HMP Research Station | Haughton-Mars Project: HMP 2010: Science Report by Valerie Meyers, Ph.D. (Space Life Sciences Division, Wyle Laboratories, NASA JSC)

photo credit: NASA/Mars Institute/Haughton-Mars Project

Spaceflight leads to changes in the body’s immune system. These changes in immunity may decrease crew members’ ability to combat infections and increase their susceptibility to radiation and their risk of developing cancer during long-duration flights. Dr. Dr Valerie Meyers, a Wyle employee supporting NASA’s Space Life Sciences Division, was here to determine whether similar immune changes are occurring in HMP participants. Her research will help to determine the validity of this spaceflight analog for future immunity and countermeasure studies. Dr. Meyers collected blood samples from 4 volunteers and analyzed the presence of surface adhesion molecules on T cells in the field using the Accuri C6 portable flow cytometer, loaned by Accuri Cytometers, Inc. Plasma cortisol levels, an indicator of stress. Soluble surface proteins shed into the blood were also analyzed in the field using the Epoch spectrophotometer, loaned by BioTek. Finally, Dr. Meyers has collected saliva samples which will be returned to Johnson Space Center where they will be analyzed by Satish Mehta of EASI-Microbiology for evidence of viral shedding, a marker of immune suppression seen during spaceflight. This research seeks to provide insight into the mechanisms of immune dysfunction associated with chronic stress, which may help us find ways to minimize the negative effects of stress on astronauts as well as people involved in high stress occupations here on Earth.

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