Summon/ 



The LSSPSC also discussed the need to quantify resources, including the funding, 

 personnel, and facilities required for implementation of the strategic milestones. It 

 determined that this activity was critical but could not be satisfactorily accom- 

 plished in the time available to the Committee. The LSSPSC accordingly 

 recommends that this effort be initiated immediately after publication of the report 

 through techniques and resources readily available to NASA and that the results 

 be communicated as available to the NASA Advisory Council. 



Implementation of the strategic plan requires the careful scheduling of activities 

 relevant to the two major program thrusts: 



• The assurance of the health, safety, and productivity of humans in space 



• The acquisition of fundamental scientific knowledge concerning space life 

 sciences. 



These emphases are equally important, the first being an Agency goal and the 

 second being a part of the strategic plan developed by the NASA Office of Space 

 Science and Applications (OSSA). Efforts associated with assuring the health, 

 safety, and productivity of humans in space should be paced so as to provide the 

 Agency with information vital in planning and conducting extended manned 

 missions. While much can be done using ground research and short-duration 

 flights, the key lies in the availability of appropriate life sciences facilities on the 

 Space Station. Scheduling pertinent to the basic scientific programs should be 

 consistent with the OSSA overall long-range strategic plan. 



Committee Deliberations 



The LSSPSC organized into 13 Study Groups to evaluate NASA life sciences 

 activities. The Study Groups surveyed scientific literature, interviewed NASA 

 researchers and administrators, and deliberated with international authorities from 

 Europe, Japan, and the Soviet Union. The groups summarized the results of their 

 research in papers that provided the basis for the Committee's findings and 

 recommendations. 



Based on the Study Group evaluations and research papers, the Committee devel- 

 oped approximately 30 detailed recommendations in addition to the four over- 

 arching recommendations. The detailed recommendations appear below under the 

 headings of Human Space Flight, Gravitational Biology, Planetary Biosciences 

 Research, Flight Programs, and Program Administration. 



Specific Recommendations and Findings 



Human Space Flight 



Four challenges potentially limit the duration of human space flight: physiological 

 deconditioning, the biological effects of exposure to ionizing radiation, possible 

 psychological difficulties on the part of the space crew, and environmental 

 requirements, including the need of life support on lengthy space journeys. The 



