The web site has been updated! The web site has been updated! You're not hallucinating if you detect an element of Reverse Chicken Little Syndrome in that exclamation. Every web update means brand new research studies are being conducted at the NASA Human Test Subject Facility (HTSF) at Johnson Space Center! Always welcome news.
While manned spaceflight has taken a downturn, NASA does still have an 18 billion dollar budget dedicated to various missions and wide ranges of research projects. The flight simulations are definitely a worthy area of research! And these are the kinds where you don't need to be a rocket scientist -- you just need to be healthy and motivated, and you can help your space program.
I've participated in three of these studies, and had great fun performing all the tests and procedures, so I always encourage others to check out the forms and throw their hat in the ring if they think they meet the health standards.
The screening process has remained the same over the years, and it's not always easy, but you are definitely in an exclusive group of specimens if you can pull it off! Do you know a fitness-minded person you can refer? Help NASA find some folks who can participate!
Especially now, in light of how many more scientists are studying How A Long Mission To Mars Could Kill You. In the short term, most of the studies are between 2 weeks and a few months, so there is no harm to be had. But the results of the data over time and in many individuals help NASA keep astronauts healthier.
Many of the programs, while seeking counter-measures for space flight, also benefit people with conditions here on earth, such as cardio-pulmonary and osteoporosis patients, just to name a few. (Hey, Rogaine and Viagra were both discovered by testing potential blood pressure medicines. So, there you go.)
Want to see what your made of and help humanity get to Mars? Seriously, apply to the flight sim program! When the first foot steps on the red planet, you will be able to say that you helped make that happen. Do you know someone who is fit, adventurous and willing? Encourage them to apply, too. Above is the schematic of the NASA facility where all the testing takes place... help NASA fill the rooms :)
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