Space Medicine

@ Low-Earth Orbit, designed in Hawthorne, California, USA

Commercial spaceflight companies are often able to pursue fast-paced innovations in methodology and operations due to the relative flexibility and higher risk posture compared to government agencies. Polaris, a first-of-its-kind commercial spaceflight program contracted through SpaceX, is prioritizing research in human spaceflight capabilities. Polaris Dawn will feature the first commercial extravehicular activity (spacewalk) and an ambitious portfolio of science research and technology demonstrations.

As part of a small team within the Space Medicine group in SpaceX Operations, I supported the selection of projects from academia, industry, and government partners. With familiarity in the research process, human factors, and SpaceX processes, I assessed and qualified the projects’ scientific validity and feasibility. I created and managed training and in-flight operation schedules for over 30 research payloads with competing requirements. I designed and presented a training protocol for an internal research project on continuous glucose monitoring to increase accessbility to spaceflight.