History of Spaceflight and the Central Nervous System

Abstract

The goal of extending the duration of missions and sending individuals further into space than ever before will challenge the current capabilities of aerospace medicine. Little is known as to how the spaceflight environment will alter the anatomical and physiological integrity of our nervous systems and related structures, but aerospace physicians and astronauts should be educated in the current understanding of how human physiology reacts to this extreme environment. It will be critical to develop countermeasures to these known obstacles so that astronauts and civilians can participate at their peak in these missions and return safely to earth. Although there are innumerable harms that face man’s spaceflight attempts, little can stop the desire of our species for exploration of the unknown.