The Human Challenges of Commercial Spaceflight: An Overview of Medical Research Conducted by the University of Texas Medical Branch Through the Federal Aviation Administration Center of Excellence for Commercial Space Transportation

Abstract

In 2010, the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) announced the institution of a Center of Excellence for Commercial Space Transportation (COE CST), a partnership of multiple academic institutions assembled to address the numerous challenges involved in the commercial spaceflight industry. The University of Texas Medical Branch in Galveston, Texas, was included in this collaboration to provide medical insight into the human challenges of commercial spaceflight. This article will serve to outline the human spaceflight research tasks as designated by the FAA COE CST, and to discuss the research that has been conducted to address many of the risks and challenges involved in human commercial spaceflight.