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A hardware assembly has been developed to monitor electrocardiogram (ECG) , blood pressure, posture, and acceleration of Space Shuttle crewmembers during entry, landing, and egress from the Orbiter. ECG electrodes and a blood pressure cuff are worn by the crewmembers under their pressure suits, and cables are passed through the suits to portable monitoring equipment stowed in a pocket on the thigh. Data have been collected successfully on several flights using this instrumentation.

Many standard cardiovascular measurement techniques can be implemented on routine Space Shuttle missions to permit applied in-flight research. The electrocardiogram (ECG) , blood pressure, cardiac dimensions and function, cerebral blood flow, central venous pressure, and leg volumes can be assessed in flight. when used alone or in combination, at rest or during cardiovascular stress' this array of instrumentation provides many capabilities found in a modern cardiovascular laboratory.

Today, the tools are in our hands to enable us to travel away from our home planet and become citizens of the solar system. Even now, we are seriously beginning to develop the robust infrastructure that will make the 21st century the Century of Space Travel. But this bold step must be taken with due concern for the health, safety and wellbeing of future space explorers. Our long experience with space biomedical research convinces us that, if we are to deal effectively with the medical and biomedical issues of exploration, then dramatic and bold steps are also necessary in this field. We can no longer treat the human body as if it were composed of muscles, bones, heart and brain acting independently. Instead, we must lead the effort to develop a fully integrated view of the body, with all parts connected and fully interacting in a realistic way. This paper will present the status of current (2000) plans by the National Space Biomedical Research Institute to initiate research in this area of integrative physiology and medicine. Specifically, three example projects are discussed as potential stepping stones towards the ultimate goal of producing a digital human. These projects relate to developing a functional model of the human musculoskeletal system and the heart.