Assistant Prof. of Bioastronautics Eliah Overbey Publishes Groundbreaking Research on Private Space Travel
Founding Faculty
Jun 12, 2024

Assistant Prof. of Bioastronautics Eliah Overbey Publishes Groundbreaking Research on Private Space Travel

Overbey’s research leads to '10-fold increase' in publicly available space health data. Her research has been profiled in more than a dozen major news outlets.

Maggie Kelly
Maggie Kelly
University of Austin

University of Austin Assistant Professor of Bioastronautics Dr. Eliah Overbey published a groundbreaking series of studies in Nature on June 11 on the viability of civilian spaceflight. She led a multi-institutional team of researchers whose findings indicated that low orbital travel is safe with minimal training. 

Overbey and her team conducted extensive testing and monitoring of crew members' physical and cognitive health, employing Apple watches as well as the pioneering use of ultrasound technology to observe the astronauts who provided the most diverse cohort of subjects in the history of space travel. Researchers obtained more than 3,000 samples from the four participating members of SpaceX’s 2021 Inspiration4 flight. The data they amassed represented a "10-fold increase in publicly available human space [cell health] data," according to Nature. 

Overbey’s findings have been profiled in over a dozen major news outlets, including Science, The New York Times, The Washington Post, ReutersThe Associated PressUSA Today, The Times UK, and Fox Weather

From The New York Times:

Crew members consented to participating in medical experiments — collecting samples of blood, urine, feces and saliva during their flight — and to allowing the data to be cataloged in an online archive known as the Space Omics and Medical Atlas, or SOMA, which is publicly available. ...

With more private citizens buying trips to space, the hope is that SOMA will quickly fill up with more information about a wider range of people than the older white men who were selected to be astronauts in the early decades of the space age. That could lead to treatments tailored to individual astronauts to combat the effects of spaceflight.

The wealth of information has also allowed scientists to compare short-term effects with what happens during longer missions.

From The Washington Post:

Spaceflight can be brutal on the human body — bones lose density, muscles atrophy, the immune system goes haywire — and countermeasures will be necessary if large numbers of people will be routinely living and working in space, according to a massive array of research papers published Tuesday.

But authors of the new research said there is nothing they have seen so far that would prevent the continued expansion of humanity into space, including long-duration journeys to Mars.

From The Times UK:

Some of the findings were reassuring for short-term space tourism, with four astronauts who spent three days in low Earth orbit on a spacecraft operated by SpaceX in 2021 showing no lasting ill effects.

However, another study found signs that the kidneys were likely to be seriously damaged by longer missions. The researchers looked at plasma and urine samples from astronauts, as well as kidney tissue from mice that had been sent to space. The results suggest that the physical structure of the kidney changes due to microgravity, affecting its ability to control the body’s mineral and salt levels.

From Fox Weather:

Medical research into the biological effects of spaceflight took a giant leap this week after data from the first all-private mission, Inspiration 4, helped researchers worldwide reach new conclusions about low-gravity impacts on the human body. 

Nature: 'Short-duration spaceflight presents relatively low risk for commercial crews'

Among Overbey’s findings published in Nature:

A civilian crew can be selected, trained, and deployed in less than 6 months, and shows that they can lead experiments, process samples, and significantly contribute to spaceflight research and development… Most metrics of the astronauts (e.g. gene expression profiles, telomere lengths, cytokine levels) were either stable, or quickly reverted back to baseline after landing. These data suggest that short-duration spaceflight presents relatively low risk for commercial crews.

Inspiration4 data will serve as a rich foundation for scaling and enhancing the knowledge base on early phases of space physiology and expanding our understanding of spaceflight-associated effects on human health. Finally, at least one of these same crew members will be present on future missions, and continue to contribute to long-term studies of astronaut health, which will also help delineate the long-term impacts of spaceflight and continue to prepare future astronauts for their missions…

The study of the parallels between the physiological impacts of spaceflight and aging, chronic disease and immune system disorders using multi-omic data can pave the way for therapeutics applicable to conditions on Earth.

“Our understanding of the human body lags behind the technology that makes space flight possible, but the research we are conducting at the University of Austin will help bridge that gap,” Overbey said. “I would like to thank the dozens of researchers and funders who contributed to this study, as well as participants who will help to foster medical breakthroughs not only for those in space but here on earth. 

“A special thank you to the senior authors on the paper, Drs. Christopher Mason and Cem Meydan, at Weill Cornell Medicine, who are my co-founders for the SOMA data portal and first commercial astronaut sample biobank. It is only the first small step in what will enable type of large-scale human health analysis we require to become a thriving multi-planetary species.”

Overbey and her collaborators are in the midst of conducting similar studies on astronauts scheduled to embark on another private space flight in the summer of 2024.

