Google and NASA are developing the “Crew Medical Officer Digital Assistant” to help astronauts manage health issues during missions. The system allows astronauts and Earth-based medical teams to diagnose and treat symptoms instantly. It provides flight surgeons with predictive analytics and data to support decision-making. Early tests showed reliable diagnoses from reported symptoms, and doctors continue refining the model. The AI becomes crucial when communication with Earth is limited, offering detailed guidance on treatments. Google stressed its importance for deep-space missions, including Artemis II and III to the Moon and future Mars missions. The tool illustrates how AI can deliver critical care in extreme and isolated environments.
Current Astronaut Medical Training
NASA trains astronauts in CPR, basic first aid, behavioural health, and medical kit use, along with handling space-specific illnesses like decompression sickness and carbon dioxide exposure. Ground-based teams of doctors, psychologists, and flight surgeons monitor astronaut health before, during, and after missions. On the ISS, astronauts can access a robust pharmacy and medical equipment, and they may return to Earth if urgent treatment is needed.
Medical Challenges Beyond Earth
A 2023 study showed that Moon missions face up to a 10-second communication delay and emergency evacuation could take two weeks. Mars missions present greater challenges, with six-month evacuations over 500 million kilometres and urgent communications delayed up to 40 minutes. Astronauts on these missions will need medical systems that can diagnose accurately, anticipate questions from specialists, and operate independently to reduce back-and-forth communication with Earth.
