February 5, 1999

Paul Huang, MD, PhD

Paul Huang, MD, PhD, of MGH Cardiology, had a special interest in the recent landing of the space shuttle Endeavour. Huang joined a research team at the landing to investigate the changes in blood pressure regulation of astronauts in space flight. Huang joined the scientists as part of a collaboration with the Johnson Space Center in Houston, Texas.

According to Huang, during space flight the fluid that normally pools in leg tissues enters the overall circulation, causing astronauts to feel head congestion early in the flight. The body adapts by lowering the overall amount of fluid in the circulatory system. When astronauts return, however, their blood pressure drops lower than normal. In some cases, astronauts may need support to walk or need to be carried out of the space craft.

"The purpose of the project is to find out why some astronauts have more trouble than others in readjusting once they return to gravity," says Huang. "If we can understand what makes some people respond better, we can design effective treatments for this problem."

Huang adds that solving the problem of low blood pressure might affect the decision to send manned missions to Mars, because the astronauts would be spending a prolonged period of time in an unknown environment.