Engineering firm KBR Inc. originally built the centrifuge for NASA at the University of Texas Medical Branch (UTMB) and served as its primary integrator. With support from the\u00a0WoodNext Foundation<\/a>, which manages the philanthropy of Roku CEO and Founder Anthony Wood \u201987 and his wife, Susan \u201989, Texas A&M is expanding the centrifuge\u2019s capabilities to advance astronaut health research and enable long-duration studies on human physiology in reduced gravity environments.<\/p>\n A centerpiece for space health research Dr. Bonnie J. Dunbar observes a participant from the centrifuge control room.<\/p>\n Credit: Emily Oswald\/Texas A&M Engineering<\/p>\n \u201cThe centrifuge fills a critical national need. The U.S. currently lacks a domestic capability for combined bed\u2011rest and centrifuge studies \u2014 key tools for investigating long\u2011duration spaceflight\u2019s effect on the body,\u201d Dunbar said. \u201cAs a result, NASA has been required to send federally funded human research studies abroad, a process that is expensive and logistically complex.\u201d<\/p>\n Researchers will use the centrifuge facility to examine how different human systems, such as the cardiovascular system, respond to prolonged exposure to gravitational changes such as the Moon at one-sixth the gravitational level of Earth and Mars at three-eighths the gravitational level of Earth. These studies are essential for improving balance, blood flow, physical endurance and overall physiological resilience for astronauts during and after spaceflight. Findings could directly shape countermeasures against negative health impacts used in future space missions.<\/p>\n \u201cReopening the centrifuge at Texas A&M provides the U.S. an essential research capability,\u201d Dunbar said. \u201cWe\u2019re positioning Texas A&M to be a centerpiece for space health research at a time when the nation is returning to the Moon and planning for future exploration of Mars.\u201d<\/p>\n The NASA Human Research Program has already funded a research project using the centrifuge. The primary investigator for \u201cGravity Dose\u201d studies on the cardiovascular system is\u00a0Dr. Ana Diaz Artiles<\/a>\u00a0with Dunbar as the co-investigator. Artiles is currently in Europe conducting\u00a0parabolic flight studies<\/a>\u00a0to determine impacts of gravity changes on the body. Results of these studies will complement the upcoming centrifuge research.<\/p>\n Dunbar\u2019s research plans include experiments examining skin blood flow and heat transfer in different gravitational regimes \u2014 data that will support next\u2011generation spacesuit design. Understanding how heat moves across the body in low\u2011gravity environments could help engineers create safer, more thermally balanced spacesuits.<\/p>\n How the centrifuge works Engineering student David Laygo prepares for a spin on the centrifuge.
Credit: Emily Oswald\/Texas A&M Engineering<\/p>\n The centrifuge employs centripetal force to simulate different levels of gravity by spinning a subject around a fixed point. The faster the spin and the further the subject is from the fixed point, the stronger the simulated gravity.<\/p>\n This can be visualized through a game of tetherball. The farther away the ball is from the pole, the slower the ball moves. As the rope shortens and the ball gets closer to the pole, the ball begins to increase in speed. In this case, the ball represents the centrifuge subject, and the pole represents the centrifuge\u2019s fixed point.<\/p>\n The centrifuge is controlled by a professional operator from the neighboring control room. The research team determines the distance of the subject from the center of rotation, while the operator controls the rotation speed to achieve the desired acceleration at points on the body, such as the heart and feet. Professional operators from KBR are currently supporting centrifuge operations.<\/p>\n Human research subjects will experience continuous artificial gravity at lunar or Martian levels, enabling long\u2011duration physiological studies \u2014 a rarity in human space research. Current trials are only minutes long but could eventually extend up to two hours.<\/p>\n Serving future astronauts<\/p>\n The research conducted at the centrifuge has the potential to extend beyond Texas A&M. NASA officials expressed enthusiasm about its potential for integrated bed\u2011rest and artificial\u2011gravity studies. The artificial gravity lab could eventually serve astronauts returning from spaceflight, offering a controlled environment for recovery, rehabilitation and post\u2011flight physiological analysis.<\/p>\n Data collected at the facility will contribute directly to NASA\u2019s understanding of human performance in partial gravity. This will inform mission planning, spacecraft and suit design, as well as long\u2011term health strategies for lunar and Martian operations.<\/p>\n The centrifuge is more than a piece of advanced equipment \u2014 it symbolizes Texas A&M\u2019s role in the future of human space exploration.<\/p>\n \u201cThis facility puts Texas A&M at the forefront of the science that will carry humans back to the Moon and eventually to Mars,\u201d Dunbar said. \u201cWe are proud to support the next chapter of America\u2019s journey into deep space.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Credit: Texas A&M Engineering Texas A&M University is preparing for a new era of space research with the…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":257922,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[6],"tags":[27,29,28],"class_list":{"0":"post-257921","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-texas","8":"tag-texas","9":"tag-texas-headlines","10":"tag-texas-news"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/257921","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=257921"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/257921\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/257922"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=257921"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=257921"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=257921"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}![\"Three](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/NEWS_centrifuge_control-room_April2026-1408x793.jpg\")
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