Safe Passage Astronaut Care for Exploration Missions (2001) / Chapter Skim
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Pages 23-36
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From page 23... ...
space community has been planning to send humans on exploration-class missions to Mars (Burrows, 19981. In the post-Apollo space mission era, this would be the next "giant leap for mankind" and the first step toward human exploration of the solar system.
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From page 24... ...
Of all the challenges that such missions beyond Earth orbit imply, the most daunting will be to provide for the health and safety of astronauts who venture beyond Earth's orbit for the first time. Their well-being will depend in part on future advances in medicine and engineering (SSB and NRC, 1996, 1998a,]
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From page 25... ...
Any mission to Mars or another distant point beyond Earth orbit involving humans will likely be international in character and will likely include individuals from some combination of 13 countries, and because of current propulsion designs, the mission would be launched from the International Space Station or a similar orbiting platform. Crewmembers must arrive on Mars safely and in good health after a lengthy period of travel, probably 5 to 6 or more months (Figure 1-11.
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From page 26... ...
2014 Despite such constraints, the medical goal on exploration-class space missions is to provide health care of sufficiently high quality so that crewmembers, once their exploratory mission is completed, can reasonably anticipate a safe return to Earth and, subsequently, healthy and productive terrestrial lives. HEALTH RISKS OF SPACE TRAVEL To date, some 350 persons have "flown" in space.
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From page 27... ...
asks a rhetorical question, for the loss of bone mineral density on long-duration space missions is one of the most serious and intractable health risks identified so far, and until this physiological effect of microgravity is resolved, a mission to Mars is unlikely to be undertaken with humans. So far, preventive interventions that NASA refers to as "countermeasures" have been only marginally effective ("countermeasure" is NASA's designation for preventive and therapeutic interventions before or during space missions)
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From page 28... ...
and during extended periods in space beyond Earth orbit, which is the particular focus of this report (see Chapters 3, 4, and 51. Although the preventive and rehabilitative aspects of health care are of utmost importance to maintaining a healthy, active astronaut corps, this chapter focuses on principles of health care during future long-duration space travel and habitation, for example, during exploration-class missions to Mars or colonization of Earth's moon.
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From page 29... ...
So far that approach has succeeclecl, as astronauts have been free of major health problems during space missions, but spaceflights have been short ancl emergency evacuations from spacecraft in low Earth orbit have been possible. Evacuation ancl return to Earth will not be the case during future longcluration space missions beyond Earth orbit.
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From page 30... ...
This report covers the continuum of health care, from preventive services before departure, to treatment of conditions that might conceivably arise during long-duration space travel beyond Earth orbit, to health care on Mars and during the return to Earth. It also discusses the need for restorative and rehabilitative services for astronauts upon their return to Earth.
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From page 31... ...
ASTRONAUT HEALTH BEYOND EARTH ORBIT 31 risks to human health during space travel, the extent to which astronauts are included in decision making about acceptable risks, and the extent to which society is informed regarding the risks and the possibility of a disaster. · Astronauts as research subjects Certain data must be collected, analyzed, shared, and used to make conditions safer and better for those who follow.
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From page 32... ...
· Astronaut health care The committee evaluated the general continuum of health care that includes premission, intramission, and postmission preventive medical and dental care and health education as well as the traditional forms of medical, surgical, and behavioral medical care focused on the unique environment of extended periods in an isolated and remote, self-contained " capsule. " · Crew selection Selection of the crew for the first mission beyond Earth orbit will be critically important.
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From page 33... ...
This report extends the findings and recommendations of earlier National Research Council reports that are focused on a variety of basic biomedical concerns and that were developed at the request of NASA and published in 1987, 1996, 1998, and 2000 (SSB and NRC, 1987, 1996, 1998a, 20001. It extends the findings and recommendations to the issues that directly influence the well-being and delivery of health care to astronauts during space travel beyond Earth orbit.
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From page 36... ...
during pulmonary function tests in support of the Neurolab mission aboard the Earth-orbiting space shuttle Columbia, April 24, 1998, during the STS-90 mission. NASA image.
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