A Midterm Assessment of Implementation of the Decadal Survey on Life and Physical Sciences Research at NASA (2018) / Chapter Skim
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4 Prioritizations and Rankings to Optimize and Enable the Expansion of Deep Space Human Exploration
4 Prioritizations and Rankings to Optimize and Enable the Expansion of Deep Space Human Exploration
Pages 58-86
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From page 58... ...
, creates a sense of urgency for science accomplishment in support of deep space exploration. As generally acknowledged by NASA and within the broader microgravity community, and as described in examples given in Chapter 3, there is not sufficient research time on the ISS to fully explore all aspects of the 2011 space life and physical sciences decadal survey1 priorities within the station's planned lifespan.
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4.1.2 Overarching Space Exploration Strategy The overall space exploration strategy continues to evolve with the recently announced Deep Space Gateway. Figures 4.1 and 4.2 lay out the current top-level NASA Exploration Strategy and Reference Phase 1 plan.
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The 2011 decadal survey developed "Bounding Policy Options" to assess the research priorities. Also, the NASA exploration strategy has evolved over time from the "Vision for Space Exploration," including the Constellation Program, to the "Journey to Mars," with the Asteroid Redirect Mission and the Space Launch System and Orion, to the current "Deep Space Gateway" strategy.
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. The midterm committee also recognized the need to overlay the following additional and overlapping considerations that most directly affected the current feasibility or utility for exploration of the decadal survey recommendations: • Consideration A: The extent to which the science is needed to support technology development for deep space exploration.
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Tables 13.1, 13.2, and 13.3 are reprinted in Appendix E Then, based on the committee's decadal survey criteria and additional considerations as described above, the committee assigned a relative ranking of each of the recommendations, noting that these rankings considered the most important science needs in the pathway to exploration of deep space.
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PRIORITIZATIONS AND RANKINGS TO OPTIMIZE AND ENABLE THE EXPANSION OF DEEP SPACE HUMAN EXPLORATION 63 TABLE 4.1 Ranking and Performance Environment of Research Priorities for Deep Space Exploration in the 2011 Decadal Surveya Decadal Survey Low Beyond Recommendation Earth Earth Earth Identifier Summary Description of Recommendationb Analogsc Orbit Orbitc,d Highest Higher High Animal and Human Biology AH1 Efficacy of bisphosphonates S N S X AH2 Bone strength and countermeasures N/S N/S S X AH3 Bone loss in genetically altered mice S N S X AH4 New osteoporosis drugs S N/S S X AH5 Skeletal muscle protein balance N/S N N/S X AH6 Prototype exercise devices S N N X Levels and recruitment of flexor and extensor AH7 S N N/S X muscles AH8 Changes in Starling forces S N N/S X Effects of prolonged reduced gravity on task AH9 S S N X completion AH10 Orthostatic intolerance S N/S N X Screening strategies for subclinical coronary AH11 N N S X heart disease Transmission of structural changes over AH16 N N S X generations Applied Physics AP1 Reduced-gravity multiphase flows S N S X AP2 Interfacial flows S N S X AP3 Dynamic granular material behavior N S N/S X AP4 Methods for dust mitigation N N/S S X AP6 Flammability and fire suppression in space S N S X AP8 Numerical simulation of combustion N S S X Materials that enable operations in space AP10 N S S X environments AP11 Processing materials on extraterrestrial surfaces N N/S S X Behavior and Mental Health Measures of mission relevant crew B1 N N N X performance B2 Long-duration mission simulations N N N X B3 Underpinnings of individual differences N N/S S X B4 Multinational crews N S S X continued
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An N indicates that the location is likely to be necessary for completing some or all of the experiments that would be involved in addressing the priority. d Beyond low Earth orbit includes both open space and the surfaces of other planetary bodies and asteroids.
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Each priority also stems directly from science needed to enable and enhance exploration of deep space. The committee therefore examined the progress in major discipline areas in order to establish a scientific context for the stated NASA plans for the ISS and the development of deep space exploration.
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For microbes, the important areas would include the effects of deep space radiation on the evolution of microbes and microbial systems. Long-term exposures on the Gateway, even during times without human habitation, would be an important part of the deep space biology portfolio.
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These technologies provide data on plant and microbial responses to spaceflight and can be used to monitor plant health and production of plant products within exploration production systems. One key action that can be taken to optimize the science value of the research program in context of enabling deep space exploration would be to develop robust methods, standards, and equipment for bacterial and virus monitoring in space.
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And the research to apply this gene expression knowledge to improve plant growth for food and nutrition on a deep space mission -- to mitigate the effects of weightlessness on plants and on their immediate environment -- is in the future, and not clearly on course to be fully translated to life support production by 2024. 4.4.2 Behavior and Mental Health Developments and progress in the wider nonspace research community related to behavior and mental health include the explosion of interest and knowledge in the neuroscience area to better understand normal as well as psychopathological processes.
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Another interrelated team issue is the different levels of autonomy the crew will experience. The crew will become more independent in functioning as they travel to deep space, and live and explore the Mars surface; however, the crew will need to deal with lesser autonomy as they return to Earth and progressively are under the greater command of mission control.
