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Astronaut Stress Management Training for Space Flight

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Abstract

Training for space flight isn't just a physically demanding job. You need to be prepared mentally and emotionally, too! In this science project, you will test how a breathing technique can improve your fight-or-flight response induced by the stressors of space flight.

Summary

Areas of Science
Human Biology & Health
Space Exploration
Difficulty
Method
Scientific Method
Time Required
Average (6-10 days)
Prerequisites

None.

Material Availability

Readily available. 

Cost
Very Low (under $20)
Safety

The consent of participants is necessary to perform this experiment.

Credits
Laura Ohl, PhD, Science Buddies Alumni
Science Buddies is committed to creating content authored by scientists and educators. Learn more about our process and how we use AI.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=abVB68BR9bQ

Objective

The objective of this experiment is to learn how breathing techniques can be used for stress-management during pre-launch space flight training. 

Introduction

Space travel has become more accessible to the general public, as seen by the recent launch of Science Buddies' founder Kenneth Hess and five other astronauts into suborbital space flight. With the emerging opportunities to experience low-earth orbit space flight, many people's dreams of visiting space could soon be possible! Preparing for a space flight is both physiologically (physically) and cognitively (mentally) challenging and demanding! That's why it's so important to learn how to emotionally regulate so we can help our bodies to appropriately respond in stressful situations like flying into lower orbit at high speeds! So, how do we train our bodies to be ready for a space flight?

Preparing for a space flight is no small feat. To understand what we're up against, we must first understand what stressors we must prepare for in a space launch. Space exploration presents unique stressors not seen on Earth. The most commonly known physical stressor is the increased g-forces on the body during launch and landing. Additional long-term stressors include the physical stress of muscle loss due to microgravity and reduced sleep due to excess light exposure, noise, and extreme temperature changes. Going to space also comes with the psychological stress of isolation from family and friends, transient anxiety or depression, and confinement to a small space. How does our body respond to these and other stressors? 

Our bodies typically respond to stress by triggering the fight-or-flight response. The body triggers this response by releasing adrenaline after a perceived stressor or threat, which leads to a physiological response of increased heart rate and breathing. Hence, the body is ready to escape or fight the perceived threat. The fight-or-flight response also reduces blood flow to the brain's prefrontal cortex, which is involved in decision-making. This is why it is so hard to make crucial decisions when you feel stressed! This could be problematic in a space flight when you need to think through a problem and find a solution quickly. 

In psychology and human behavior experiments, scientists have studied and understood how the body reacts to these stressors or stimuli and how this impacts the body's response to stress, as seen in Figure 1. Most interestingly, they have also tested how intervening before, during, or after a stressor with different techniques can improve our body's responses to stress. Some of these interventions include breathing techniques, mindfulness practices, and meditation. These essential stress-management techniques calm the mind and prepare the body to overcome the perceived threat. 

Psychology and behavioral experimental paradigm.Image Credit: Laura Ohl, PhD / Science Buddies

Psychology and behavioral experimental design showing stimuli leas to a response, and that interventions can impact the response.


Figure 1. The Stimuli-Response model and how an intervention can change the response.

Mindfulness and relaxation techniques are essential tools for emotional regulation. It has even been shown that these techniques can improve cognitive function (thinking) and behavioral health (how we behave). In these fields, scientists have shown reduced stress and anxiety after participants participated in cognitive (non-meditative) mindfulness. This practice also helped them develop resilience, which is the ability to withstand or recover from difficult things. These non-meditative practices can take a lot of time to learn and practice. However, controlled breathing techniques are much quicker to learn, and we all know how to breathe! This quicker implementation allows for their easy adoption in the classroom or any environment, even for space flight! In this science experiment, you will expose participants to stress stimuli, such as exercise, to see how their bodies respond. Then, you will test how an intervention (breathing techniques) alters their stress response after the stressor.

