Harnessing the power of extended reality for medical training on Earth and in space

Advances in extended reality technology can augment current training methods and reduce the time and resources required for medical training. We reflect on the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) as a leader in innovation and training. Medical educators can pull innovative concepts from NASA, used in training astronauts to manage unique operations in space before missions, to develop platforms capable of educating medical trainees on medical operations before exposure to live patients. These advancements in medical education are already present and evaluated in this review. We also aimed to review how these technological advancements can improve medical capabilities in health resource-constrained environments both in space and on Earth.