Dr Mike Barratt, who teaches space medicine at the University of Exeter, has been sent to a space station to continue his research. The American-born professor wore university merch just before leaving Earth from the Kennedy Space Center in Florida. His colleague from Exeter, Professor Mark Hannaford, has stated that ‘the university is incredibly proud’ and the mission is ‘the culmination of years of work’ of the lecturer who is a part of the Medical School’s Extreme Medicine programme.
The university is incredibly proud
Professor Mark Hannaford
This would be Barratt’s third time collaborating with the International Space Station. He started of as the official surgeon of the space crew and ended up being selected as an astronaut in 1998. Since then, he had an outstanding engagement with the NASA operations. He orbited planet Earth 202 times, which is equivalent to 5.3 million miles in 307 hours. During his current mission, his unique research interest will be how the human body reacts to the state of weightlessness. His observations might be useful as they can contribute to better preparation for future expeditions to Mars and Moon.
He will be staying at the station for the next six months, doing exceptional research with his seven other crewmates. The professor is keen to share his experiences and visibly shows passion for his subject of interest. He shared a video in which he describes what would happen if one got sick while in space, revealing how the body undergoes many changes outside of the Earth’s atmosphere, even anatomical. In the video, he explains that space medicine is all about prevention, so preparing well for the mission and understanding what could happen to you in space is crucial.
The university is glad do have such an experienced lecturer and to be spreading information about his research and practical experience. His work in running the space station, conducting scientific experiments and testing how human bodies ‘literally become extraterrestrials’ on a mission is crucial to modern space science. The university students could benefit greatly from his experience and learn from his outstanding achievements.
