The effects of rocket travel and near-space environment on dried blood and blood plasma

A crew of astronauts embarking on an extended space mission will typically experience at least one medical emergency, such as traumatic injury or complications from space anemia, both further aggravated by lack of gravitational forces acting on the circulatory system. Treatment for these conditions requires blood transfusions; however, liquid blood has a short shelf life. Spray-dried and freeze-dried blood storage solutions are being investigated for their extended shelf life, with research into dried blood applications on the battlefield, in austere terrestrial environments, with reduced-gravity environments, and under extreme forces all showing promise. Advancements could significantly improve health outcomes for astronauts. We sought to determine if dried red blood cells and blood plasma can survive a sounding rocket launch into sub-orbital space and return with intact red blood cells and blood plasma. We hypothesized that dried blood stored in a shielded, protected container will survive rocket launch and a near-space environment because the solid state of matter will protect it from acceleration relative to Earth’s gravity, vibrations, and temperature. Results showed that blood plasma survived the launch with minimal impact, but the red blood cells experienced a significant loss of viable cells. While the results were disappointing for the red blood cell samples, the dried blood plasma shows promise as a treatment option for traumatic space injury. Future experiments should include a ground-based control group, improved preservation techniques, and samples vacuum-sealed in blood bags to better protect against extreme forces and environmental damage.