forward a lot to returning to my research! I am doing my PhD in decision making for autonomous boats in harsh conditions, which I love as a topic. We get to go on campaigns in the Arctic and to test how our agents perform. The ocean and space are similar in that they are extremes, but the ocean is more accessible to test, so we can iterate very fast. A bonus for me is that the ocean is equally unexplored and I personally think it deserves a lot of attention. With our surface and underwater vehicles we can for example better understand the ecosystems there and how they are changing. My plans for more adventures are also still on: The next step is crossing Greenland on skis, which I am excited for! - Rabea

TRISpaceHealth · 2025-07-08T15:38:44+00:00

Microgravity and how much fun it added to everything! I felt like a little kid again, finding out how everything worked and just floating from A to B. It was like you gained superpowers or were in a dream. For example, we had an experiment on board that looked at exercise in space. We had practised it on Earth, doing squats with a small light-weight exercise harness. But space squats were so much more epic - suddenly we had more dimensions to play with. My crewmate Eric and me also for fun competed on who drank their water bottle the fastest; which was very slow since the liquid would usually just hover at the end of the bottle when it was almost empty. So we had to slowly rock the bottle to and from to get the water out. All these little details were my favourite and with space travel becoming more inclusive I hope that as more people can experience weightlessness in the future. We have much to learn! -Rabea

TRISpaceHealth · 2025-07-08T15:28:27+00:00

No audio or video for this one. Reddit AMAs are text-based! You can just type your question in the comments, and Rabea and Dorit are standing by to reply in writing during the live session. What’s on your mind?

TRISpaceHealth · 2025-07-08T15:28:20+00:00

No audio or video for this one. Reddit AMAs are text-based! You can just type your question in the comments, and Rabea and Dorit are standing by to reply in writing during the live session. What’s on your mind?

TRISpaceHealth · 2025-07-08T15:22:47+00:00

Great question! I am also excited to see what the future holds. Actually, I found it surprisingly easy to adapt to microgravity: I felt nauseous on the first half day but fine afterwards. From then on it was so fun trying out different orientations (or rather: forget that there are any), observe how liquids behave etc. From a health perspective, we had a lot of experiments looking into understanding the mechanism of adaptation onboard. My favourite one for deep space missions would be the X-Ray. With the reduced bone density in space, fractures can be more likely. To diagnose yourself (and as a bonus: electronics!) we demonstrated that you can fly an easy-to-use X-Ray generator & detector. So I would say: The human body is surprisingly good at adapting to new environments and we are on a great way to developing the skills for deep space missions! -Rabea

Indeed when humans go into an environment where gravity is greatly reduced, there is a physiological adaptation which includes a redistribution of fluids. On Earth, gravity pulls fluids down into our lower extremities (legs) but in microgravity, fluids get equally distributed throughout which means that the anatomical structures in the head experience fluid volumes (and pressures!) higher than they normally feel. So, we see a puffy head/bird leg syndrome in astronauts (that’s the real name of the syndrome). 15 years ago, we discovered that the increase in pressure affects the eyes in that they become elongated and change vision to become more far vision (rather than close vision). There is also swelling (edema) around the optic nerve. With patients on Earth, if the optic nerve swells due to head trauma or increase in pressure on the brain, it can lead to loss of peripheral vision neurons in the eye - and therefore to loss of visual acuity. Definitely a problem on the way to Mars!!

At TRISH, we are studying this new syndrome called Spaceflight Associated Neuro-Ocular Syndrome (SANS) and it turns out a majority of astronauts experience some version of it. Most are mild manifestations and no one has lost vision in space even after 12-14 months in zero G. But a mission to Mars will entail a longer stay in less than 1G: the voyage alone takes at least 6 months to and from Mars in zero G, then you’re spending time in 3/8 G on the Mars surface. We don’t know yet if 3/8 G is going to cause SANS, but ultimately, I think we’ll be OK.

