Adapting Disease Prevention Protocols for Human Spaceflight During COVID-19.

The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) Flight Crew Health Stabilization Program (HSP) was historically implemented to minimize infectious disease transmission to astronauts in the immediate prelaunch period. The first ever commercial application and adaptation of the NASA HSP was implemented during the Crew Demo-2 mission in the time of the Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic. This article details and discusses the first commercial implementation and adaptation of the HSP prior to the Crew Demo-2 launch.

Supplying a pharmacy for NASA exploration spaceflight: challenges and current understanding.

In order to maintain crew health and performance during long-duration spaceflight outside of low-Earth orbit, NASA and its international partners must be capable of providing a safe and effective pharmacy. Given few directed studies of pharmaceuticals in the space environment, it is difficult to characterize pharmaceutical effectiveness or stability during spaceflight; this in turn makes it challenging to select an appropriate formulary for exploration. Here, we present the current state of literature regarding pharmaceutical stability, metabolism, and effectiveness during spaceflight.

Prototype Development of a Tradespace Analysis Tool for Spaceflight Medical Resources.

Introduction: The provision of medical care in exploration-class spaceflight is limited by mass, volume, and power constraints, as well as limitations of available skillsets of crewmembers. A quantitative means of exploring the risks and benefits of inclusion or exclusion of onboard medical capabilities may help to inform the development of an appropriate medical system. A pilot project was designed to demonstrate the utility of an early tradespace analysis tool for identifying high-priority resources geared toward properly equipping an exploration mission medical system.

Screening and Mitigation of Layperson Anxiety in Aerospace Environments.

Introduction: Anxiety may present challenges for commercial spaceflight operations, as little is known regarding the psychological effects of spaceflight on laypersons. A recent investigation evaluated measures of anxiety during centrifuge-simulated suborbital commercial spaceflight, highlighting the potential for severe anxiousness to interrupt spaceflight operations.

Methods: To pave the way for future research, an extensive literature review identified existing knowledge that may contribute to formation of interventions for anxiety in commercial spaceflight.

Subject anxiety and psychological considerations for centrifuge-simulated suborbital spaceflight.

Introduction: Anxiety and psychological concerns may pose a challenge to future commercial spaceflight. To help identify potential measures of anxiousness and indicators of flight-related stress, the psychiatric histories and anxiousness responses of volunteers exposed to G forces in centrifuge-simulated spaceflight acceleration profiles were examined.

Methods: Over 2 d, 86 individuals (63 men, 23 women), 20-78 yr old, underwent up to 7 centrifuge runs.

Tolerance of centrifuge-simulated suborbital spaceflight by medical condition.

Introduction: We examined responses of volunteers with known medical disease to G forces in a centrifuge to evaluate how potential commercial spaceflight participants (SFPs) might tolerate the forces of spaceflight despite significant medical history.

Methods: Volunteers were recruited based upon suitability for each of five disease categories (hypertension, cardiovascular disease, diabetes, lung disease, back or neck problems) or a control group. Subjects underwent seven centrifuge runs over 2 d.