Terms and Concepts

Questions

Bibliography

Resources about training, breathing techniques, and impact of space flight:

Resources on measuring heart rate without a monitor:

Materials and Equipment

Experimental Procedure

Download PDF of Procedure
This project follows the Scientific Method. Review the steps before you begin.

Experimental Background

Breathing techniques are essential not only for endurance athletes but also for astronauts. Different breathing techniques have been used to harness different outcomes, such as increased oxygen intake or reduced waste product levels, such as carbon dioxide, by the body. One example is cyclic sighing. Cyclic sighing is when you slowly inhale until your lungs feel full, and then take a second briefer breath to expand your lungs before slowly exhaling. Cyclic sighing is typically performed for five minutes, with inhales through the nose and exhales through the mouth. Scientists have shown that this technique reduces carbon dioxide levels and decreases heart rate. They have even shown that this specific type of breathing releases tension in your body and makes you feel a sense of calmness. These outcomes have been shown to positively impact your focus on performing cognitive tasks, like thinking through how to fix a problem under the stresses of a space launch or mission. 

Experimental Protocol

Working with Human Test Subjects

There are special considerations when designing an experiment involving human subjects. Fairs affiliated with Regeneron International Science and Engineering Fair (ISEF) often require an Informed Consent Form (permission sheet) for every participant who is questioned. Consult the rules and regulations of the science fair that you are entering, prior to performing experiments or surveys. Please refer to the Science Buddies documents Projects Involving Human Subjects and Scientific Review Committee for additional important requirements. If you are working with minors, you must get advance permission from the children's parents or guardians (and teachers if you are performing the test while they are in school) to make sure that it is all right for the children to participate in the science fair project. Here are suggested guidelines for obtaining permission for working with minors:

  1. Write a clear description of your science fair project, what you are studying, and what you hope to learn. Include how the child will be tested. Include a paragraph where you get a parent's or guardian's and/or teacher's signature.
  2. Print out as many copies as you need for each child you will be surveying.
  3. Pass out the permission sheet to the children or to the teachers of the children to give to the parents. You must have permission for all the children in order to be able to use them as test subjects.

In this experiment, you will measure how the body responds to stressors (in this case, exercise) with and without an intervention of deep breathing. First, you will measure the participants' heart rate under normal conditions before stress. This is known as the resting heart rate. Then, you will choose a stressor stimulus before the trial. Vigorous exercise can simulate the physical stress of a suborbital space flight. We recommend asking each participant to perform the same task, such as walking at >2 mph. Alternative activities could be jumping jacks, jumping rope, running, jogging, or biking. Ensure all participants perform the same physical activity at a similar intensity for each trial. During the consent process, inform the participants of the activities and measurements that will be taken, in addition to excluding any participants with pre-existing heart conditions (exclusion criteria) for their own safety. 

