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Comment and Space

We must address a key obstacle to our new age of space exploration

Advances in rocket technology are exciting, but we need to investigate how non-terrestrial gravity affects astronauts' psychology and cognition, says neuroscientist Elisa Raffaella Ferrè

By Elisa Raffaella Ferrè

5 July 2023

New Scientist Default Image — Michelle D’urbano

NASA has named its first astronaut crew bound for the moon in more than 50 years. “There are three words that we keep saying in the Artemis program and they are ‘we are going’,” said commander Reid Wiseman last April. Promising advances in rocket technology are ushering in exciting opportunities for space exploration. But, as a cognitive neuroscientist focusing on the effects of non-terrestrial gravity on the human brain and behaviour, I have to ask: are we ready to take on the challenges to human health posed by this new age of space travel?

Let’s be clear – going to space isn’t like taking a…

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