Michigan Tech researchers continue to keep their eyes on the stars. Faculty and student researchers in the College are testing new applications for lunar roads, rovers, and robots, but as NASA’s Artemis Program continues towards its goal of a sustained human presence on the Moon, a new, necessary field is emerging: astronaut wellness and well-being in space environments.
Madelyn MacRobbie, assistant professor in the Department of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering (MAE), is ready to get to work. Having completed a joint PhD in medical engineering and medical physics from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and Harvard Medical School, MacRobbie joined Michigan Tech specifically for its rising aerospace engineering program. Now, she’ll be leading a team of students conducting research in bioastronautics.
MacRobbie’s research proposal was selected by NASA’s Moon to Mars eXploration Systems and Habitation (M2M X-Hab) 2027 Academic Innovation Challenge as one of nine university teams supporting space habitats and deep space exploration missions. The M2M X-Hab Academic Innovation Challenge, also funded by the National Space Grant Foundation, is designed to be linked to senior- and graduate-level design curricula that emphasizes hands-on design, research, and development of system prototypes that could be applied to NASA’s space exploration.
The Michigan Tech team will focus on the psychological health and well-being of astronautic crews during long-duration missions. Integrated into Tech’s system engineering principles, MAE’s mechanical engineering practice courses, and Senior Design Capstone projects, the student team led by MacRobbie will deliver a prototype chocolate production system that will supplement food systems and allow for baking as a hobby in space that considers the requirements of low mass, microgravity operations, and crew satisfaction.
“As astronauts spend increasingly long durations of time in space, small comforts like chocolate could have a big impact on the psychological well-being of the crew while also supplementing the food supply that will be grown in space and brought from Earth,” said MacRobbie. “MAE students can contribute directly to the growing need for viable food systems that move beyond a survival focus and instead design for the ability to thrive in space.”
The M2M X-Hab Academic Innovation Challenge provides funding and support from NASA’s Mars Campaign Office. All university teams are required to complete their prototypes by May 2027, at which point the successful prototypes may be integrated into existing NASA-led operations.
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