Around the world, people watched NASA’s Artemis II mission in awe as humans returned to lunar orbit for the first time since 1972.

As a physician and space medicine researcher, I watched life aboard the mission spacecraft Orion — where four astronauts worked, ate, exercised and managed personal hygiene in a tiny capsule — with curiosity.

Questions raced through my mind: Is this confined living environment psychologically sustainable if future missions last several months? What if there is a medical emergency during the 40-minute communications blackout when Orion passes behind the far side of the moon?

My previous research has highlighted how the environment of space itself can be disabling, and virtually every system within the human body is affected by the extremes of space flight.

As humanity prepares for its next mission to the moon and eventually onward to Mars, we need to consider how to evolve health-care delivery beyond Earth.

We need deep-space medical systems that are self-sustaining, lightweight, robust and functional with minimal maintenance or reliance on Earth-based support.

During space flight, astronauts may experience bone loss, muscle wasting, ocular and visual changes, immune dysfunction, fluid shifts and an increased risk of thrombosis, among many other concerns.

Deep space further complicates these challenges because........

© The Conversation