Space Technology Utilization for Emergency Preparedness
and Human Health
Name
McGaa-nkmcgaa-MS-aeroastro-2026-thesis.pdf
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18.52 MB
Format
Adobe PDF
Checksum (MD5)
0769132ca4e1a80543021cd14c7829d6
Author(s)
McGaa, Nicole
Advisor(s)
Wood, Danielle
Petersen, Lonnie G.
Date Issued
May 2026
Publisher
Massachusetts Institute of Technology
Abstract
The hostile environment of spaceflight poses a comprehensive set of short- and long-term risks to human health and mission performance, and the need to systematically address these dangers has long linked the field of space medicine to emergency medicine and management. This thesis addresses how space technology can be improved and leveraged to support emergency preparedness and adapt to unexpected events both on- and off-Earth. On the International Space Station, astronaut sleep has decreased duration and quality, posing cognitive risks and long-term health impacts. This insufficiency has led to a general reliance on pharmaceutical sleeping aids, which poses concerns in emergency situations and long-duration flights. As new habitats and vehicles are designed for upcoming lunar and Mars missions, there is a critical need to understand how environmental design factors such as lighting can be utilized to mitigate this risk. An in-depth literature review reveals the current state of sleep and sleep-related countermeasures utilized in space. To address the gaps revealed, a n=1 pilot 36-Hour Head Down Tilt Bed Rest study investigates how the novel technology produced by SAGA Space Architects called the Circadian Light may help to regulate and restore circadian rhythms, cognition, and hemodynamics in the face of a sudden forward sleep shift. The initial results of the pilot study reveal minor potential changes in melatonin and cortisol concentrations over the course of 36 hours between the Circadian Lighting condition over basic fluorescent lighting along with potential changes in sleep architecture. These initial results provide the framework for continued study and prove the efficacy of the experimental platform designed through this work. The second half of this thesis focuses on improving Earth-based emergency management through space technologies. While Earth Observation and satellite imagery products continue to grow in their capabilities, there remains a gap in the practical delivery and relevance of data products to stakeholders. The NASA Disasters program is a prime example of a highly interconnected system of stakeholders, space technologies, and human-oriented objectives that can benefit from systems engineering techniques to ensure the accessibility and applicability of its goals. By utilizing the Systems Architecture Framework and the Environment-Vulnerability-Decision-Technology (EVDT) approaches, this component of the thesis performs a stakeholder analysis of the program itself and presents a tailored version of the EVDT framework for disaster management with applications to case studies. These analyses reveal the importance of stakeholder and community engagement and reciprocal feedback to improve these technologies.
MIT Department
Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Department of Aeronautics and Astronautics
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