Extreme environments challenge human physiology in ways that directly inform the preparation for future long-term Moon and Mars missions. This study, conducted during a year-long expedition at Antarctica’s Vostok Station – an Earth-based analogue for extraterrestrial habitats – examines how the cardiovascular and respiratory systems adapt to prolonged exposure to hypoxia, isolation, and environmental stressors. By analyzing physiological resilience and autonomic nervous system dynamics across different age groups, the research provides key insights into human endurance and performance in extreme conditions. The findings contribute to refining astronaut health monitoring, countermeasures, and life-support systems essential for extended space exploration.

Nikolay Osetskiy is a research fellow and emergency physician at the Laboratory for the Development of Means and Methods for Providing Medical Care in Extreme Conditions of the Institute of Biomedical Problems of the Russian Academy of Sciences (IBMP RAS) where he is involved in preparing onboard medical kits for the Russian segment of the ISS and in medical support for crewed launches and landings. His PhD focuses on the Functional state of the human cardiorespiratory system during a yearlong stay in Central Antarctica. He is on the final step of finishing it with several research papers published on its data. Data for his dissertation were personally collected during the 2019-2020 overwintering at Vostok station where he was a staff physician and a researcher carrying out a joint scientific program designed by IBMP and the Arctic and Antarctic Research Institute (AARI).