PMRI Graduate Student Colt Crowson Flies on Zero-G's Parabolic Flight
Colt Crowson's Thesis Title: SURGICAL ADVANCEMENTS FOR DEEP SPACE APPLICATIONS (SADSA)
Abstract for Thesis:
"As manned spaceflight ventures beyond low Earth orbit and into deep space, the management of medical emergencies in microgravity takes on critical importance to mission safety. One of these difficulties is the separation of air and blood during surgery for transfusion or storage. Gravity-driven separation systems are used on the Earth to manage blood-air mixtures, but such technologies do not function in microgravity. To address this technological shortfall, the subject of this thesis is the design and development of a collapsible, capillary-based, closed-loop blood-air separator for space use. As an additional component, microgravity suction wands were also tested in 1-G.
The design process of the separator started by investigating a number of collapsible commercial products, such as a whisk, a telescope, and a fan. Each of these products was considered for their ability to effectively collapse and hold a rigid shape when deployed. They were also considered for their lightweight design, which would be preferred in a spacecraft. The separator was created through five design iterations to address key performance issues of structural stability, separation efficiency, and collapsibility. The final design uses capillary action to separate blood from air without relying on gravity, making it possible for safe collection and reuse of blood for transfusion or for environmental control in a space vehicle.
Testing of the closed-loop separator was simulated with realistic blood-air mixtures, but full validation will occur during a 0-G parabolic flight scheduled for May 2025. This test will provide critical data on the separator’s performance in microgravity conditions. By itself, this system forms the foundation for a microgravity surgical solution that can manage fluid flow, prevent cabin contamination, and enable controlled surgical procedures in space.
The final flight model has been created and the initial 1-G results indicate that the separator design meets the functional requirements for emergency medical use in space. Further testing and refinement will be needed to fully optimize the system and visually prove that capillary action will work within the system in microgravity. This separator design also has the ability to be adapted for other uses such as hydroponics and chemical manufacturing, making it novel foundational research in the field of microgravity fluid separation."
"I was never supposed to fly on Zero-G's parabolic flight. I was there as part of the ground crew for my experiment, ready to support the mission from behind the scenes. But growing up in a military family taught me something simple but powerful: if you see something that needs to be done, do it. No hesitation. So, when it came time to clean up lunch, take out the trash, or help wherever I could, I just stepped in.
What I didnt expect was that people noticed. The Zero-G staff saw my effort, and when another team had an open seat, they chose me to fill it.
And just like that, I was floating!
The first two parabolas were lunar gravity. And somewhere in that moment, I realized something deeply personal. This must be what Neil Armstrong felt like when he stepped onto the Moon. For a few seconds, I felt what I had only imagined since I was six years old... being an Astronaut.
I have always dreamed of contributing to space in any way I could. And there I was, actually testing a piece of technology I had spent two years developing and writing about for my thesis.
After nearly 19 years in school, this experience was the perfect way to close this chapter of my life. I am beyond grateful to the people who believed in me, to my mentors, to my friends who supported me, to PMRI, and to the Zero-G team who gave me this once in a lifetime opportunity.
Next, Im heading to pilot training. Learning never ends, but this moment - this beautiful, unexpected moment - made everything feel complete in a way I cant fully explain. It was more than just a flight. It was a dream coming true."
Colt D. Crowson, 2d Lt, USAF, AFIT AAE MS Student, PMRI, Purdue University
