When Amanda Nguyen embarks on Blue Origin’s New Shepard Mission NS-31 next week, she will carry MIT research into orbit with her. Nguyen, a bioastronautics research scientist and former Media Lab Director’s Fellow, will bring prototypes developed by researchers in the Media Lab’s Women’s Health Program (WHx), Space Exploration Initiative (SEI), MIT Multifunctional Metamaterials Lab (MIT META), and MIT Self-Assembly Lab onto the flight. 

WHx, under the direction of faculty lead Canan Dagdeviren, will provide Nguyen with a wearable ultrasound patch. Professor Dagdeviren notes that current ultrasound imaging on the International Space Station (ISS) lacks longitudinal capability and integrated physiological monitoring, due to the absence of an onboard radiologist and the limitations of rigid handheld probes. 

The wearable ultrasound patch, developed in Professor Dagdeviren’s Conformable Decoders group, is designed for operator-independent, large-area imaging. This could enable continuous health monitoring in space. The ultrasound array will be deployed to evaluate the performance of the device both pre- and post-flight. The researchers’ long-term goal is to develop a wearable garment with embedded ultrasound to monitor musculoskeletal deconditioning and spine elongation in astronauts.

Additionally, WHx is providing brain-inspired neuromorphic nanowire networks; hardware-based artificial intelligence computation has a strong potential to assist and protect astronauts. Following the flight, the researchers will analyze the performance of these networks and assess their potential future contributions to astronauts and other users.  

The Media Lab’s Space Exploration Initiative (SEI) will provide swatches of smart materials created by the MIT Multifunctional Metamaterials Lab (MIT META). Human space exploration requires smart fibers, yarns, and textiles that provide radiation shielding, thermoregulation, energy harvesting, and health monitoring. MIT META, led by Dr. Svetlana Boriskina, has developed smart fiber- and yarn-based materials that combine all of these functions, which will take their first flight on New Shepard Mission NS-31. The long-term goal is to integrate these new materials into the next generation of spacesuits, vehicles, and shelters.

In association with the MIT Self-Assembly Lab, SEI will also provide Nguyen with a fabric sample made from ultra-high molecular weight polyethylene (UHMWPE) and elastic yarns, knitted following the original lines of non-extension pattern developed in Media Lab Director Dava Newman's mechanical counterpressure (MCP) research for the MIT BioSuit™. With its high tensile strength and lightweight composition, the fabric is also tested for moisture resistance, showcasing potential for next-generation spacesuit designs through advanced engineered textile structures.

After the flight, which includes the first all-woman crew on a Blue Origin mission, MIT and Media Lab researchers will analyze the performance of the materials and work with Nguyen to publish the results.