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Astroskin First Flight with Virgin Galactic and Kellie Gerardi
Washington, DC, USA (June 3rd, 2021): Virgin Galactic has announced a new contract to fly International Institute of Astronautical Sciences (IIAS) researcher Kellie Gerardi on a test flight of the company’s spaceflight system, during which Kellie will conduct experiments and test new healthcare technologies (including the Astroskin Bio-Monitor) while she's in space.
(Credits: Greentag89, Wikipedia)
The purpose of the research mission is to demonstrate and advance novel scientific research benefits and applications that the spaceflight system provides for human-tended payloads.
The mission will also demonstrate the potential of conducting human research in suborbital flight, building on the research and knowledge gained from a number of Kellie’s reduced gravity flight campaigns performed here on Earth, including with the National Research Council of Canada (NRC) and the Canadian Space Agency (CSA).
Virgin Galactic will be able to provide new benefits to the space science research community in the form of repeatability, affordability and quality of the weightless environment which have historically been barriers for many wanting to conduct human spaceflight research.
During the spaceflight, following the shutdown of the rocket motor, Kellie will unbuckle from her seat and undertake the actions necessary to complete each experiment during several minutes of weightlessness. Virgin Galactic will provide training and preparation so that she is fully equipped to carry out her job as mission specialist on this flight and provide on-site pre-flight support for each of the payload experiments.
Working with IIAS, NRC and CSA, Kellie has already operated each payload in reduced gravity flights and will be bringing that unique payload specialist experience to the research mission. The payloads will include bio-monitoring instrumentation, including the Astroskin Bio-Monitor wearable sensors system, developed by Hexoskin with the support of the Canadian Space Agency, that will measure the biological effects of launch, weightlessness, re-entry, and landing on spaceflight participants.
The Astroskin Bio-Monitor has been in operation in the International Space Station since 2019 and is used by space agencies (CSA, NASA, ESA), to monitor astronauts' vital signs in orbit. The Astroskin is also used on Earth by researchers of 5 continents for clinical research applications.
“This historic flight will demonstrate the role private space companies can play to advance our knowledge of human physiology in space, to prepare for future missions to the Moon and beyond” said Pierre-Alexandre Fournier, CEO and co-founder of Hexoskin. “Many private space companies are planning to use the Astroskin system for astronaut training and during spaceflight, because it’s already in operation in the International Space Station.”
For more information about Hexoskin's involvement in this test flight or the Astroskin wearable vital signs sensor system, please contact us by email (contact@hexoskin.com) or by phone at 1-888-887-2044.
Hexoskin Talks Space Medicine at the Healthcare without Boundaries Colloquium
Biomedical researcher Héloïse Auger will talk about Hexoskin's work in space medicine, Astroskin wearable sensors, and artificial intelligence for automated diagnostics at the Healthcare without Boundaries Colloquium this week on June 1-2. Registration is available on Eventbrite: Healthcare without Boundaries Colloquium
Hexoskin has been collaborating with the Canadian Space Agency since 2011 on the development of medical technologies that can be used for human spaceflight. Devices that can record health data passively, like the Astroskin, create an opportunity to develop autonomous medical systems using clinical rules and artificial intelligence to support long-term space missions beyond low Earth orbit.
Advancing space medicine knowledge aboard the ISS. Another space mission for Astroskin / Bio-Monitor!
Earlier this month, European Space Agency astronaut Luca Parmitano conducted validation tests on-orbit and wore the Astroskin garment and headband connected to the data unit for his first 72-hour monitoring experience.
Luca Parmitano also conducted maintenance operations for the Astroskin / Bio-Monitor that was deployed on the ISS orbiting lab, last December by Canadian Astronaut David Saint-Jacques.
Although the ISS is equipped with health and life sciences research tools, the existing instrumentation for continuous and simultaneous recording of several physiological parameters was lacking. To address this issue, the Canadian Space Agency's Bio-Monitor Commissioning activity uses the Astroskin / Bio-Monitor system; a complete vital signs monitoring platform coupled with a wearable garment capable of monitoring relevant physiological parameters in a non-invasive and non-interfering way during a normal day in space.
