Flight Programs 



• Researchers outside the space life sciences community should be actively 

 encouraged to participate in space-related research. Formal ties to govern- 

 mental agencies and research organizations should continue to be established 

 and strengthened. 



Performance of Space Life Sciences Research: 

 Access to Space 



The only way to observe the effects of space flight on Living organisms is to fly 

 appropriate research specimens aboard spacecraft. Biological processes are 

 extraordinarily dynamic and involve the interaction of many internal and external 

 environmental factors. Because biological research is largely experimental, 

 statistically significant sample sizes must be exposed to environmental variables. 

 On-orbit controls to isolate the effects of different variables are mandatory. Various 

 exposure times, orbital inclinations, and reflight opportunities must also be 

 available to investigators. 



Data obtained from flight experiments must be accessible to investigators in a 

 timely manner for them to analyze results, refine models, and build upon 

 previous knowledge. It should be emphasized that ground and flight programs are 

 part of a continuum and cannot be separated from one another. A schematic 

 description follows of a research paradigm that shows the interdependence of all 

 aspects of a solid space life sciences research program: 



Nearly all space-based Life sciences research currently funded by NASA is 

 designed to be performed aboard the Space Transportation System (STS), which 

 has not flown since the Challenger accident in January 1986. Once the STS resumes 

 operations, payload space will be at a premium. In the coming years, it will be 

 largely dedicated to Space Station assembly and operations and Department of 

 Defense missions. 



To ensure safe operation of the Space Station, substantial Life sciences research 

 must be performed. NASA investigations are currently limited to analysis of earlier 

 space flight data and information derived from ongoing ground-based work. 

 Except for some experiments conducted by American investigators aboard the 



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