Read more on what brought Eliah Overbey to UATX.

more

from our Blog

Intellectual Foundations: Quantitative Reasoning I
Intellectual Foundations: Quantitative Reasoning I
Jul 30, 2024
Professor David Puelz Says to Challenge Ideology by Following the Data
Professor David Puelz Says to Challenge Ideology by Following the Data
Jul 26, 2024
'Anticipate Challenges, Dead Ends, and Reinventions': Professor Tim Kane Offers Rules of Life
'Anticipate Challenges, Dead Ends, and Reinventions': Professor Tim Kane Offers Rules of Life
Jul 19, 2024
University of Austin Founding Freshman Argues for Reinventing Higher Education
University of Austin Founding Freshman Argues for Reinventing Higher Education
Jul 19, 2024
Intellectual Foundations: 'The Beginning of Politics'
Intellectual Foundations: 'The Beginning of Politics'
Jul 17, 2024
UATX Program Alumni Are Making Science Modeling as Easy as Chat-GPT
UATX Program Alumni Are Making Science Modeling as Easy as Chat-GPT
Jul 10, 2024
Professor Isabella Reinhardt on Tragedy, Optimism, and Why Innovators Need the Humanities
Professor Isabella Reinhardt on Tragedy, Optimism, and Why Innovators Need the Humanities
Jul 10, 2024
Intellectual Foundations: ‘Christianity and Islam, Europe and the East’
Intellectual Foundations: ‘Christianity and Islam, Europe and the East’
Jul 10, 2024
Intellectual Foundations: ‘The American Experiment’
Intellectual Foundations: ‘The American Experiment’
Jul 4, 2024
Intellectual Foundations: 'Ideological Experiments of the 20th Century'
Intellectual Foundations: 'Ideological Experiments of the 20th Century'
Jun 26, 2024
Professor Kirsten Herlin Shares Lessons From Jane Austen, Stories of Modernity, and Hope for Higher Ed
Professor Kirsten Herlin Shares Lessons From Jane Austen, Stories of Modernity, and Hope for Higher Ed
Jun 21, 2024
Intellectual Foundations: 'Knowing, Doing, Making, Wisdom'
Intellectual Foundations: 'Knowing, Doing, Making, Wisdom'
Jun 19, 2024
Professor Alex Priou Wants Students to 'Be Strong, and Philosophize'
Professor Alex Priou Wants Students to 'Be Strong, and Philosophize'
Jun 14, 2024
Required Reading: 'Chaos and Civilization'
Required Reading: 'Chaos and Civilization'
Jun 13, 2024
Professor Jacob Wolf Will Introduce Students to 'Perennial Questions and Permanent Things'
Professor Jacob Wolf Will Introduce Students to 'Perennial Questions and Permanent Things'
May 31, 2024
Unchained and University of Austin Introduce Pioneering Bitcoin Endowment
Unchained and University of Austin Introduce Pioneering Bitcoin Endowment
May 31, 2024
Professor Ryan Haecker Plans to Renew Theology in the Heart of Texas
Professor Ryan Haecker Plans to Renew Theology in the Heart of Texas
May 24, 2024
'Higher Education Is Too Important to Surrender': President Pano Kanelos in New York
'Higher Education Is Too Important to Surrender': President Pano Kanelos in New York
May 19, 2024
The Mill Institute’s 2024-2025 Teacher Fellowship Applications Are Now Open!
The Mill Institute’s 2024-2025 Teacher Fellowship Applications Are Now Open!
May 13, 2024
Meet the Scientist Launching the University of Austin Space Exploration Program, Professor Eliah Overbey
Meet the Scientist Launching the University of Austin Space Exploration Program, Professor Eliah Overbey
May 27, 2024
University of Austin Judges High School Debate League National Championship
University of Austin Judges High School Debate League National Championship
Apr 14, 2024
'Does Open Inquiry Belong in Religious Schools?'
'Does Open Inquiry Belong in Religious Schools?'
Mar 28, 2024
Dean David Ruth: The University of Austin Is Building STEM Anew
Dean David Ruth: The University of Austin Is Building STEM Anew
Mar 27, 2024
Tony Abbott, 28th Prime Minister of Australia, Visits UATX
Tony Abbott, 28th Prime Minister of Australia, Visits UATX
Mar 21, 2024
University of Austin Makes its South By Southwest Debut
University of Austin Makes its South By Southwest Debut
Mar 21, 2024
Up to 100 Exceptional Students to Win $130K University of Austin Scholarships
Up to 100 Exceptional Students to Win $130K University of Austin Scholarships
Mar 19, 2024
The Mill Institute Promotes Dialogue on Middle East Conflict
The Mill Institute Promotes Dialogue on Middle East Conflict
Mar 12, 2024
University of Austin Partners with Capital Factory to Fuel Student and Faculty Entrepreneurship
University of Austin Partners with Capital Factory to Fuel Student and Faculty Entrepreneurship
Mar 5, 2024
The Mill Institute at UATX and Tim Urban Challenge Students to Think Through Differences
The Mill Institute at UATX and Tim Urban Challenge Students to Think Through Differences
Feb 26, 2024
UATX LIVE Offers an Inside Look at a University of Austin Education
UATX LIVE Offers an Inside Look at a University of Austin Education
Feb 21, 2024
Introducing the Manifesto of the Austin Union
Introducing the Manifesto of the Austin Union
Feb 15, 2024
The University of Austin and University of Texas at Austin Present CIVIL DISCORD
The University of Austin and University of Texas at Austin Present CIVIL DISCORD
Feb 14, 2024
Renowned Thinker Tim Urban to Discuss the Future of Discourse at SXSW EDU, Sponsored by UATX
Renowned Thinker Tim Urban to Discuss the Future of Discourse at SXSW EDU, Sponsored by UATX
Feb 14, 2024
In Search of the Brave 100: University of Austin Welcomes Prospective Students
In Search of the Brave 100: University of Austin Welcomes Prospective Students
Jan 31, 2024
Founding Faculty