Nurses in Space

"Helicy is a function of continuous innovative change growing out of the mutual interaction of a man and environment along a spiralling longitudinal axis bound in space-time."

~Martha Elizabeth Rogers, 1970~

         The 21st Century offers an opportunity for nurses throughout the world to actively participate in the creation of a space-faring civilization. However, human development in outer space is a challenge to the nursing profession. Advances from space technology are already transforming medicine and healthcare, so it is vital that nurses are deeply involved in these innovations and research (Harris, 2001).
               Martha Rogers, the visionary nursing leader, and theorist, anticipated the evolvement in the nursing profession. She reminded us of the speed of accelerating change and its impact on human evolution, as well as the need to create an enhanced image of nursing. She even envisioned the nurse’s emerging role beyond Earth! She appreciated the value of transcendental meditation, imagery, and therapeutic touch not only to the space traveler but to their significant others left behind on this planet. To facilitate acculturation to off-world living, Rogers spoke of how field modalities of light, color, and music could help spacefarers in their adjustment.

         According to Dr. Philip Harris, this woman of foresight had a “cosmic perspective in her images of humans, in general, and nurses in particular, within a large universe!”
          Martha told her graduate nursing students that they must change their vision of themselves, their health care and their future within an enlarged, transcendent universe, one in which Earth is integral within outer space. She defined the role of a space nurse in this manner --- to promote human/spacekind wellbeing, whatever that may be! Martha was also well aware that discoveries in outer space would make some of today’s medical practices obsolete by introducing new non-invasive, holistic modalities.
            Roger’s challenge to her colleagues who follow in her path is to ensure that nursing becomes not only a distinctive scientific discipline but that its distinctive body of knowledge contributes to fuller human emergence on the high frontier!
          We nurses should be ready for the challenge. As research beyond Earth is expanding, human beings on Earth will definitely continue to explore and discover what is there in store for us in the vast outer space. In the far future, human civilizations will exist beyond Earth in the form of space missions to other extraterrestrial structures.
          Space tourism is also currently being considered as some people who can afford are willing to spend just to travel in space. With all these futuristic visions, nurses can contribute to issues concerning healthcare and human well-being of those who are traveling beyond Earth and those who are coming back to Earth. This is made possible if we consider planning carefully how to organize and apply to practice Extraterrestrial nursing care.

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