![]() Ethical quandaries abound if we engineer a “better human” for space travel. How do we do that, and how do we assess and prospect for the resources we might need? How do we print bricks, because we're going to need to build a habitat? Can we create bioregenerative habitats that take CO 2 and turn it back into oxygen, either through plants or microbes? We're also looking at developing synthetic microbes that can carry out specific processes that might be beneficial to humans.” 6. “Through NASA's biological and physical science programs, we’re experimenting with things like growing food on the moon. “One of the things that we need to focus on is sustainability, because for every ounce of material you take with you, you also have to provide fuel to get it there,” Phillips-Lander pointed out. A key goal is to investigate how space vehicles can be modified so that all astronauts and explorers-regardless of disability on Earth-can thrive in space.ĥ. Why don't we have disabled astronauts? What would it look like to redesign our space technology, to make it more accessible to people with disabilities?” Nesvold highlighted projects such as AstroAccess, which has just started launching disabled scientists, veterans, athletes, students, and artists on parabolic flights to experience weightlessness and low gravity conditions. This means that the people who have gone to space so far have primarily been very healthy, able-bodied people, which leaves out a huge portion of our population who are disabled. If you wanted to go to space, you need to be able to pass the astronaut selection, including a really strict health screening. “Until now, the people who are able to go to space were the people selected by agencies like NASA, or more recently, people who have been able to afford space tourism flights. “Deciding who among the 8 billion of us gets to go up into space, and even go to Mars, is a tough question,” said Erika Nesvold, PhD, a co-founder of the JustSpace Alliance, which advocates for a more ethical, inclusive future in space. ![]() Who gets to go? It is not too soon to call for disability inclusion in space exploration. ![]() (2021) A CRISPR-based assay for the study of eukaryotic DNA repair onboard the International Space Station. Stahl-Rommel S, Li D, Sung M, Li R, Vijayakumar A, Atabay KD, et al.This caliber of work speaks to both the exceptional students and the Genes in Space Program.” Journal Reference: The ability to perform this all-encompassing, end-to-end investigation is a huge step forward for space biology. I am still blown away by the incredible sophistication of the science that was realized when an organism was transformed, its genome-edited with CRISPR/Cas9 to cause breaks in the DNA, followed by its growth to allow for DNA repair, and, finally, its DNA sequenced, all in the spaceflight environment onboard the ISS. I hope this impactful collaboration continues to show students and senior researchers alike what is possible onboard our laboratory in space.”Ĭo-author Sarah Castro-Wallace says, “It was an honor to support Genes in Space-6. The team’s expertise resulted in the ability to perform high-quality, complex science beyond the bounds of Earth. I saw firsthand just how much can be accomplished when the ideas of innovative students are supported by the best from academia, industry, and NASA. First author Sarah Stahl Rommel adds, “Being a part of Genes in Space-6 has been a highlight of my career.
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