No Doctors in Space: How Astronauts Get Medical Treatment in Orbit
NASA and other space agencies take extra care of astronauts’ health even though there are no doctors in orbit.
Captain Shubhanshu Shukla of the Indian Air Force Group is presently on the International Space Station (ISS). Under the Axiom-4 Mission of the European Space Agency, NASA, ISRO, and private enterprise Axiom Space, he has arrived at the space station. Shubhanshu Shukla is the first Indian to reach the International Space Station (ISS) and the second person to enter space. Numerous astronauts are always on board the International orbit Station, and occasionally new personnel are launched into orbit and astronauts are summoned back to Earth. While some astronauts must remain aboard the space station for an extended period of time, many people spend months there.
Over 280 astronauts from over 20 nations had visited the International Space Station (ISS) by June 2025. For weeks or months, these astronauts spend their time in Earth’s orbit living in microgravity. These missions are primarily focused on international collaboration and scientific research. Humans, including astronauts, become sick.
What occurs if a space traveler becomes ill?
Space has neither an emergency department nor a hospital. Space agencies do, however, fully prepare for medical emergencies. Before entering space, astronauts receive first aid training, and the ISS has the medical equipment they need. An astronaut is designated as a “crew medical officer” for each trip; he is not a doctor but typically has medical training. Painkillers, antibiotics, allergy drugs, a portable ultrasound machine, a defibrillator, and CPR supplies are all included in this medical officer’s medical kit.
Why can’t we perform CPR?
NASA claims that because it becomes challenging to push the chest in space, performing cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) in zero gravity is challenging. In order to perform CPR, a specialised tool or setup is used to tie the legs. An astronaut is not alone if they encounter any significant issues while in space. Doctors use real-time audio and video from NASA’s Mission Control Centre to provide telemedical support. The doctors provide them with detailed advice based on the biometric information they acquired from the ISS. This aids in the astronaut’s treatment.
What emergency services are available?
There is a plan for emergency evacuation in the event that an astronaut’s condition worsens and treatment on the ISS is not feasible. At least one Soyuz or SpaceX Dragon spacecraft, capable of returning an astronaut to Earth in three to five hours, is always docked on the ISS. This capsule typically lands on Kazakhstan’s plains. The patient is then admitted right away to the Russian Space Agency’s or NASA’s medical facility. However, as some diseases can deteriorate after returning to Earth’s gravity, this emergency evacuation plan is only used as a last resort. In the ISS’s more than two decades of existence, no astronaut has ever needed to be returned because of a medical emergency.
