With recent forays into space travel by business moguls like Jeff Bezos and Richard Branson, visiting the edge of space has never been more within the grasp of commercial travel. However, at these altitudes, passengers experience weightlessness, or more generally, altered gravity, that can affect the body's normal physiology.

In a study, Texas A&M University researchers have used a simulation-based approach to accurately predict the effects of altered gravity on an individual-by-individual basis. Their approach precludes the need for simultaneously testing hundreds of parameters for estimating the cardiovascular state of an individual; rather, it focuses on a handful of significant factors, increasing accuracy and saving time.

"Understanding human physiological responses in altered gravity environments becomes absolutely necessary if we want to push toward new frontiers in space travel," said Dr. Ana Diaz-Artiles, assistant professor in the Department of Aerospace Engineering. "But no two people are alike, and we need to develop tools to individualize physiological predictions quickly and precisely. Our study addresses that gap."

The researchers have reported the results of their study in The Journal of Applied Physiology.