Billionaires and geniuses are already starting to leave planet Earth in private flights to space, even for very short periods of time. The second private Axiom Space (Ax-2) mission was successfully completed on May 30 when its four-passenger crew lifted off the Florida coast at 11:04 PM (ET) and began their 10-day adventure on the space, eight of them on the International Space Station (ISS).
The mission was launched on a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket and Dragon spacecraft from NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida. The crew consisted of:
- Former NASA astronaut Ax-2 Commander Peggy Whitson
- Pilot John Shoffner
- Saudi Arabian specialists Ali Alqarni and Rayyanah Barnawi (the latter who became the first Saudi woman to fly into space).
If they have not received specialized training from a space agency, the question arises: How are astronauts trained for private flights into space?
Train astronauts for private flights into space
Specialists from Houston Methodist Hospital provided support to the Axiom Space medical team throughout the mission.
“My role in particular is to help them with their fitness before they go into space. Before the mission I met with the crew and did strength training, we worked on some cardiovascular exercises to prepare them for space,” explained Jenna Tubbs, athletic and physical trainer.
Regarding the training they did, “We wanted them to do a lot of exercises to strengthen their glutes and back muscles, since they would be sitting for quite a while while launching into space.”
Good shape for 10 extreme days
Since the space mission only lasted 10 days, Jenna Tubbs made sure that all the crew members were in good shape. “They had exercises they could do while in space and for the most part all four crew members were already in good physical shape, it wasn’t like we had to start from scratch. They were all very active, so I just basically helped with their strength training.”
Since each one had a different level of physical condition, “the training had to be adapted according to each one of them. I did a history on each person I was going to work with, to see if they had a previous injury or what their specific goals were. Some people want to gain strength, others just want to maintain a little, therefore it was my duty to find out what each crew member’s specific goal was for himself and tailor his training around that.”
Regarding the most common physical injuries that a person can develop in space, Jenna Tubbs explained that In missions as short as these it is not common for injuries to occurHowever, “if you go for a longer duration, like six months, you may experience some muscle atrophy, loss of bone density, decreased cardiovascular endurance, among other health issues.”
Frequent trips to space for a select few
Ax-2 is the second commercial mission to the ISS, with which Axiom Space seeks to facilitate frequent trips to the ISS while taking care of the health of all passengers and crew. For this reason, Axiom Space partnered with Houston Methodist Hospital to physically prepare the crew who will fly into space and perform specific missions and tasks.
The Ax-2 crew members have been training since September 2022 to be ready for their journey in May 2023.
“We were in charge of verifying the good health of the crew members and preparing them for the mission; Once in space, the flight surgeon monitored them to check their cardiovascular levels while they were there.”
While on the ISS, Rayyanah Barnawi, a Saudi research scientist, performed DNA (medical) nanotherapy operations and worked with her colleague Ali Alqarni on an advanced microscope called the Kermit.
While Commander Peggy Whitson worked with pilot John Shoffner and conducted stem cell research. Additionally, Shoffner held two live conversations with students in the UK.
With information from Houston Methodist Hospital.
Editorial Team The editorial team of EMPRENDEDOR.com, which for more than 27 years has worked to promote entrepreneurship.