Agnirva Space Premier League - Expedition #30802: Tracking the Human Body in Space and Underwater: How Stress, Immunity, and Hormones React

Space exploration doesn’t just challenge technology—it tests the limits of the human body. This experiment, led by Monica Monici and supported by ESA, investigates how stressful environments like space and underwater habitats impact our neuroendocrine, metabolic, inflammatory, and immune systems. By analyzing blood and saliva samples from astronauts before, during, and after missions, researchers can map out how long-duration missions affect human physiology.

These findings are critical to understanding astronaut health on missions to Mars or lunar habitats. Stress hormones like cortisol, inflammatory markers like cytokines, and immune responses are monitored to detect vulnerabilities. The research also helps optimize countermeasures like exercise, nutrition, and medication for long missions. With parallels drawn from underwater missions that simulate isolation and confinement, the study offers a holistic view of how extreme environments affect human health.

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