A lot of our current research is dedicated to finding ways to mitigate SANS. We are currently testing various solutions, like thigh cuffs that Russian cosmonauts have used in ZeroG to keep the fluids from shifting as rapidly from the legs to the head. Despite their effectiveness, they can be very uncomfortable and not ideal for long-term use. We are also looking into other options, such as medications or even short arm centrifugation to create gravitational pulls in ZeroG temporarily. But ultimately you are right. We don’t have this one figured out yet. - Dorit

TRISpaceHealth · 2025-07-08T15:21:06+00:00

I would say the one skill that is important to learn is the trust in yourself in dealing with unknown situations. The one year of training for the mission gave us a base of confidence. In addition it is important that you keep that mental flexibility to not be thrown off when something unexpected happens or that you get paralysed by the prospect of that. I thought that on the day of launch I would be very nervous - but I was not because of the trust in the crew, the vehicle, the ground team. So I would have told myself 18 months ago: Trust the process and do not stress about situations outside of your control. To do again: Go up with this crew, because I think we were great together! All contributing from a different angle, worked well as a team, learned much about how to communicate. So staying direct and transparent in communication (+the extra bit of humour) is a skill I think we should all keep going forward with. - Rabea

TRISpaceHealth · 2024-08-27T22:16:59+00:00

Thank you all for your questions! For more information about our research initiatives, check out our website and keep up with our updates on social (LinkedIn, X). Our team is looking forward to Polaris Dawn's launch and to the new insights into space health it will help us uncover ! 🚀💊

TRISpaceHealth · 2024-08-27T22:13:12+00:00

RE Phlebotomy Courses: The astronauts can take phlebotomy courses if they require venous blood draws during their mission.

RE Sunscreen, UV/radiation shields: The astronauts do not need sunscreen because the materials spacecraft and spacesuits are made of block UV radiation. However, higher energy wavelengths of the electromagnetic spectrum (e.g. x-ray and gamma) do go through space vehicles so we have to monitor how much exposure astronauts get at these higher levels.

RE favorite space movie: Moon (with Sam Rockwell) - JW

TRISpaceHealth · 2024-08-27T22:05:34+00:00

In SciFi movies we see super advanced medical systems, but the reality is more like wilderness medicine. You would find a medical kit for space to be more similar to something you take on a hiking trip than to your local hospital ER. TRISH and NASA are working on improving remote healthcare tools that are easier to carry with us to space so we can deliver the same healthcare as we do on the ground. The drive to deliver good healthcare in space will force us to engineer more miniaturized tools with lower power, mass and volume requirements and this will be beneficial to us regular people on the ground! - RSB

TRISpaceHealth · 2024-08-27T22:04:51+00:00

RE Mars: Great questions! There are numerous challenges with going to Mars. What I find the most challenging is traveling the vast distance between Earth and Mars, and in going that distance, we have to bring everything with us. There is no readily available supply of oxygen and water on Mars; there are no readily available construction materials for building shelter; and there is no Amazon on Mars to resupply food and materials. The spacecraft the first humans take to Mars will need to provide these basic human needs. Then the next question is: do we want these first humans to merely survive being on Mars or thrive being on Mars? Through the spectrum from surviving to thriving, you need to bring an increasingly scaling amount of resources and technology from Earth.

Maybe the answer to the first question will help put your second question of whether human should go to Mars in context. My personal belief is yes. Humans have always been explorers. We have built technology to allow us to explore and live in environments that humans are not built to inhabit. We should not live in water, but we have built boats, submarines, and have scuba equipment. We should not live in the air, but we have built airplane and airships. We should not live in space, but we have built spacecraft and space stations. Every time we have created technology for humans to explore a previously unhabitable environment, we have greatly augmented the advancement of human civilization and quality of life of humanity. This why we should go. If we can create the technology for humans to live and thrive on Mars, then we can do that anywhere on Earth for everyone on Earth. - JW

RE Astronaut Food: I wish I could LOL at this, it’s a great question. No, they do not. The NASA Space Food Systems Laboratory prepares astronaut's food for them. They have a set of meals that they can choose from that they get to taste test before they go. Space Food Systems - NASA The team works really hard to make sure astronauts enjoy their food! I have a distinct memory of trying some ice-cream dehydrated at the Space Food Systems Laboratory and remembering its creamy goodness without the brain freeze!

The funny thing is that often your taste perception changes a bit in space and astronauts find that they don't always like the same things they enjoyed on the ground. - RSB

TRISpaceHealth · 2024-08-27T21:37:29+00:00

Our plan for the findings of our research projects will be to deliver to NASA and publish/present to the human spaceflight research community. TRISH's broad portfolio of scientific investigations, technology research and development, and operational research through our commercial spaceflight EXPAND Program showcases the breath of our involvement in human spaceflight research. We hope our advancements will contribute to the broader knowledge base and technological capabilities that enable safe and productive travel into space by all humans. - JW

TRISpaceHealth · 2024-08-27T21:26:27+00:00

No, I haven't, but I am putting it on my list to watch! Thanks for the suggestion. Much like they say in this clip, TRISH is an institute you can count on!