The physiological parameters which can be monitored consist of blood pressure, peripheral blood oxygen saturation, 3-lead ECG, respiration, skin temperature, and activity, will help push further our understanding of Vascular aging and Human Physiology in space.
Venturing into the environment of space, microgravity can have negative effects on the human body. When astronauts return to Earth, their carotid arteries, which carry blood to the head and neck, appear to have aged 20 to 30 years. Artery walls become stiffer and thicker in space, the same as when people grow older on Earth.
“You can take extremely healthy, fit astronauts and put them in an environment that restricts their ability to do daily exercise, and they run the risk of developing insulin resistance that on Earth could lead to Type II diabetes,” said principal investigator Richard L. Hughson of Schlegel-University of Waterloo in Ontario
Now operational the Astroskin Bio-Monitor system is available for the next five years to conduct Health research in Space for all participating countries to the International Space Station.
Sometimes you wear the experiment: the Bio-Monitor smart shirt system measures vital signs like temperature, heart rate, respiration and movement, and transmits the data to a tablet application. #MissionBeyond @csa_asc pic.twitter.com/2h6lmRUyHH
— Luca Parmitano (@astro_luca) 19 août 2019
Source:
NASA. 2019. ISS Daily Summary Report - 8/14/2019
NASA. 2019. ISS Daily Summary Report - 8/13/2019
About Hexoskin
Since 2006, Hexoskin’s mission is to develop sensors and health data infrastructure to generate clinical grade real-world evidence. The Astroskin demonstrates once again Hexoskin’s leadership in providing the industry leading sensors, software, and AI to push further our understanding of human physiology on earth and in space.
Hexoskin Lands $2.4M Space Medicine Contract
Montreal, Canada – October 21, 2016 – The Canadian Space Agency (CSA) is awarding a new contract to Carré Technologies (Hexoskin) to continue advancing technology on Astroskin, an innovative bio-monitoring system for use aboard the International Space Station (ISS). The announcement will be made today at the company's headquarters in Montreal by the honourable Marc Garneau, Minister of Transport of Canada and first Canadian in space, and Canadian astronaut David Saint-Jacques.
Consisting of a “smart shirt” and remote health monitoring software, Astroskin will collect valuable scientific data on astronauts’ vital signs, sleep quality and activity levels during their missions. CSA Astronaut David Saint-Jacques will test Astroskin during his six-month mission aboard the ISS in 2018-2019.
You can watch the press conference live on Facebook:
English : https://www.facebook.com/canadianspaceagency
Français : https://www.facebook.com/agencespatialecanadienne
Quotes
“Astroskin is a perfect example of how our government works with small, innovative, Canadian businesses on space technologies that lead to commercial versions for use by Canadians.”
The Honourable Navdeep Bains, Minister of Innovation, Science and Economic Development
“Astroskin may have many applications on Earth, such as medical monitoring of those confined to their homes by illness, people living in remote areas with limited medical access, and those working in hazardous environments. It is another in a long list of space technologies brought down to Earth for all of us.”
The Honourable Marc Garneau, Minister of Transport
“Our team is proud of the role we are playing to support human space travel. One day, thousands of space travelers bound for Mars will need simple reliable medical systems to ensure their health. Deploying our wearable sensors and software to the ISS is significant as this represents the ultimate remote patient monitoring scenario. The findings from tracking the health of astronauts will be used to make our healthcare system more accessible and support new home care and telemedicine services.”
Pierre-Alexandre Fournier, CEO and co-founder, Carré Technologies (Hexoskin)
About Hexoskin
Hexoskin is the world leader in smart clothing for health monitoring. Hexoskin smart shirts are used by space and defense agencies, sports scientists, and thousands of health professionals and health researchers all over the world. The Hexoskin connected platform provides a new, convenient way to understand human health in real-life environments. For more information, visit www.hexoskin.com and @Hexoskin on Twitter.
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