UTMB is seeking volunteers with diabetes, cardiac arrhythmia to participate in spaceflight research

The University of Texas Medical Branch is studying people with diabetes and cardiac arrhythmia to see if they can safely travel into space.

It's one of the many new questions emerging as SpaceX, Blue Origin and Virgin Galactic carries paying customers into microgravity. Can everyday people -- not just exceptionally healthy NASA astronauts -- handle the rigors of launching into space?

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“This will help us better understand how individuals with certain medical conditions may tolerate spaceflight and how to best prepare them for the experience,” Dr. Rebecca Blue, UTMB flight surgeon and the study's investigator, said in a news release.

UTMB, in conjunction with the National Aerospace Training and Research Center in Southampton, Pa., is seeking volunteers with diagnosed diabetes and/or cardiac arrhythmias, as well as volunteers without these medical conditions.

Participants will ride in a centrifuge that replicates the gravitational forces encountered during various phases of launch, flight and re-entry/splashdown. They will be evaluated through questionnaires, physiological parameters and basic cognitive tasks during one or more acceleration profiles that simulate spaceflight. 

Volunteers will not be paid for their time. They will not be reimbursed for travel expenses or lodging, but they will get to ride in the centrifuge for free.

Those interested in volunteering can visit utmb.edu/pmph/aerospace-medicine/pre-participation-questionnaire for more information.