NASA and Google are testing an AI assistant designed to help astronauts diagnose and treat health problems during long missions, including future trips to Mars. The tool, called the Crew Medical Officer Digital Assistant (CMO-DA), uses Google’s technology to guide crews through medical procedures when communication delays make real-time help from Earth impossible.
The project aims to prepare astronauts for missions where radio signals take up to 20 minutes each way, making quick consultations with doctors on Earth unfeasible. Crews are small, and not every member has medical training, so the AI can provide step-by-step instructions for handling issues such as infections, injuries, and motion sickness.
NASA’s Johnson Space Center led the effort, working with Google Cloud to develop and test the tool in simulated space environments. During trials, CMO-DA used simple crew inputs to identify problems, recommend treatments, and suggest equipment such as ultrasound devices. It was tested on real astronaut scenarios, including minor wounds and space motion sickness.
Microgravity weakens bones and muscles, while cosmic radiation increases long-term health risks. CMO-DA could help monitor these conditions and offer preventive measures, drawing on large medical databases without constant Earth contact. Future versions may integrate with wearable sensors to track vital signs in real time and predict potential health problems.
If successful, the system could be deployed on missions beyond low Earth orbit, supporting NASA’s Artemis program to return astronauts to the Moon by 2026 and sending crews to Mars in the 2030s. It could also benefit medical care on Earth, especially in rural areas or disaster zones where doctors are scarce.
The partnership is still in the proof-of-concept stage, and further testing is needed to ensure reliability in space. But NASA says the early results show promise for making deep space crews more self-reliant.