[Reading Science] Training Physician-Scientists Cannot Be Delayed Any Longer

At NASA's Kennedy Space Center, there is a hall engraved with the names of astronauts. These are heroes who risked their lives venturing into space amid the intense space race with the Soviet Union. Many astronauts tragically lost their lives in accidents. These include those who died in the Apollo 1 and 13 explosions, as well as the more recent Space Shuttle Challenger disaster. Without their sacrifices, Elon Musk's plan for Mars colonization would not have even begun.

It is not easy to take on such dangerous challenges. Still, many continue to strive to become astronauts. The rigorous physical and mental training, adaptation to the space environment, and knowledge of space survival are not developed overnight. They are the result of relentless effort.

Various scientists are needed in space. For space exploration, doctors, biologists, and chemists are all essential. Since the mid-1960s, the United States and the Soviet Union have selected physician-scientists as astronauts. The premise in the movie The Martian, where an astronaut survives by growing potatoes, is based on the fact that he was a biologist. The last astronaut to leave footprints on the lunar surface was Harrison Schmitt, the first geologist astronaut.

Among the scientists who will go to space, who is the most important? Many would answer pilots, but this writer would choose doctors. The presence of someone responsible for the health of the crew and capable of swift action in emergencies is invaluable. Various medical experiments are conducted in the microgravity environment of space. Research is needed on factors affecting health such as loss of gravity sensation, radiation exposure, and psychological isolation. This is to establish the basic conditions for future humans to live in space. There are also doctors on the ground who manage astronauts' health, known as “Space Surgeons.” Johnny Kim, a Korean-American astronaut selected for NASA's new manned lunar exploration project, Artemis, was formerly a doctor. He graduated from Harvard Medical School.

David Saint-Jacques, a Canadian astronaut with a medical background, emphasized the usefulness of medicine in space after spending 200 days on the International Space Station and returning to Earth. He said that having a doctor astronaut onboard provides reassurance in case a patient falls ill during flight.

Considering our situation, it is difficult to answer whether a Korean doctor will be able to go to space in the near future, especially with the establishment of a space agency underway. Even now, many medical professionals avoid socially essential fields like surgery and choose dermatology or plastic surgery instead. Given that even multi-million won salaries offered by regional medical centers are avoided, is it possible within our current medical system to train skilled space medical personnel? A different approach is needed.

Fortunately, the government is pushing to expand medical school quotas. Although this is a measure to reduce the public's medical expenses, it is also necessary to introduce programs to train physician-scientists rather than just general doctors. President Yoon Suk-yeol has also acknowledged the need to cultivate physician-scientists. Times have changed. There are many fields where doctors can work as scientists. Physician-scientists are also needed to foster the bioindustry. Medical technology can be integrated with robotics and electronic engineering, which are products of advanced mechanical engineering. This is why science and technology education institutions such as KAIST, POSTECH, and GIST hope to establish graduate schools specializing in science, technology, and medicine. We must not forget to prepare not only for the present but also for the future.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.