Where Human Performance Meets the Future of Space

As space exploration accelerates, one reality is becoming increasingly clear: the greatest challenge is not getting to space, it is sustaining the human body once we get there.

That challenge is at the center of the 2026 Spaceflight Human Optimization and Performance (SHOP) summit, a growing gathering of scientists, engineers, and performance experts, founded in partnership with KBR and University of Houston-Clear Lake's Health and Human Performance Institute (HHPI), working to better understand how humans can live, work, and perform beyond Earth.

At the center of SHOP is Corey Twine, director and co-founder of the event and an Astronaut Strength, Conditioning, and Rehabilitation (ASCR) specialist supporting NASA's Johnson Space Center through KBR. With experience spanning multiple eras of human spaceflight, including work supporting Space Shuttle missions, Twine's focus is on preparing astronauts for the physical demands of operating in extreme environments.

"This is really about human performance at its most fundamental level," Twine said. "If we want to become less dependent on Earth-based support systems, we have to understand how to maintain human health, function, and operational capacity during extended periods beyond the planet"

The urgency behind these conversations is driven by rapid change across the spaceflight landscape. With NASA's Moon to Mars ambitions and the rise of commercial spaceflight, the pace of innovation is accelerating, and so is the need to solve the human side of the equation.

"The landscape of spaceflight is changing, and the pace of that change is rapid," Twine said. "Spaceflight is hard, and solving these challenges requires collaboration."

That collaboration is exactly what SHOP is designed to foster, bringing together expertise across physiology, engineering, medicine, and performance science to move beyond isolated research and toward coordinated solutions.

That complexity is at the center of the conversations taking place throughout SHOP.

The Challenge: A Complex, Multi-System Problem

Across sessions, a consistent theme emerges. Human performance in space is not defined by a single issue, but by the interaction of multiple systems.

"These are systems that can change quietly over time, but with real implications for performance and mission success," said Stuart Lee, Associate Element Scientist for Human Health Countermeasures in NASA's Human Research Program.

Researchers are examining changes across cardiovascular function, neuro-ocular health, sensorimotor adaptation, and immune response. Each system plays a role, but it is their interaction that ultimately determines how well astronauts can function during and after missions.

That complexity only increases as missions extend in duration and distance.

"We need to keep humans healthy and able to perform no matter where they are going," said Jancy McPhee, Associate Chief Scientist for NASA's Human Research Program. "It is not just one factor. It is how multiple systems come together."

No Single Solution

If the problem is complex, the solution must be as well.

"I do not think it is going to be a single solution," said Tara Ruttley of Blue Origin. "It is going to be a portfolio of approaches that adapt to different people and different environments."

That need for adaptability is driven in part by variability.

"There is significant individual variability in how people respond," said Meghan Everett of Vast.

As more people from different backgrounds enter spaceflight, that variability becomes even more pronounced, requiring systems that are flexible, responsive, and personalized.

"It's not just one solution," said Kate Flickinger, TRISH Postdoctoral Fellow, Lab Manager, and Principal Physiologist at the University of Pittsburgh. "It's taking multiple tools and getting everything you can out of them."

That need for integrated, adaptable approaches extends beyond spaceflight and into broader questions of human performance and health. Addressing those challenges requires the kind of interdisciplinary research and applied focus being advanced through efforts like the Health and Human Performance Institute at the University of Houston-Clear Lake.

Beyond Space: Why This Work Matters on Earth

William E. Amonette, co-founder of the conference and Executive Director of the Health and Human Performance Institute, has helped shape both the growth of SHOP and the university's role in this evolving field.

Through HHPI, UHCL is advancing applied and translational research that connects spaceflight, health, and human performance, spanning athletic, clinical, and neurological populations.

"Spaceflight is really an accelerated model of aging and mimics many other degenerative diseases and conditions," Amonette said. "By studying what happens in space, we are learning more about how the human body responds to stress, decline, and recovery, while identifying countermeasures that help prevent decline and support faster recovery. Those lessons apply directly here on Earth."

That connection extends into the workforce. UHCL has helped prepare students for roles supporting NASA and its partners, reflecting the growing demand for professionals trained at the intersection of human performance, health, and spaceflight.

"Ninety percent of the people in the room do not work in spaceflight," Amonette said. "They are here because they can take what they learn and apply it back to their own field."

More Than Conversation

At its core, SHOP reflects a shift in how spaceflight challenges are approached, not in isolation, but through collaboration across disciplines and sectors.

"We do not want to just be here to talk," Twine said. "We want to build something, frameworks, outcomes, solutions that help move the mission forward."

As space exploration pushes further, those conversations, and the work happening at institutions like the University of Houston-Clear Lake, will play a critical role in shaping not only the future of human spaceflight, but how we understand and improve human performance here on Earth.