[NASA] Wearable Tech for Space Station Research

[SpaceMan 0]

5 Min Read

Wearable Tech for Space Station Research

This is the hidden content, please

• Sign In
• or
• Sign Up

A wearable monitoring device is visible on the left wrist of NASA astronaut Jeanette Epps.

Credits: NASA

Science in Space Nov 2024

Many of us wear devices that count our steps, measure our heart rate, track sleep patterns, and more. This information can help us make healthy decisions – research shows the devices encourage people to move more, for example – and could flag possible problems, such as an irregular heartbeat.

Wearable monitors also have become common tools for research on human health, including studies on the International Space Station. Astronauts have worn special watches, headbands, vests, and other devices to help scientists examine sleep quality, effectiveness of exercise, heart health, and more.

Warm to the core

Spaceflight can affect body temperature regulation and daily rhythms due to factors such as the absence of convection (a natural process that transfers heat away from the body) and changes in the cardiovascular and metabolic systems.

A current investigation from ESA (********* Space Agency), Thermo-Mini or

This is the hidden content, please

• Sign In
• or
• Sign Up

examines how the body regulates its core temperature during spaceflight. The study uses a non-invasive headband monitor that astronauts can wear for hours at a time. Data from the monitor allow researchers to determine the effect on body temperature from environmental and physiological factors such as room temperature and humidity, time of day, and physical stress. The same type of sensor already is used on Earth for research in clinical environments, such as improving incubators, and studies of how hotter environments affect human health.

This is the hidden content, please

• Sign In
• or
• Sign Up

, an earlier ESA investigation, examined thermoregulatory and cardiovascular adaptations during rest and exercise in microgravity. Researchers

This is the hidden content, please

• Sign In
• or
• Sign Up

that core body temperature rises higher and faster during exercise in space than on Earth and that the increase was sustained during rest, a phenomenon that could affect the health of crew members on long-term spaceflight. The finding also raises questions about the thermoregulatory set point humans are assumed to have as well as our ability to adapt to climate change on Earth.

This is the hidden content, please

• Sign In
• or
• Sign Up

NASA astronaut Nick Hague wears the T-mini device while exercising.

NASA

To sleep, perchance to dream

Spaceflight is known to disrupt sleep-wake patterns.

This is the hidden content, please

• Sign In
• or
• Sign Up

, a device worn on the wrist, contains an accelerometer to measure motion and photodetectors to monitor ambient lighting. It is an upgrade of previous technology used on the space station to monitor the length and quality of crew member sleep. Data from earlier missions

This is the hidden content, please

• Sign In
• or
• Sign Up

that crew members slept significantly less during spaceflight than before and after. The

This is the hidden content, please

• Sign In
• or
• Sign Up

investigation used an earlier version of the device to examine how ambient light affects the sleep-wake cycle and

This is the hidden content, please

• Sign In
• or
• Sign Up

an association between sleep deficiency and changes during spaceflight in circadian patterns, or the body’s response to a normal 24-hour light and dark cycle. Follow up studies are testing lighting systems to address these effects and help astronauts maintain healthy circadian rhythms.

This is the hidden content, please

• Sign In
• or
• Sign Up

NASA astronaut Sunita Williams wears an Actiwatch as she conducts research.

NASA

This is the hidden content, please

• Sign In
• or
• Sign Up

tested a lightweight vest with embedded sensors to monitor heart rate and breathing patterns during sleep and help determine whether changes in heart activity affect sleep quality. The technology offers a significant advantage by monitoring heart activity without waking the test subject and could help patients on Earth with sleep disorders. Researchers

This is the hidden content, please

• Sign In
• or
• Sign Up

positive performance and good quality of recorded signals, suggesting that the vest can contribute to comprehensive monitoring of individual health on future spaceflight and in some settings on Earth as well.

These and other studies support development of countermeasures to improve sleep for crew members, helping to maintain alertness and lessen fatigue during missions.

(Not) waiting to exhale

Humans exhale carbon dioxide and too much of it can build up in closed environments, causing headaches, dizziness, and other symptoms. Spacecraft have systems to remove this substance from cabin air, but pockets of carbon dioxide can form and be difficult to detect and remove.

This is the hidden content, please

• Sign In
• or
• Sign Up

tested specially designed sensors attached to clothing to monitor the wearer’s immediate surroundings. Researchers

This is the hidden content, please

• Sign In
• or
• Sign Up

that the devices functioned adequately as either crew-worn or static monitors, an important step toward using them to determine how carbon dioxide behaves in enclosed systems like spacecraft.

This is the hidden content, please

• Sign In
• or
• Sign Up

One of the wearable carbon dioxide monitors clipped to the wall near a crew sleeping compartment.

Radiation in real time

This is the hidden content, please

• Sign In
• or
• Sign Up

, an investigation from CSA (********* Space Agency), used small wireless dosimeters carried in a pocket to measure radiation exposure during spacewalks. The data

This is the hidden content, please

• Sign In
• or
• Sign Up

that this method is a feasible way to measure radiation exposure, which could help focus routine dosage monitoring where it is most needed. Any shielding and countermeasures developed also could help protect people who work in high-radiation areas on Earth.

ESA’s

This is the hidden content, please

• Sign In
• or
• Sign Up

tested a radiation dosimeter worn by crew members to measure changes in their exposure over time based on the space station’s orbit and altitude, the solar cycle, and solar flares. Measurements from the device

This is the hidden content, please

• Sign In
• or
• Sign Up

researchers to analyze radiation dosage across an entire space mission.

This is the hidden content, please

• Sign In
• or
• Sign Up

ESA astronaut Thomas Pesquet holds one of the mobile units for the Active Dosimeter study.

NASA

The Active Dosimeter also was among the instruments used to

This is the hidden content, please

• Sign In
• or
• Sign Up

on NASA’s Orion spacecraft during its 25.5-day uncrewed Artemis I mission around the Moon and back in 2022.

Another device tested on the space station and then on Artemis I,

This is the hidden content, please

• Sign In
• or
• Sign Up

is designed to protect astronauts from solar particle events. Researchers used these and other radiation measuring devices to show that Orion’s design can protect its crew from potentially hazardous radiation levels during lunar missions.

The International Space Station serves as an important testbed for these technologies and many others being developed for future missions to the Moon and beyond.

Melissa Gaskill
International Space Station Research Communications Team
Johnson Space Center

Keep Exploring

Discover More Topics From NASA

Humans In Space

This is the hidden content, please

• Sign In
• or
• Sign Up

Space Station Technology Demonstration

This is the hidden content, please

• Sign In
• or
• Sign Up

Space Station Research and Technology

This is the hidden content, please

• Sign In
• or
• Sign Up

Station Science 101: Human Research

This is the hidden content, please

• Sign In
• or
• Sign Up

This is the hidden content, please

• Sign In
• or
• Sign Up