Bioastronautics—at the interface of biology, medicine, engineering and space research—challenges the state of the art in human protection and integrative physiology.
An astronaut who travels for long periods far from earth is affected by weightlessness, space radiation, and psychological stress, and is utterly dependent on artificial life support. Bones and muscles, cardiovascular regulation, and sensory-motor control depend on gravity on earth and require protection during space flight. The challenge of bioastronautics is to protect the astronaut during and following long flights and to provide air, water, food, and telemedicine while dealing with the scientific issues of gravitational biology.
The MEMP PhD Program at HST can include a Bioastronautics specialization that equips graduate students with skills in space life sciences, aerospace engineering, and space medicine, opening up a broad range of possible career opportunities. The program provides its students with a combination of science and engineering coursework, clinical experiences, space-related research apprenticeships, and thesis research options at MIT, Harvard, and associated hospitals.