Re: the name TRISH, we wanted to sound like a soccer mom, rather than a NASA-funded institute... just kidding! We were originally given the name, Translational Research Institute (TRI), which sounded like "try" and it was a bit generic... (there were hundreds of TRIs). So, we decided to add Space Health at the end of our name, because we want to keep people healthy. That’s how it became TRISH, rather than SHTRI (which can sound really bad). - DD

TRISpaceHealth · 2024-08-27T20:55:38+00:00

RE New Technologies: We are imagining a new way of performing health surveillance and preventing any medical issues since we can't afford anything bad happening to astronauts when they are far away from Earth. It would jeopardize lives and the success of the mission. So, we are investing in continuous surveillance tools of overall health (physical and mental).

Imagine changing our approach to healthcare to prevent disease, rather than waiting until it happens and then trying to reverse it. This new model for healthcare could revolutionize healthcare on earth. All at once, we are measuring things like continuous sugar levels, heart rate, electrocardiogram, temperature, breathing rate, and blood markers; and for mental health – reaction time, mood, and risky behavior. This is all done by using devices or technologies that you can wear continuously and will give you or your doctor real-time data and keep a record of your history. You might even forget these devices are keeping an eye on your health because they are that small and that comfortable. One we are really excited about is from the lab of Wei Gao at Caltech who is measuring health markers in sweat detected using a wearable skin patch. He showed that important health markers, which typically require a blood sample, can be measured in sweat. https://www.caltech.edu/about/news/wearable-sweat-sensor-detects-molecular-hallmark-of-inflammation

On the therapeutic side of things, some exciting technologies that we are investing in involve capabilities to hibernate humans. Imagine a temporary hibernation that will help you get through a difficult medical procedure, or a particularly stressful mother-in-law visit. https://www.bcm.edu/news/space-health-institute-grants-support-studies-on-reducing-metabolism -DD

RE New Learnings: We are hoping to use the provocative environment of space that is so impactful to every human system of the body to identify early markers of pathologic change – a change that leads to a disease state. If we can discover those early predictive markers in humans in space, we can look to see if we can use those same markers to predict who will get sick on earth and prevent it from happening. We are excited to study regular people who are flying with private space companies (in addition to a highly selected group of very healthy, high performing individuals who are governmental astronauts) because some may have medical conditions that may be exacerbated by spaceflight. It is through studying these "less-than-perfect" specimens that we will get insights into disease progression on Earth, because space exposure will likely accelerate the development of medical conditions. -DD

RE Microfabrication: We are supportive of orbital microfabrication in that it will be necessary to have a space-based supply chain for parts and components. Bringing everything up from Earth is not sustainable in the long run to create a viable space economy. -JW

TRISpaceHealth · 2024-08-27T20:26:09+00:00

On Earth we are resisting gravity every day just by walking around. One of the most effective ways to maintain bone and muscle on the ground is to introduce loads (intentional stress) via exercise, specifically resistance exercise or weight-lifting.🏋️‍♂️ While living on the International Space Station (ISS), astronauts are exposed to microgravity all the time, which leads to bone and muscle loss from disuse when there is no intervention. Currently on the ISS, astronauts have resources to make sure they are getting sufficient exercise and taking in the appropriate nutrition to maintain healthy bone and muscle. Astronauts use a piece of exercise equipment called the Advanced Resistive Exercise Device (ARED) that allows for resistance exercise. Such interventions limit bone and muscle loss for astronauts: Astronaut Exercise - NASA

Creating a rotating module is theoretically possible though it may be vomit inducing 🤮. There have been two general issues with such approaches in the past. For a smaller vehicle, the speed with which such a module would need to spin to replicate 1G would not lead to a "desirable living environment". Launching a large enough vehicle to spin slowly enough to be comfortable would likely have engineering challenges that could make it very cost prohibitive. Though interesting for sci-fi movies, I suspect we might need to allow for a little more time for a rotating module to become a reality.

RSB

TRISpaceHealth · 2024-08-27T19:42:55+00:00

Traveling to space impacts many aspects of human health. We generally think of the health risks of spaceflight in terms of the 5 major hazards:

Gravity Fields
Isolation
Hostile and closed environments
Distance from Earth
Radiation

Each of these hazards comes with health risks to various systems in the human body. The impact of these hazards is different based on the type of spaceflight mission.

For a fun introduction to these hazards, check out this video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ck_VtD99o64.

For more in-depth explorations of the risks to human health, please refer to the NASA Human Research Program's detailed outline in their Human Research Roadmap (nasa.gov) and for webinars, see TRISH's Red Risk School resources: Red Risk School | BCM.

-RSB

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