STEM-Talk: Michael Schmidt on building a space-faring civilization

It may not be what he envisioned as a college student, but Michael Schmidt says the blessing of “deep curiosity” has been the key to his career in science.

“I didn’t have a master plan in place other than to know I was deeply curious,” he says. “I loved that intersection between performance, medicine and biology.”

Aptitude testing he underwent showed that the process of discovery was most alluring for Schmidt and that became the driving force of his career.

“We know that careers are short and needs are high,” Schmidt says. “There is a doctor sitting in front of somebody every day by the millions, and that person needs an answer. (The question is) how do we accelerate that path to the answer.”

This STEM-Talk features part two of our conversation with Schmidt, the founder, CEO, and Chief Scientific Officer of Sovaris Aerospace, a company focused on assessments and solutions applied to humans in space and extreme environments on Earth.

In this episode, we talk about NASA’s plans to send humans to Mars and build permanent colonies on the Moon and Mars. Listen today wherever you enjoy podcasts.

In part one, Episode 182, we talked about Schmidt’s pioneering work in precision medicine and how he has used it to improve the cognitive and physical performance of astronauts as well as NBA, NFL players and Special Operations forces.

Tune in to this episode for insights including:

• The rich source of data from the NASA twins expedition tracking astronaut Scott Kelly over 340 days in space — and his twin, Mark Kelly, on Earth.
• The physiological and cognitive protections that the cardio and muscular fitness of astronauts before they go to space confers on cardiovascular, immune, bone density, muscle health, and nervous systems. “I think overall going into space with the greatest level of reserves, whether its brain, cardiovascular, muscle, bone, are really critical elements of preparation for space travel,” he says.
• The vulnerability of specialized brain tissues like the hippocampus to radiation, particularly in the context of a long duration spaceflight to Mars.
• The insights to be gained from tracking the cognitive impacts of therapeutic radiation delivered on Earth for what astronauts might experience.
• Schmidt’s his recent book, “Building a Space-Faring Civilization,” which addresses the challenges of civilian spaceflight and the construction of space settlements.
• An underappreciated, but critical, component of long duration spaceflight — the psychology of team dynamics.
• Why being the best possible team member might be the most valuable superpower young researchers can have.

IHMC is a not-for-profit research institute of the Florida University System where researchers pioneer science and technology aimed at leveraging and extending human capabilities. IHMC researchers and staff collaborate extensively with the government, industry and academia to help develop breakthrough technologies. IHMC research partners have included: DARPA, the National Science Foundation, NASA, Army, Navy, Air Force, National Institutes of Health, IBM, Microsoft, Honda, Boeing, Lockheed, and many others.