Life Sciences in the Space Program 



Important assumptions made throughout this paper are that no mission with 

 humans in space can be risk free and that the goal of Operational Medicine must 

 be health risk reduction to a clearly defined level acceptable to the Agency. 



The challenge faced by Operational Medicine is to support successfully several 

 simultaneous long-duration missions involving humans. This discussion assumes 

 that NASA will develop the Space Station and proceed eventually to a lunar base 

 and/or a manned Mars mission, perhaps with a new generation of Space 

 Transportation System vehicles (such as Shuttle II and/or the National Aerospace 

 Plane [NASP]). Presently such missions are generally not limited by technological 

 issues but by a critical lack of data and understanding of the effects of long- 

 duration space flight on humans. 



The following sections examine areas important to the continued success of 

 Operational Medicine at NASA. Previous recommendations are reviewed and in 

 many cases endorsed, while new and specific suggestions are advanced. Data for 

 this discussion were accumulated through a review of pertinent documents from 

 NASA Headquarters, NASA field centers, and contractors, as well as from 

 information on medical issues from Soviet space life sciences translations, U.S. 

 submarine experience, and Antarctic expeditions. In addition, interviews were 

 conducted with life sciences officials at NASA Headquarters, JSC, KSC, and Ames 

 Research Center (ARC). 



Issues, Opportunities, and Findings 



The Operational Medicine Program at NASA has gained practical experience 

 through the successful support of many manned space flights. This paper 

 endorses the current and planned practices of the program through the early 



Space Station era. Critical 

 issues facing Operational 

 Medicine are mainly 

 concerned with longer 

 duration missions and arc 

 detailed below. 



Inflight Health 

 Maintenance Facility 



I \tensive definition and 

 prototype development 

 work is currentlv in prog- 

 ress for the Space Station 

 I lealth Maintenance facility 

 (HMF) (1,2). The facility is" 

 more than an emergency 

 room in orbit; its exercise 

 facilities serve a role in 



A Health Maintenance ■ ■ a thi prototype will be used on I i i Station 



to monitor and diagnose i rew health. 



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