Agnirva Space Premier League - Expedition #31433: Fighting Space Sickness: How NASA Uses Scopolamine and Tech to Keep Astronauts Sharp

Imagine rocketing through Earth’s atmosphere, transitioning from gravity to microgravity, then back again. It’s a journey that can cause intense motion sickness for astronauts, known as G-transition induced motion sickness. NASA’s experiment on the International Space Station (ISS), led by Dr. Scott Wood, tackles this challenge head-on by combining a well-known motion sickness medication—scopolamine—with advanced sensory augmentation technologies.

Scopolamine is typically administered to prevent nausea and disorientation. However, in this ISS experiment, the delivery method is intranasal—direct to the brain through the nasal cavity. This fast-acting approach helps astronauts adapt quicker to gravity transitions. Paired with sensory augmentation tools that recalibrate the body’s internal senses, the goal is to minimize the adverse effects of motion sickness while maximizing cognitive and motor function.

Over Expeditions 70 through 73, astronauts tested this powerful combo. They evaluated their sensory-motor coordination in various scenarios, including posture tasks and movement in 3D space. This research doesn’t just benefit spacefarers—results could revolutionize how we treat motion sickness on Earth, such as in pilots or VR users.

This work is part of NASA’s broader Human Research Program, helping us prepare for long-term missions to the Moon and Mars. By ensuring astronauts maintain peak sensorimotor performance, we’re paving the way for safer and more effective space exploration.

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