  1. Assign each participant a number, and record their age in the data table, like Table 1. 
  2. Inform the participants that they will be asked to participate in a short experiment in which they will exercise vigorously and perform a breathing technique. You will monitor their heart rate before and after the experiment with their consent.  
  3. First, you will record the participants' resting heart rate before starting the experiment to obtain their baseline measurements, which you will use for the rest of the experiments. Ask the participant to sit for at least 5 minutes before taking their resting heart rate. You will measure the resting heart rate 3 independent times, with 5 minutes between trials. To measure the participant's heart rate, use the following instructions:
    1. Heart rate monitor:
      1. To measure the resting heart rate with a heart rate monitor, go to the personal device's heart rate setting. This will show the continuous monitoring of the participant's heart rate in beats per 1 minute (bpm). 
    2. Without a heart rate monitor: 
      1. With the participant's consent or permission, place your index and middle fingers on the carotid artery of the neck or the radial artery of the wrist. 
        1. Note: To learn more about how to take a pulse, use the resources in the bibliography. 
      2. Once you feel the pulse, count the number of beats in 60 seconds.
  4. Inform the participant that they will be exposed to stressor stimulus (exercise), followed by normal breathing. 
    1. Have the participant exercise vigorously for 5 minutes to simulate the stress of a suborbital space flight. 
    2. Record the participant's maximum heart rate immediately after the stressor in your data table.
    3. Instruct the participant to sit down after the exercise and breathe normally.  
    4. Record the time it takes for the patient's heart rate to return to the initial resting heart rate after exercise.
    5. Repeat this stressor-only condition for 3 trials, waiting at least 15 minutes between trials or until the participant recovers to their resting heart rate for at least 5 minutes.
  5. Next, inform the participant that you will expose them to the same stressor stimulus (exercise), followed by the intervention (cyclic sighing). 
    1. Instruct the participant to perform the vigorous exercise for 5 minutes or until their maximum heart rate is similar to that of the stressor-only condition. 
    2. Guide the participant to perform the 5-minute cyclic sighing method described above.
    3. Record the time it takes for the patient's heart rate to return to the initial resting heart rate after exercise.
    4. Repeat the 5-minute cyclic sighing after exercise condition for 3 trials, waiting until the participant returns to their resting heart rate for at least 15 minutes between trials or until the participant recovers to their resting heart rate for at least 5 minutes.
  6. Create a table for each participant so you can take the average of their recordings and use this data in the summary table of all participants, like Table 2. 
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Participant #: ________          Age: __________

Trials:

 Resting heart rate (bpm) Maximum heart rate with stressor only (bpm) Time to resting heart rate after stressor only with normal breathing after (min:sec) Time to resting heart rate after stressor with cyclic sighing intervention (min:sec)
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Average (of 3 trials)

Table 1. Data table observing how stimuli impact the response (heart rate) with and without an intervention.

Swipe left to see more
Swipe left to see more
Participant #: ___ Average resting heart rate (bpm) Average maximum heart rate with stressor only (bpm) Average time to resting heart rate after stressor with normal breathing (min:sec) Average time to resting heart rate after stressor with intervention (min:sec)

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Average (all participants)

Table 2. Summary data table of how the intervention impacts the response in all participants. 

Conclusion

  • Does each participant's heart rate increase after the stimuli compared to the average baseline (resting heart rate) reading? This is an important test to ensure the stimuli are sufficient for a physiological response.
  • How does the intervention change the response (heart rate)? Does the intervention improve the response (reduce heart rate compared to the stimuli condition) or not? Why do you think that is?
  • How much variability is there between participants? What variables could impact differences in heart rate variability? For example, consider age, physical fitness, or medical conditions that affect heart health. 
icon scientific method

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Global Goals

The United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (UNSDGs) are a blueprint to achieve a better and more sustainable future for all.

This project explores topics key to Good Health and Well-Being: Ensure healthy lives and promote well-being for all at all ages.

Variations

  • How do breathing techniques impact heart rate over a week? 
  • How does cyclic sighing compare to other breath techniques, such as mindfulness meditation and box breathing? Check out the description of the breathing protocol section of this reference to learn more about these other breathing techniques. 
  • Measure the participants' heart rates after the stimulus. How does it change compared to measuring the heart rate during the stimulus?
  • Change when the participants perform the intervention (before, during, after) compared to the stimuli. Does changing this variable significantly impact the overall response?

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Cite This Page

General citation information is provided here. Be sure to check the formatting, including capitalization, for the method you are using and update your citation, as needed.

MLA Style

Ohl, Laura. "Astronaut Stress Management Training for Space Flight." Science Buddies, 23 Feb. 2026, https://www.sciencebuddies.org/science-fair-projects/project-ideas/HumBio_p070/human-biology-health/Stress-Management-Astronaut-Training. Accessed 23 June 2026.

APA Style

Ohl, L. (2026, February 23). Astronaut Stress Management Training for Space Flight. Retrieved from https://www.sciencebuddies.org/science-fair-projects/project-ideas/HumBio_p070/human-biology-health/Stress-Management-Astronaut-Training


Last edit date: 2026-02-23

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