Evaluation of external cardiac massage performance during hypogravity simulation.

Preservation of astronaut crew health during an exploration mission to the Moon or Mars will be crucial to mission success. The likelyhood of a life threatening medical condition occurring during a mission to Mars has been estimated by NASA to be 1% per year. Since basic life support is a vital skill in critical care medicine, plans must be in place for cardiopulmonary resuscitation in both microgravity and hypogravity (i.