The Translational Research Institute for Space Health (TRISH) is seeking scientific proposals for secondary analysis of de-identified commercial astronaut health and performance data in the EXPAND Database and Biorepository.
Working with commercial spaceflight providers and their passengers, the TRISH EXPAND (Enhancing eXploration Platforms and Analog Definition) Program collects pre-, in-, and post-flight health and performance data from volunteering commercial spaceflight participants.
This peer-reviewed open call for proposals marks the opening of the EXPAND Database and Biorepository, making its data available to the scientific community for hypothesis-driven research. The findings resulting from this call for proposals will enhance understanding of the health changes experienced during short-duration missions and in a non-governmental astronaut subject population.
"Our comprehensive commercial spaceflight health research database is positioned to be a leader in the field," said Jimmy Wu, TRISH deputy director and chief engineer and assistant professor at the Center for Space Medicine at Baylor. "After five years of hard work by our TRISH team and our TRISH-funded EXPAND investigators, we are eager to finally open the EXPAND Database and Biorepository for its inaugural call for scientific research proposals. When TRISH first began the EXPAND program, the goal was always to make the data available to the scientific community with hypothesis-driven questions to advance space health research."
In this opportunity, selected proposers will have access to TRISH's EXPAND Essential Measures data, encompassing core health and performance variables collected across multiple private astronaut missions and analog studies. Datasets include multi-omics data, wearable sensor data from smartwatches for sleep and activity patterns, cognitive performance test results, standardized questionnaires and other key biomedical measures. Prospective proposers may find more information about the data in the solicitation.
"We've had more than a dozen commercial spaceflights and are eager to see what advancements in space on Earth the scientific community will make once it's granted access to this dataset," said Dr. Jackson Brougher, TRISH space health research scientist and assistant professor at the Center for Space Medicine at Baylor.
This solicitation requires both Step-1 and Step-2 proposals. Projects selected will be granted access to EXPAND data in lieu of a monetary grant. Selected projects are expected to begin fall 2026.
The deadline to submit Step-1 proposals for this solicitation is 11:59 p.m. ET on April 23. Proposers may also attend a pre-proposal briefing at 2:00 p.m. ET on March 26. A recording of the briefing will be made available alongside the solicitation on GRID.
TRISH is driving the new space economy to accelerate human exploration and health discovery. Partnered with NASA's Human Research Program, TRISH ensures astronauts and humans on Earth alike benefit from the latest space health advancements, with research in extreme environments on Earth serving as a proving ground for both human performance in space and terrestrial applications. Acting as the critical link between the space and health industries, TRISH focuses on operational needs, mission-critical tools and the next generation of leaders. With rigor, agility and efficiency, TRISH advances innovations and collaborations that enable all humans to thrive, wherever they explore.
