A long trip into the universe: Psychedelics and space travel

Introduction

The paper opens by identifying long‑duration space travel as a domain in which physiological, environmental and psychological stressors threaten astronaut health and mission success. The authors describe a broad set of space‑related challenges—radiation, microgravity effects on bone and energy balance, gut dysbiosis, micronutrient deficiency, isolation and confinement—that together form the ‘‘space exposome’’. Evidence from spaceflight, polar and submarine analogues has documented neurocognitive changes, sleep and circadian disruption, altered stress hormones, immune dysregulation and episodes of transient psychological distress among crewmembers. The authors also note an increasing focus within space programmes on preventive measures, including functional nutrition and bioregenerative life‑support technologies, alongside ongoing reliance on diagnostic and curative approaches in space medicine. B. and colleagues set out to present a perspective arguing that psychedelics—particularly psilocybin‑containing ‘‘psychedelic mushrooms’’—merit consideration as a potential preventive and supportive tool for long‑duration missions. The paper aims to survey mechanisms by which psychedelics could plausibly aid adaptation to space (for example, by promoting neuroplasticity and modulating inflammation), to discuss how psychedelics might be integrated into bioregenerative food and life‑support systems, and to explore psychological and interpersonal benefits such as enhanced empathy, creativity and experiences of transcendence. The authors emphasise that there is currently no direct experimental evidence for psychedelic use during space missions and frame their contribution as a hypothesis‑generating viewpoint rather than an empirical study.