A Qualitative Investigation of Space Exploration Medical Evacuation Risks.

Exploration beyond low Earth orbit requires innovative solutions to support the crew medically, especially as the opportunity for timely evacuation to Earth diminishes. This includes assessing the risks and benefits that a complicated medical evacuation (MEDEVAC) poses to the injured crewmember, the crew, and the mission. This qualitative study identifies common MEDEVAC risk assessment principles used in spaceflight and other extreme environments to better inform future risk assessment tools and exploration mission concepts.

High Number of Positive Rapid Plasma Reagin With Low Titers Using the Automated AIX 1000 RPR System.

This study evaluated the performance of manual rapid plasma reagin (RPR) and automated AIX1000 RPR tests for the diagnosis of syphilis. Manual RPR showed a 3% reactive result compared with 5.8% for the automated test mainly because of RPR reactive results with low titers not confirmed by Treponema pallidum particle agglutination.

Biologically-Based and Physiochemical Life Support and In Situ Resource Utilization for Exploration of the Solar System-Reviewing the Current State and Defining Future Development Needs.

The future of long-duration spaceflight missions will place our vehicles and crew outside of the comfort of low-Earth orbit. Luxuries of quick resupply and frequent crew changes will not be available. Future missions will have to be adapted to low resource environments and be suited to use resources at their destinations to complete the latter parts of the mission.