NASA Tech Talks: Spaceflight Associated Neuro-ocular Syndrome (SANS) and its risk to NASA astronauts

Name: NASA Tech Talks: Spaceflight Associated Neuro-ocular Syndrome (SANS) and its risk to NASA astronauts
Start: 2025-03-27T18:00:00-05:00
End: 2025-03-27T19:00:00-05:00
Location: Ion

The event has passed

Category: Aerospace, Founders & Startups, General Community

Free

Past Event

WHEN

Thursday

March 27, 2025

6:00 pm - 7:00 pm CDT

WHERE

Ion

4201 Main Street
Houston, TX 77002 + Google Map

what

We want HOU! Join us to discover NASA’s toughest tech challenges—and apply your skills and expertise to solve them.

This month NASA Tech Talks is proud to bring you Dr. Tyson Brunstetter to discuss “Spaceflight Associated Neuro-ocular Syndrome (SANS) and its risk to NASA astronauts”.

First discovered in 2005, Spaceflight Associated Neuro-ocular Syndrome (SANS) is a unique condition detected in 70% of astronauts during long-duration missions. SANS is associated with vision shifts and anatomical changes to the eyes and brain which present risk to crewmember vision, cognition, and mission effectiveness. NASA considers SANS mitigation to be a top priority, especially for extended-duration missions to Mars where early returns are impossible. This NASA Tech Talk will discuss the history of SANS, how it is measured and diagnosed, its risk to astronauts, and how it might be mitigated as humans prepare for interplanetary travel.

Please join us after the talk for drinks and networking at Second Draught!

About the Speakers

Dr. Tyson Brunstetter retired from the U.S. Navy in 2020, after serving 24 years on active-duty as an aerospace optometrist and vision researcher, working within such areas as aircrew laser eye protection; helmet-mounted cueing systems for tactical aircraft; advanced refractive surgery; and deployable battlefield medical devices. He now serves at Johnson Space Center as NASA’s “Eyes & Vision” Clinical Lead in the efforts to mitigate a condition affecting the eyes, brain, and vision of astronauts during long-duration spaceflight, Spaceflight Associated Neuro-ocular Syndrome (SANS)

Dr. Brunstetter earned Doctor of Optometry, Master of Science, and PhD degrees from the Ohio State University, and an Executive MBA from the Naval Postgraduate School. He was “winged” as a Navy Aerospace Optometrist in 2002 and earned Board Certification as an Aerospace Physiologist in 2006. He is a Fellow of the Aerospace Medical Association (AsMA) and the American Academy of Optometry (AAO).

Montgomery B. Goforth has more than 40 years of experience as both Engineer and Manager in a variety of highly technical space and defense-related efforts. After working for a small defense contractor specializing in anti-submarine warfare, he joined NASA’s Johnson Space Center in 1990. He has held leadership positions in multiple JSC Directorates and Program Offices. In his current role as Assistant Director of the JSC Engineering Directorate, he has established a framework to better focus Engineering’s efforts towards Human Spaceflight technology and systems development consistent with JSC and Agency goals for exploration. He has used this framework to guide Engineering’s internal investments and external partnerships supporting Lunar and Mars Exploration. Mr. Goforth was born in East Texas, raised in Southern California and Arizona, and graduated from Rice University (BSME 1982, MSME 1987).

About NASA Tech Talks

In these presentations, occurring the fourth Thursdays of the month, Mr. Montgomery Goforth and other aerospace subject matter experts will discuss the technology development challenges faced by NASA’s Johnson Space Center and the surrounding Aerospace community in our ongoing efforts as the hub of human spaceflight. Presentations will focus on the ways in which these challenges, and the associated opportunities, can be leveraged by Houston’s innovation community. We will continue to identify potential space/terrestrial technologies of interest to Human Spaceflight. Past NASA Tech Talks have included topics such as:

From Space to Startup: Leveraging NASA Technology and Innovation to Propel Your Growing Enterprise
Disruptive Filter Technology for Spacecraft Water Treatment: The New Promise of Graphene
Lunar dust capture using novel multiplexed inertial filter
Lunar Passive Fuel Cell Technologies:
Microbes in Space

PARKING

Ion District Parking Garage

Enter 4111 Fannin Street into your GPS for directions directly to this parking garage, located a block from the Ion. Parking in the Ion District Garage is free for the first two hours.

Red Parking Lot

Enter 4203 Fannin Street into your GPS for directions directly to the red parking lot, located across the street from the Ion. This lot is for overflow guest parking and tenant parking and is free for the first three hours.

For information and access to pay online for parking in the red lot, click here.

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CONTACT

Organizer

Ion

Organizer Website

ionhouston.com

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