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foreign

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welcome to space to ground and welcome

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to the space vehicle mock-up facility at

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this is where astronauts get to train on

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full-scale components of space Vehicles

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every detail down to the switch is as

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close to the actual flying vehicle as

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possible so when they get to space

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Everything feels and looks familiar one

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of the latest mock-ups here is Orion the

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spacecraft that will take the next

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humans to the Moon again for the first

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time in more than 50 years four human

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beings will be aboard Orion during the

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Artemis 2 mission one Canadian and three

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NASA astronauts they'll sit right here

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where I'm sitting but in a real deal

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Orion spacecraft Bound for the Moon

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we've actually been preparing for a

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return to the moon for a long time the

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work that we've been conducting aboard

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the International Space Station has been

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crucial in our future lunar missions to

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learn more about the research we've been

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doing with astronauts on the

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International Space Station missions

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we're joined by Steve Platz the chief

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scientist for NASA's human research

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program here at NASA's Johnson Space

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Center

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Steve thanks so much for joining us I'm

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sure you can name hundreds of

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experiments going on aboard the

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International Space Station that have to

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do with human research uh what are some

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that come to mind yep quite a few going

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on right now and one I like to talk

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about is studying the immune system so

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you know after the pandemic we're all

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used to talking about immunity but we

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know that the immune system changes in

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space flight we saw it in shuttle and

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we've definitely seen it in space

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station we want to know how that will

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change going to the moon and especially

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going to Mars we're looking at blood

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samples see if any of the chemicals are

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changing and then we also look at the

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cells how do the cells respond to that

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time and space to microgravity so it

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sounds like cells and Immunity is a

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Biology experiment but do you have other

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biology experiments going on in space

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station we do we collaborate a lot with

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the space biology program and we have an

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experiment called veggie that we're

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really excited about and in that

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experiment space biology is interested

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in how do the plants grow so how do you

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package the seeds how do you what type

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of media do you use how do you water

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them in space with no gravity what we're

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interested in is the human component so

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what is that counter measure to Growing

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the plants we've actually had crew name

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their plants that get really attached to

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the plants as they're growing them they

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talk to their plants but then the

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psychological countermeasure the benefit

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of eating a fresh salad in the middle of

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your mission is huge and then also the

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nutritional benefit that we have from

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growing our own crops and as we think

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about going to Mars long-term missions

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you know will we have to grow crops

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there as well so this gives us a head

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start on that so it sounds like they

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actually get to become space Farmers

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they do they do but no potatoes yet

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sounds like there's tons going on in

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microgravity that we're researching what

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about here on Earth yeah you know it's

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really expensive to do experiments in

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space you have to fly all the equipment

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up you have to bring samples back and

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you have a limited number of crew

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members that you can have access to so

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we have facilities here on Earth that we

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call analog some of them are for

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isolation simulating that closeness of a

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small group of people in a confined

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space where you can't really get out and

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then we also have a bed rest facility in

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Cologne Germany where we study the

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microgravity aspect so we put them at

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six degree head down tilt for you know

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several months at a time and then study

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how that fluid shift and how that

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deconditioning affects the human body

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wow so in addition to the ones you

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mentioned I know that we've got our

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chipia simulated Mars mission so it

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sounds like we get to study isolation

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and confinement without even leaving the

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Earth we do yes so Steve I wanted to ask

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you I heard that when astronauts get

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home from the International Space

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Station as soon as they land they have

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to do an obstacle course is that true

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yeah know we've had several experiments

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like that and the ones we're doing now

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they're designed to look at the sensory

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motor system so that's your sense of

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balance your your what controls your

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gait how you walk how you perceive the

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world up and down and those kind of

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things so we know that changes in space

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flight and the longer you're in space

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it's likely the the worst that could be

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so we're studying that now where we we

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do obstacle courses before flight and

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then when they come home to see how

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space flight has changed that system so

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it sounds like when we go to the moon or

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Mars we'll know will they be able to hit

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the ground running or will they need a

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couple or will they need a while to get

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their landlines out of them yep that's

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exactly why we're doing that experiment

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yep very cool well Steve thanks so much

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for joining us oh you're welcome

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so learn more about NASA's human

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research program be sure to follow at

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NASA Johnson on social media and be sure

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to watch NASA TV on April 3rd to find

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out which astronauts are traveling to

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the Moon putting some of this amazing

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research to good work