AstroMD
Where Space Meets Mind
AstroMD explores what happens to the human brain — and the human being — when gravity lets go.
It's brain science at escape velocity.
Neuroscience for outliers.
Medicine for the quantum brain.
I'm Dr. Peter Cummings — neuroscientist, physician, and near-death explorer of everything that happens when we leave Earth.
Not just our bones. Not just our cells. But our selves.
Leaving Earth isn't just a physical journey. It's neurological. It's existential. It's weird.
Here's what I'm chasing at AstroMD:
How Space Reshapes the Brain
How Consciousness Breaks Its Own Rules
Why Awe Might Be Medicine
And What Happens To People Who Never Really Come Back
Sometimes it's data.
Sometimes it's story.
Always, it's human.
If you've ever looked up at the night sky and wondered what waits for us — out there, and in here — you're in the right place.
About Dr. Peter Cummings
I’m a neuroscientist, physician, and forensic pathologist with a lifelong fascination for space — and for what happens to the human body and mind when we leave Earth.
I’ve spent my career studying the brain under extreme conditions: injury, isolation, trauma, resilience. Along the way, I’ve worked as a NASA researcher, a neuropathologist, and yes — a serial astronaut applicant.
I believe the final frontier isn’t just out there.
It’s in us.
AstroMD is where I explore the weird, beautiful edge of brain science, space medicine, and human consciousness
The Strange Edge of Human Science
The Overview Effect
The profound cognitive shift reported by astronauts when viewing Earth from space isn't just poetic—it's neurological. This perspective triggers unique brain activity patterns that fundamentally alter how humans perceive their place in the universe.
Isolated Consciousness
Take away gravity, clocks, sky, and sound. What's left isn't emptiness. It's you. The mind, separated from Earth's rhythms and social structures, develops adaptive patterns that challenge our understanding of human cognition.
Transcendent Experience
Almost every astronaut returns with a story they can’t explain. Almost every near-death survivor does too. Many astronauts report mystical or spiritual awakenings during spaceflight. These experiences may represent novel brain states that emerge when humans operate beyond the environment in which consciousness evolved.
The Right Kind of Questions
Does Consciousness Need Gravity?
Exploring whether the neural mechanisms that support our awareness are fundamentally shaped by Earth's gravitational field, and how they might function differently beyond it.
Can the Brain Actually Thrive in Space?
Investigating how the human brain might adapt to the Martian environment—38% of Earth's gravity, increased radiation, and extreme isolation—and what it means for colonization.
Do Astronauts Dream?
Analysis of REM sleep patterns in microgravity and how the symbolic content of astronaut dreams shifts during long-duration spaceflight.
Join Me In Orbit
If you're curious about what happens to the human mind when we leave everything behind — or when we lose everything and come back changed — you're in the right place.
→ Read More on Substack
If you're curious about what happens to the human mind when we leave everything behind — or when we lose everything and come back changed — you're in the right place.
→ Read More on Substack
→ Read More on Substack
Absolutely! While grounded in rigorous science, AstroMD specializes in translating complex concepts into engaging content for anyone who's curious about what happens to humans—physically and mentally—when we venture beyond Earth.
Read More on Substack
Substack
Moon Dust is the New Botox: The Apollo Longevity Mystery — And What It Means for the Future of Human Spaceflight (and Maybe Aging Itself) Why the Men Who Walked on the Moon Refuse to Die
What Happens to Your Brain in Space May Not Stay in Space: The Brain That Comes Back Is Not The Brain That Left
We Were Never Meant to Look Down: Before We Ever Reached The Moon It Had Its Grip On Us