News Briefs Archive

Eyecare Experiments to Be Conducted During Upcoming Spaceflight Mission

Nov. 2, 2022

Polaris Dawn, the first of the Polaris Program’s three human spaceflight missions, announced that eyecare will be among the extensive suite of science and research experiments that the crew and SpaceX will conduct throughout the mission, according to reporting by Vision Monday.

The selected projects are designed to advance both human health on Earth and on future long-duration spaceflights, according to a statement from the Polaris Program. “The mission profile of Polaris Dawn affords us some great opportunities to expand our collective knowledge about the human body in space and associated applicability here on earth,” said Jared Isaacman, mission commander.

“Our science and research agenda will enhance the body of knowledge for future long-duration spaceflight which will take us back to the moon and on to Mars; as well as progress our knowledge and understanding for humankind here on Earth. The Polaris Dawn team along with the exceptional science and research team at SpaceX cast a wide net to find the best experiments to fly with us.

“We greatly appreciate all of the submissions and enormous support of the work. Polaris Dawn is the first mission in the Polaris Program and our goal is to continue to find the best research out there for our future spaceflights,” Isaacman said.

SpaceX is targeting no earlier than March 2023 for Falcon 9’s launch of the Polaris Dawn mission from Launch Complex 39A at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida. Over the course of five days, Dragon and the Polaris Dawn crew will endeavor to travel to 1,400 km—the highest earth orbit ever flown—and attempt the first-ever commercial spacewalk. Many of the selected research projects take advantage of this unique mission profile, including the relatively high-radiation levels due to the high-altitude orbit and exposure to hard-vacuum during the spacewalk.

The Polaris Dawn crew plans to conduct two eyecare experiments among the 38 different experiments it will conduct during the mission. The first involves the use of ultrasound to measure changes to the eye’s structure in microgravity.

The second involves a crew member wearing a contact lens embedded with microelectronics that will allow the crew to continuously monitor changes in the shape and pressure of the eye, a first for a human spaceflight mission. Collected data will contribute to the understanding of spaceflight associated Spaceflight Associated Neuro-Ocular Syndrome (SANS), a condition that can cause degraded vision and poses a risk for human performance during a mission.

The Polaris Program did not respond to a request asking for information about the supplier of the contact lens.

Polaris Dawn and SpaceX will collaborate with 23 institutions on the selected experiments, such as the Translational Research Institute for Space Health (TRISH), University of Texas, Houston, University of Augusta, University of Colorado Boulder, Baylor College of Medicine, Medical University of South Carolina, Pacific Northwest National Laboratory, Weill Cornell Medicine, Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory, and the U.S. Air Force Academy.

For a full list and description of the selected science and research experiments and associated institutions, visit Polaris Dawn’s Science and Research site. While each experiment was selected for inclusion in the mission profile, additional testing and qualification requirements are underway. A final list of approved-to-fly experiments will be published closer to launch.

Polaris Dawn is an important first mission as part of this effort, continuing to raise awareness and money for St. Jude in addition to advancing health care access and connectivity to disconnected communities around the world. Polaris Dawn endeavors to reach the highest earth orbit ever flown, attempt the first-ever commercial spacewalk, conduct extensive research to further our understanding of human health on earth and during future long-duration spaceflights, and test Starlink’s laser-based communications in space.

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