Polaris Dawn will bring new fields of research and medicine

The Polaris Dawn launch from Kennedy Space Center will include the first private commercial spacewalk and other firsts in space medical research, which is why Emmanuel Urquieta, an internationally recognized space medicine expert who recently joined the UCF School of Medicine, is especially excited about this latest mission.

The spacecraft is flying 870 miles above Earth, the highest orbit it has traveled in the past half century, and at that altitude the astronauts will be exposed to higher radiation than most astronauts in low Earth orbit, such as those aboard the International Space Station.

After reaching high orbit, Polaris Dawn will descend for a spacewalk. Traditionally, when astronauts exit the spacecraft, there’s an airlock that keeps the interior of the craft pressurized. But for this week’s spacewalk, the entire craft will be depressurized, exposing all four astronauts to the vacuum of space and forcing them to rely on their spacesuits for life support.

So astronauts are testing new spacesuits designed by SpaceX, as well as new procedures to physiologically prepare them for working in the vacuum of space.

Urquieta said the difference in pressure between the vacuum of space and a spacesuit can cause decompression sickness, also known as “the bends,” which can happen if a scuba diver ascends too quickly. The change in pressure causes nitrogen in the bloodstream to form bubbles, resulting in joint pain, fatigue, difficulty breathing and, in the most severe and extremely rare cases, stroke-like symptoms.

So Polaris Dawn is equipped with an ultrasound machine that crew members can use to monitor their bodies for bubble formation, and that medical data “will help us understand how the body changes during spaceflight and provide new insights into bubble formation during spaceflight,” Urquieta said.

“These findings may also help provide better instruction to recreational and professional scuba divers, which has huge implications for many people in Florida.”

He added that the astronauts will also provide biological samples that will help researchers better understand the molecular effects of space travel, which are being processed at the UCF School of Medicine.

Radiation exposure is another area of ​​interest for space medicine researchers. Due to the flight’s high altitude, the crew will be farther away from the protection of Earth’s magnetic field and will be exposed to higher amounts of galactic cosmic radiation (GCR). Therefore, the flight will provide more data for research into how radiation affects astronauts.

The Polaris Dawn crew is also testing laser-based Starlink communications during the mission, which could have a variety of impacts on healthcare. The system would allow for faster contact between Earth and astronauts, which would be essential in the event of a medical emergency. And once fully operational, Starlink could provide internet and communications to the Moon and other space destinations beyond.

“This system will enable real-time or near real-time communication of medical information both in space and on Earth,” Urquieta said.