Nurse a desire to travel in a space taxi but wary of the space flight and its impact on high blood pressure or diabetes? Take heart.
The aerospace medicine group at the University of Texas' medical branch, Galveston, has studied how average people with common medical problems would be able to tolerate the stresses of commercial space flight.
"This study further supports the belief that, despite significant chronic medical conditions, the dream of space flight is one that most people can achieve," lead author Rebecca Blue said.
Historically, space flight has been reserved for the very healthy.
"Physiological stresses of flight include increased acceleration forces or 'G-forces', during launch and re-entry as well as the microgravity period," said Blue.
"Our goal was to see how average people with common medical problems like high blood pressure, heart disease, diabetes, asthma and back and neck injuries who are not necessarily as fit as a career astronaut would be able to tolerate the stresses of an anticipated commercial spaceflight," Blue added.
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In a simulated flight environment, researchers wanted to see if centrifuges were equally tolerable for individuals with complex medical histories or whether there were certain conditions that would make it more difficult for them to handle the flight.
Overall, they found that nearly everyone with well-controlled medical conditions who participated in this project tolerated simulated flight without problems.
The study appeared in the journal Aviation, Space and Environmental Medicine.