"Physically strong, prepared, kind, and helpful." Giampaolo Stopazzolo speaks of Walter Villadei, the Colonel of the Italian Air Force currently aboard the International Space Station (ISS) for the Axiom-3 mission named "Voluntas."
Stopazzolo, a renowned doctor from Vicenza, 65 years old, and former head of the social services of Ulss Berica, monitored the medical conditions of the Italian astronaut during the quarantine in Orlando, Florida, before the launch, from the Gvm headquarters in Imola, 8,600 kilometers away. Walter Villadei piloted the Crew Dragon Freedom, the spacecraft by SpaceX, Elon Musk's company, in this third commercial mission organized by Axiom Space in collaboration with public entities and private companies.
After the splashdown on February 2, Dr. Stopazzolo will test Astro-Walter's vital parameters and cardiovascular system functionality to assess any changes that occurred in the body during the 15-day stay in microgravity conditions.
On January 18, Stopazzolo followed the countdown and launch of the spacecraft from Cape Canaveral. Six days later, on the 24, he connected live, alongside the President of the Emilia Romagna Region, Stefano Bonaccini, to discuss the effects of space travel on the human body and the positive impacts of telemedicine. This marked the first time a healthcare professional connected with an astronaut observing Earth from space.
Walter Villadei, trained for several years in the Star City located near Moscow to walk in space, is the main protagonist of a mission initiated by the Italian Air Force to conduct scientific and social experiments in collaboration with universities, start-ups, and small companies.
The mission aims to study the potential and limits of the human body, from stress resistance to radiation defense and the genesis of neurodegenerative diseases like Alzheimer's. Additionally, its goal is to tests a new suit created to monitor the physical conditions of the wearer.
"In the absence of gravity," explains Stopazzolo, "weight is not perceived, vestibular gravity signals disappear, hydrostatic pressure gradients are canceled, abdominal fluids concentrate in the thoracic and head regions, diuresis increases, and fluid volume, including blood, decreases over time."
In this context, telemedicine can play a crucial role in monitoring astronauts' bio-parameters to understand how the body adapts to different gravitational conditions and what precautions to take in case of the so-called "space adaptation syndrome" or, upon return, the "landing syndrome."
Gvm, based in Imola, is experimenting with an advanced telemedicine platform for video consultations, tele-visits, and tele-monitoring.
The project, authorized by NASA and Axiom Space, is based on the "Gvm assistance space health" app, which collects data through devices worn by the crew. But it could go further and help doctors in their daily work. This futuristic technology, a kind of triage managed by an artificial intelligence algorithm, could in fact be used not only for astronauts' check-ups before, during, and after missions but also in everyday life to remotely monitor a person's health, diagnose and treat from afar, bringing medical professionals closer to patients, minute by minute, at home or on the go."
(GdV, mercoledì 31 gennaio)