NASA to Study Blood Flow, Vision and Piloting Skills During SpaceX Crew-13 Mission

NASA has announced a series of human health and performance investigations to be carried out during the SpaceX Crew-13 mission aboard the International Space Station, examining how extended spaceflight affects astronauts' bodies.

Among the studies is a new collaborative effort to examine how spaceflight affects blood flow and clotting, an area of ongoing interest to space medicine researchers given the unique physiological stresses of microgravity on the cardiovascular system.

Crew members will also have their manual piloting skills tested during the mission, part of NASA's continued effort to understand how time in microgravity affects an astronaut's ability to perform precise physical tasks, which has implications for future missions requiring pilots or operators to perform critical manoeuvres after extended periods in space.

The mission will additionally evaluate methods aimed at countering vision and brain changes associated with spaceflight, a subject of long-standing concern for NASA given documented instances of astronauts experiencing changes in eyesight during and after missions to the ISS. Researchers have been working for years to better understand the underlying causes of these changes and to develop countermeasures that could protect astronauts on longer missions.

Additional data collection planned for the mission will gather further health information from the crew, contributing to NASA's broader body of research on the effects of long-duration spaceflight on human health and performance, essential knowledge as the agency plans more ambitious, longer missions beyond low Earth orbit.