TRISH releases space health documentary and resources

The Translational Research Institute for Space Health (TRISH) at Baylor College of Medicine in consortium with Caltech and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) announced today the release of the documentary “Space Health: Surviving in the Final Frontier.” The film is freely available to the public on the documentary’s website.
 
“Space Health” features frank discussion and interviews with a wide range of experts including scientists, flight surgeons, astronauts, and scientific leaders about the challenges of human space travel and the innovations needed for humans to survive and thrive in space.
 
The new website, spacehealththemovie.com, includes clips from the film, as well as details to request additional educational content and access to screen the full film.
 
“This documentary provides an unprecedented look into the challenges – physical and mental – facing space explorers and the types of innovative research that TRISH supports to address these challenges,” said Dr. Dorit Donoviel, TRISH executive director and associate professor in Baylor’s Center for Space Medicine. “We hope the film inspires students and researchers alike to see how their work could one day soon improve the lives of human explorers.”
 
Featured in the film are innovators involved in all aspects of space health, including former NASA astronaut Nicole Stott and active NASA astronaut Victor Glover, NASA Associate Administrator Kathy Lueders, and Inspiration4 Commander Jared Issacman. Participants discuss how far space health research has come in recent decades and what kind of innovations are necessary to enable deep space exploration. TRISH-funded researchers, such as Level Ex CEO Sam Glassenberg and Holobiome CEO Philip Strandwitz, showcase the technology they are developing for testing during space flight to improve astronaut health.
 
“Understanding and solving the challenges that face humans in space is critical work,” said Dr. Jennifer Fogarty, TRISH chief scientific officer. “Not only does space health research aim to unlock new realms of possibility for human space exploration, but it also furthers our ability to innovate on earth, providing insights for healthcare at home.”  
 
Archival NASA footage, online interviews and in-person conversations bring stories about space food and medicine to life. The film also covers issues regarding safety from space radiation and resilience to the psychological stress of isolation in space.
 
Funded by NASA’s Human Research Program, TRISH seeks and funds both early stage and translation-ready research and technology to protect and improve the health and performance of space explorers. This film was enabled by a collaboration with NASA and HRP.