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would be helpful; DARPA for studies of individual and team resilience in the face of intense challenges, NIH for studies of medication effects in extended duration microgravity and epigenetic factors. 4.4.2.3 Recent Advances Relevant to Microgravity Science Developments and progress in the wider nonspace research community with relevance for space purposes include neuroscience research focused on better understanding normal as well as psychopathological processes.
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Finally, the rapidly growing field of virtual environment technology will greatly aid crew member adherence to exercise regimens needed to maintain crew health and well-being. 4.4.3.1 Role in Human Exploration Animal research is necessary for assessing the effects of the space environment on humans in deep space, and for developing mitigating technologies for those effects that are adverse.
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, new prototype exercise devices are needed to optimize physical activity by employing multisystem countermeasures. Such multisystem countermeasure research can be supplemented in Earth analog studies, but progress will greatly depend on LEO and beyond Earth orbit platforms to evaluate new prototype exercise devices during actual microgravity.
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Rapid progress is available for drug development for prevention of muscle atrophy and bone loss, but such drugs may not be site-specific to counteract Type 1 muscle fiber atrophy and bone loss. Also, the rapidly growing field of virtual environment technology will greatly aid crew member adherence to exercise regimens needed to maintain crew health and well-being.
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4.4.4.3 Recent Advances Relevant to Cross-Cutting Issues for Humans in the Space Environment As described in preceding research sections, new methods and applications of DNA and RNA sequencing have allowed significant progress in methods to monitor crew health, including the state of the human health and the diagnosis of human disease. Since the decadal survey in 2011, there has been rapid progress in areas of human biology and omics research and great strides in genetic sequencing and analyses of gene expression for understanding adaptations to extreme environments.
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Ebert, K.M. Garcia, et al., 2017, "Fluid Shifts," presenta tion #17601 at A New Dawn: Enabling Human Space Exploration, NASA Human Research Program Investigators' Workshop on January 23-26, 2017, https://three.jsc.nasa.gov/iws/SRIW-Cvent-Program-2017.pdf.
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highlights a major research topic that is ranked "highest priority" in Table 4.1, a priority that includes a deeper understanding of deep space radiation effects on biological and physical systems. The decadal survey study has detailed some information about risks from such radiation exposures, but recent work by NASA has listed four predominant risks associated with space radiation exposure in the Human Research Program Roadmap: risk of acute (in-flight)
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Brookhaven currently has no capacity to handle these large animal studies. It will be important to conduct some aspects of radiation research beyond Earth orbit in order to expose microbes, plants, animals, and people to cosmic radiation similar to that for exploration missions.
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Important applications in the fields of computers and telecommunications are foreseen in the coming years 4.4.6.1 Role in Human Exploration Fundamental physics, by its nature, does not directly "enable" space exploration in the near-term. However, results from the fundamental physics discipline will provide the knowledge and discoveries that will likely "enable" new capabilities (i.e.
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4.4.6.3 Research Platforms and Approaches Relevant to Exploration It is apparent that the ISS will be necessary in order to address the unique microgravity and partial ravity g environment posed by space exploration and prior to eventual human flights to Mars or to the Moon. Much of the cold atom science will be carried out in the CAL and specifically the pico Kelvin BEC experiments require the extended microgravity period available on the ISS.
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Many current systems employed aboard spacecraft (i.e., ISS life support systems) are maintained by regular crew maintenance and routine resupply, but systems that are far more robust are essential and mission-enabling for the further human exploration of space.
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Commercial software and specific low-g investigator open-software tools may be exploited for the potentially "big data" archive management. 4.4.7.1.4 Application of Fluid Physics Research The importance of fluid physics to applications in space exploration is reflected by the large number of translational highest-priority listings in Table 13.2 of the decadal survey (TSES1, TSES2, TSES4-S6, TSES12-16)
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Complex Fluids research is not currently considered high-priority research for exploration. 4.4.7.2 Combustion 4.4.7.2.1 Role in Human Exploration and Future Implementation Combustion processes are central to chemical propulsion which will power space exploration under the current plan.
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In addition to collaboration with international colleagues on an individual basis through the PIs grant, systematic international team collaboration exists in the FLARE project led by the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency and in the Saffire project between NASA, the European Space Agency, and scientists from Europe, Russia, Japan, and Australia. Such collaboration will continue to be important in addressing decadal survey priorities.
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It is obvious that understanding materials behavior during exploration requires systematic and strategic investigations using ground-based facilities, as well as long-term experiments aboard the ISS. 4.4.7.4 Implementing Decadal Survey Recommendations in Applied Physics Looking toward the remaining years of the current decadal survey, the committee offers the following guidance for the science implementation within NASA's Low-g Applied Physical Science Program.
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4.4.8 Translation to Space Exploration Systems Looking at the SLPSRA projects identified by NASA as relating to the translational decadal survey recommendations, there has been good progress in the areas of fire safety, cryogenic fluid management, and energy conversion research. In relation to the technology roadmaps of NASA, new materials such as photonic materials are mentioned.
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After reviewing various issues relevant to the recommendations for each of the discipline areas of space life and physical sciences, the committee assessment produced two additional findings. Finding 4-2: The current funding levels are insufficient to fully address the significant unknowns and risks of human exploration beyond LEO.
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