Summary 



were relevant to the objectives of the LSSPSC, which cited the volumes on several 

 occasions. The Committee, however, considered these matters independently and 

 made efforts to avoid duplication of activity. The findings and recommendations in 

 the LSSPSC report are consistent with those given in the other task group 

 publications, particularly in A Strategy for Space Biology and Medical Science for the 

 1980s and 1990s, and with the National Space Policy, issued by President Ronald 

 Reagan in February 1988. To reassert U.S. leadership in space research and 

 exploration, it is vital that life sciences be an integral part of the Nation's space 

 program. 



The NASA Space Life Sciences Program 



Gravitational Biology 



• Understanding the role of gravity in the development and evolution of 

 life 



Biomedical Research 



• Characterizing and removing the primary physiological and 

 psychological obstacles to extended human space flight 



Environmental Factors 



• Defining the space environment and habitat in which humans must 

 function safely and productively, including air and water quality and 

 the biological effects of radiation fields 



Operational Medicine 



• Developing medical and life support systems to enable human 

 expansion beyond the Earth and into the solar system 



Biospherics Research 



• Developing methods to measure and predict changes on Earth on a 

 global scale and the biological consequences of these changes 



Physicochemical and Bioregenerative Life Support Systems 



• Assembling the knowledge base needed to design, construct, and 

 operate life support systems and extravehicular suits in space that are 

 independent of major resupply 



Exobiology 



• Exploring the origin, evolution, and distribution of life in 

 the universe 



Flight Programs 



• Conducting experiments in space, including the development of 

 facilities and hardware for space flight, mission planning integration, 



I flight plan implementation 



