There’s no question that humans are best adapted for a life on Earth – as spaceflight has proven quite harsh on the human body. NASA has a substantial archive of experimental data on the harmful physiological impacts of spaceflight, from “space anemia,” to disruption of vision, to the weaking of bones from prolonged microgravity exposure. But, by its own admission, the agency has a long way to go to fully understand the scope of spaceflight’s health effects – and, as important, how to meaningfully mitigate the worst of them.
While the United States actively drives forward toward a crewed return to the Moon and is envisioning a sustained long-duration human presence on the lunar surface, its Human Research Program – responsible for investigating, and dealing with, risks to human health in space – manages by on a tightly constrained budget. And although there are engineering solutions to human spaceflight health challenges, such as artificial gravity, they have not been widely embraced in our current exploration architecture.
If humans are not only to survive in space but thrive in space – as explorers in the depths of the solar system, and as citizens beyond Earth – it is critical that steps be taken to better understand the impact of the space domain on the human body. Likewise, we must identify and pursue the essential mitigation practices, capabilities, and technologies that will be needed for humans to remain healthy indefinitely in space.
In this April webinar, the Beyond Earth Institute has gathered the foremost experts on human health in outer space, for a clear-eyed discussion on how much farther we need to go, and what more can be done in policy, to support the acceleration of this critical research area.
Speakers:
Moderator: Cody Knipfer, Policy Analyst, Beyond Earth Institute
Panelists:
· Dr. Angie Bukley, Principal engineer in the Center for Space Policy and Strategy, Defense Systems Group, The Aerospace Corporation
· Dr. Jay Lemery, Associate Element Scientist for Exploration Medical Capability, NASA Human Research Program
· Dr. Jennifer Fogarty, Chief Scientific Officer, Translational Research Institute for Space Health
- Scott Poteet, Mission Pilot, Polaris Dawn
See webinar here: https://youtu.be/jLLtvz0cy8g
Moderator: Cody Knipfer, Policy Analyst, Beyond Earth Institute
In his “day job,” Cody Knipfer works as the Director of Government Engagement for GXO, Inc, where he supports clients in the commercial aerospace sector. Prior to joining the GXO team, Cody worked for several years with Virgin Orbit, a small satellite launch company, in their Government Affairs office. In this role, he was an advocate for the company’s national security-related legislative and programmatic priorities with the United States Congress.
Cody has also spent time on Capitol Hill, has worked in space and defense policy and communications roles for two leading aerospace trade associations and has past experience in policy advising and consulting roles.
He holds a Master’s Degree in International Science and Technology Policy, with a specialization in space policy, from the George Washington University’s Space Policy Institute, and a Bachelor’s Degree in Political Science and International Affairs from McDaniel College.
Panelists:
· Dr. Angie Bukley, Principal engineer in the Center for Space Policy and Strategy, Defense Systems Group, The Aerospace Corporation
Dr. Angie Bukley is a Technical Fellow in the Aerospace Corporation Center for Space Policy and Strategy. She earned her undergraduate and master’s degrees at Mississippi State University and her PhD at the University of Alabama in Huntsville. Dr. Bukley has held teaching and administrative positions at Ohio University, the University of Tennessee, and the International Space University. She has worked with several defense contractors and spent seven years as a civil servant at the NASA Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville, Alabama. Dr. Bukley is active in many professional organizations and technical societies and actively promotes K-12 STEM education.
· Dr. Jay Lemery, Associate Element Scientist for Exploration Medical Capability, NASA Human Research Program
Jay Lemery, MD, Is The Climate & Health Foundation Endowed Chair In Climate Medicine And Professor Of Emergency Medicine At The University Of Colorado School Of Medicine, Chief Of The Section Of Wilderness And Environmental Medicine, And Faculty In The Department Of Environmental And Occupational Health At The Colorado School Of Public Health. He Is A Past-President Of The Wilderness Medical Society.
Dr. Lemery has expertise in austere and remote medical care, as well as the effects of climate change on human health. At the University of Colorado, Lemery co-founded the Climate & Health Program, based at the School of Medicine. In partnership with the Climate & Health Foundation and CU faculty, he inaugurated the nation’s first graduate medical education climate & health science policy fellowship for physicians in 2017, in partnership with numerous federal agencies and nonprofits. In fall 2022, the program launches the ‘Diploma in Climate Medicine’ for healthcare providers, the first of its kind at a School of Medicine, offering a distinction for expertise and leadership in this novel field.
He is currently the Medical Director for the National Science Foundation’s Polar Research program and Associate Element Scientist of the Exploration Medical Capability Element of NASA’s Human Research Program. From 2014-2016, he was the EMS Medical Director for the United States Antarctic Program. He is a Fellow at the Payne Institute for Public Policy at the Colorado School of Mines and the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health (FXB Center), where he is a contributing editor for its Journal, ‘Health and Human Rights,’ and was Guest Editor for the special edition on ‘Climate Justice.’
· Dr. Jennifer Fogarty, Chief Scientific Officer, Translational Research Institute for Space Health
Jennifer Fogarty, Ph.D. is the Chief Scientific Officer for the Translational Research Institute for Space Health (TRISH) at Baylor College of Medicine and the Director of Applied Health and Performance at Sophic Synergistics LLC. With more than twenty years of experience in medical physiology and human health and performance in extreme environments, her mission is to increase access to high-quality healthcare in space and on Earth, by empowering astronauts, patients, and medical providers with evidenced-based precision medicine and technology.
As Chief Scientist of TRISH, Dr. Fogarty leads an innovative, high-risk research and development portfolio to address space exploration's most challenging human health and performance risks. In her role at Sophic Synergistics, a women-owned and led human-centered design firm, Dr. Fogarty guides a division focused on developing and expanding medical technologies for use in remote medicine, telemedicine, and home healthcare. As a former NASA Human Research Program Chief Scientist, Jennifer prioritized communication and collaboration between industry, academia, government, commercial spaceflight programs, and international partners. She continues to value and seek partnerships to discover and assess fundamental and mechanistic discoveries that lead to innovative prevention and treatments to sustain health and performance.
Dr. Fogarty received her Ph.D. in Medical Sciences from Texas A&M University College of Medicine. Other appointments include Assistant Professor in both Baylor College of Medicine’s Center for Space Medicine and Department of Medicine; Editor of the Fundamentals of Aerospace Medicine, 4 th and 5 th editions; and Associate Editor for the journal npj Microgravity.
- Scott Poteet, Mission Pilot, Polaris Dawn
Scott "Kidd" Poteet is an American pilot retired from the United States Air Force. He is a collaborator and friend of Jared Isaacman. Poteet is slated to fly on Polaris Dawn, a private space mission
