Skip to main content
SpringerLink
Log in
Book cover

Fundamentals of Space Medicine pp 257–304Cite as

Operational Space Medicine

  • Chapter
  • First Online:

Part of the book series: Space Technology Library ((SPTL,volume 23))

Abstract

Crew health care through all phases of spaceflight is a further assurance measure for mission success. Flight surgeons shepherd their assigned crewmembers through all mission phases, including training, medical exams, pre-launch suit-up, and post-landing recovery. These doctors are so essential that they are always first on scene for landing. If crewmembers were not mentally and physically healthy, their nominal and emergency interactions with the vehicle might be fatally compromised.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution.

Chapter
USD   29.95
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Available as PDF
  • Read on any device
  • Instant download
  • Own it forever
eBook
USD   109.00
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Available as EPUB and PDF
  • Read on any device
  • Instant download
  • Own it forever
Softcover Book
USD   139.99
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Compact, lightweight edition
  • Dispatched in 3 to 5 business days
  • Free shipping worldwide - see info
Hardcover Book
USD   279.99
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Durable hardcover edition
  • Dispatched in 3 to 5 business days
  • Free shipping worldwide - see info

Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout

Purchases are for personal use only

Learn about institutional subscriptions

Notes

  1. 1.

    Countermeasures and rehabilitation have already been covered in previous chapters, in particular regarding the bone and muscle systems (see Chapter 5, Section 5.6) and the psychological issues (see Chapter 6, Section 6.5).

  2. 2.

    As Dr. Arnauld Nicogossian, NASA’s director of life sciences, has pointed out: “Never before has medicine been called upon to certify that an individual will be healthy enough to perform for three years following the examination” [cited by Collins, 1990].

  3. 3.

    The Columbia disaster seems to reveal a trend in the public acceptance of space failures. The grief and sadness were immense at the news of the tragedy. However, compared with the Challenger tragedy that occurred 17 years earlier, which also took the lives of seven astronauts, much less interest was given to the investigation by the media and the public during the weeks that followed.

  4. 4.

    The first Commercial Astronaut to fly a private spacecraft was Mike Melville, who was the pilot during the flight of SpaceShipOne in 2004.

  5. 5.

    Astronauts are selected for health; space tourists are selected for wealth.

  6. 6.

    Conversely, more serious manifestations of illness have prompted the early return in at least two cosmonauts, one from Salyut-7 (1985) for high fevers (later diagnosed as chronic prostatitis) and another from Mir (1987) for cardiac dysrhythmias.

  7. 7.

    After the first line of defense that constitutes the skin and mucus barriers, the T-cells in the blood recognize the invaders and either directly attack them or activate fellow T- or B-cells, which produce antibodies that either help destroy the microorganisms or mark them for attack. After the first exposure to a microorganism, “killer” B- and T-lymphocytes are able to recognize that microorganism so that on the second encounter, the response is targeted to that specific germ, allowing more rapid and more efficient action and elimination. This adaptive immunity is the principle behind the efficacy for vaccination [Chouker et al., 2008].

  8. 8.

    During the STS-37 mission in April 1991, an EVA crewmember upon returning to the shuttle after an EVA with no notable events noticed a blood spot on the inside of a glove where a pinhole leak had developed and induced a small skin injury.

  9. 9.

    During a space walk, astronauts can drink from a drink bag located inside the space suit by means of a straw.

  10. 10.

    In a remarkable book called Ice Bound, Dr. Jerri Nielsen describes her experience when she diagnosed and treated her own breast cancer during wintering over a South Pole station [Nielsen, 2001]. Her true story is also full of interesting observations on the medical and psychological issues related to isolation in extreme environment.

  11. 11.

    An easy way to remember these five factors is “SCALE,” with the letter S for severity, C for capability, A for ability, L for level of skills, and E for ease [Hamilton, 2010].

References

  • Aerospace Medical Association (2001) Medical Guidelines for Space Passenger. Aerospace Medical Association Task Force on Space Travel. Aviation, Space and Environmental Medicine 72: 948–950

    Google Scholar 

  • Bagiana F, Clément G, Monchoux F, Barer A (1993) Human physiological model. Preparing for the Future. ESA’s Technology Programme Quarterly 3: 12–13

    Google Scholar 

  • Barratt M (1992a) Extravehicular Activity for Orbital Construction. Medical and Human Factors Considerations. Lecture notes. Summer Session of the International Space University, Kitakyushu

    Google Scholar 

  • Barratt M (1992b) The Onsite Medical Facility for Orbital Platforms. Lecture notes. Summer Session of the International Space University, Kitakyushu

    Google Scholar 

  • Barratt M (1995) A Space Medicine Manifesto. Notes of the Lecture on Current and Future Issues in Space Medicine presented at the Summer Session of the International Space University, Stockholm

    Google Scholar 

  • Billica RD, Simmons SC, Mather KL, et al. (1996) Perception of the medical risk of spaceflight. Aviation, Space & Environmental Medicine 67: 467–473

    Google Scholar 

  • Bonnet MH, Balkin TJ, Dinges DF, et al. (2005) The use of stimulants to modify performance during sleep loss. Sleep 28: 1163–1187

    Google Scholar 

  • Campbell MR, Kirkpatrick AW, Billica RD, Johnston SL, Jennings R, Short D, Hamilton D, Dulchavsky SA (2001) Endoscopic surgery in weightlessness: the investigation of basic principles for surgery in space. Surgical Endoscopy 15:1413–1418

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Collins M (1990) Mission to Mars. New York, NY: Grove Weidenfled

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Chouker A, Morukov B, Sams C (2008) Clinical immunology in new frontiers. Looking Up – Europe’s Quiet Revolution in Microgravity Research. Scientific American Magazine, October 2008, pp 25–31. Available at: www.scientificamerican.com/media/pdf/ESAReader_LowRes.pdf [Accessed 10 October 2010]

  • Dijk D, Neri DF, Wyatt JK, et al. (2001) Sleep, performance, circadian rhythms, and light-dark cycles during two Space Shuttle flights. American Journal of Physiology – Regulatory Integrative Comparative Physiology 281: 1647–1664

    Google Scholar 

  • Eckart P (1996) Spaceflight Life Support and Biospherics. Space Technology Libraries. Dordrecht, The Netherland: Kluwer Academic Publishers

    Book  Google Scholar 

  • Foale CM, Kaleri AY, Sargsyan AE, et al. (2005) Diagnostic instrumentation aboard ISS: just in time training for non-physician crewmembers. Aviation Space & Environmental Medicine 76: 594–598

    Google Scholar 

  • Hall R, Shayler D (2004) Soyuz: A Universal Spacecraft. New York, NY: Springer Praxis

    Google Scholar 

  • Hamilton D (2010) Operational Space Medicine. Lecture notes. Space Studies Program of the International Space University, Strasbourg

    Google Scholar 

  • Heimbach R, Sheffield P (1985) Decompression sickness and pulmonary overpressure accidents. In: Fundamentals of Aerospace Medicine. DeHart R (ed) Philadelphia, PA: Lea and Febiger, pp 132–161

    Google Scholar 

  • Hills B (1985) Compatible atmospheres for a space suit, space station, and Shuttle based on physiological principles. Aviation, Space & Environmental Medicine 56: 1052–1058

    Google Scholar 

  • Holland AH, Marsh RW (1994) Psychologic and psychiatric considerations. In: Space Physiology and Medicine. Third Edition. Nicogossian AE, Huntoon CL, Pool SL (eds) Philadelphia, PA: Lea & Febiger, pp 422–433

    Google Scholar 

  • Institute of Medicine (2001) Safe Passage: Astronaut Care for Exploration Missions. Ball HR, Evans CH, Ballard JR (eds) Washington, DC: National Academy Press

    Google Scholar 

  • Jones JJ (2010) Analogs for Spaceflight and Exploration. Lecture at the Space Studies Program of the International Space University, Strasbourg

    Google Scholar 

  • Laurence H (ed) (1997) Modeling Human Risk: Cell & Molecular Biology in Context. Berkeley, CA: Ernest Orlando Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory Report LBNL-40278

    Google Scholar 

  • Leveton LB, Dinges DFD. (2006) The NASA behavioral health and performance evidence review. Presented at the NASA Human Research Program Behavioral Health and Performance Element Programmatic Review. Houston, TX: NASA Johnson Space Center

    Google Scholar 

  • Lugg DJ (2000) Antarctic Medicine. JAMA 283:2082–2084

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • McCormick NJ (1981) Reliability and Risk Analysis; Methods and Nuclear Power Applications. New York, NY: Academic Press

    Google Scholar 

  • Messerschmid E, Haigneré JP, Damian K, Damann V (2000) EAC training and medical support for International Space Station astronauts. ESA Bulletin, Nov 2000, pp 101–108

    Google Scholar 

  • Monk TH, Kennedy KS, Rose LR, Linenger JM (2001) Decreased human circadian pacemaker influence after 100 days in space: A case study. Psychosomatic Medicine 63: 881–885

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • NASA (1998) Astronaut Medical Evaluations Requirement. Houston, TX: NASA Johnson Space Center: NASA Reference Document JSC 24834, Revision A

    Google Scholar 

  • NASA (2001) Principles Regarding Processes and Criteria for Selection, Assignment, Training and Certification of ISS (Expedition and Visiting) Crewmembers. Multilateral Crew Operation Panel. Washington DC: National Aeronautics and Space Administration

    Google Scholar 

  • NASA (2006) Medical Checklist. Houston, TX: National Aeronautics and Space Administration, JSC-48031

    Google Scholar 

  • Nelson BD, Gardner RM, Ostler DV, et al. (1990) Medical impact analysis for the space station. Aviation, Space & Environmental Medicine 61: 169–175

    Google Scholar 

  • Newman D, Barratt M (1997) Life support and performance issues for extravehicular activity. In: Fundamentals of Space Life Sciences. Churchill S (ed) Malabar, FL: Krieger Publishing Company, Volume 2, Chapter 22, pp 337–364

    Google Scholar 

  • Nielsen J (2001) Ice Bound. A Doctor’s Incredible Battle for Survival at the South Pole. New York, NY: Heperion

    Google Scholar 

  • Osborn MJ (Committee Chairperson) (1998) A Strategy for Research in Space Biology and Medicine in the New Century. National Academy of Science. National Research Council Committee on Space Biology and Medicine. Washington DC: National Academy Press [online]. Available: http://sites.nationalacademies.org/SSB/index.htm [Accessed 9 October 2010]

  • Wright KP, Czeisler CA (2002) Absence of circadian phase resetting in response to bright light behind the knees. Science 297: 571

    Article  Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. International Space University, Strasbourg, France

    Gilles Clément

Authors
  1. Gilles Clément
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Gilles Clément .

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

Copyright information

© 2011 Springer Science+Business Media, LLC

About this chapter

Cite this chapter

Clément, G. (2011). Operational Space Medicine. In: Fundamentals of Space Medicine. Space Technology Library, vol 23. Springer, New York, NY. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4419-9905-4_7

Download citation

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4419-9905-4_7

  • Published:

  • Publisher Name: Springer, New York, NY

  • Print ISBN: 978-1-4419-9904-7

  • Online ISBN: 978-1-4419-9905-4

  • eBook Packages: EngineeringEngineering (R0)

Publish with us

Policies and ethics

Search

Navigation