Table of Contents

Space Medicine

International Space Station Medical Working Groups

Medical personnel from each International Space Station (ISS) partner work together in the following groups to solve medical issues related to the ISS:

• Acoustics
• Biomedical Training
• Countermeasures
• Environmental Health
• Extravehicular Activity
• Human Behaviour and Performance
• In-flight Clinical Medicine
• Medical Informatics and Technology
• Medical Standards
• Nutrition
• Radiation

Acoustics Sub-Working Group

Mandate:

To support the Multilateral Medical Operations Panel (MMOP) in coordinating input from the international partners regarding acoustic issues for the maintenance of astronaut's health and optimal performance.

Examples of Issues:

• International Space Station (ISS) acoustic environment
• In-flight monitoring of crew

Biomedical Training Working Group

Mandate:

To support the Multilateral Medical Operations Panel (MMOP) in coordinating input from international partners regarding:

• Biomedical training of crewmembers, crew surgeons, and other biomedical mission support personnel
• Training and certification documents and websites for biomedical training
• Maintaining a training completion database
• Planning crewmember hazardous duty training
• Monitoring of the training plan implementation

Example of Activities:

• Developing the Flight Surgeon training manual

Countermeasures Working Group

Mandate:

To support the Multilateral Medical Operations Panel (MMOP) in coordinating input from the international partners regarding:

• Pre-flight, in-flight, and post-flight assessments of physical fitness and exercise prescription
• Countermeasure strategies, planning, and implementation

Examples of Issues:

• In-flight fitness testing regimen implementation
• Second generation treadmill requirements
• In-flight exercise prescriptions
• Countermeasure Evaluation and Validation Project (CEVP)
• Success criteria/standards for return-to-duty post-mission

Environmental Health Working Group

Mandate:

To support the Multilateral Medical Operations Panel (MMOP) in coordinating input from international partners regarding:

• Recommendations on medical and medical engineering issues for environmental quality assurance with respect to air and water, microbiology, acoustics and other physical parameters
• Development, review, and updating of documents with medical and medical engineering requirements

The EHWG is composed of four sub-groups: air quality, water quality, microbiology and acoustics

Example of Issues:

• High noise levels on the International Space Station
• Modification of on-orbit hardware to obtain accurate samples of the atmosphere on the ISS

Extravehicular Activity Working Group

Mandate:

To support the Multilateral Medical Operations Panel (MMOP) in coordinating input from the international partners regarding:

• Utilization of research data and new technologies in EVA support

Examples of Issues:

• Prebreathe reduction protocols to minimize the risk of DCS
• In-suit Doppler for detection of venous gas emboli
• Patent foramen ovale as a risk factor for altitude DCS
• Portable hyperbaric chamber

Human Behaviour and Performance Working Group

Mandate:

To support the Multilateral Medical Operations Panel (MMOP) in coordinating input from the international partners regarding:

• Psychological adaptation and support
• Behavioural health
• Sleep and circadian health and fatigue monitoring
• Human-system interface issues

Examples of Issues:

• Psychiatric/psychological selection and certification standards
• Content of psychological training of individual crewmembers and/or entire crews
• In-flight behaviour and performance monitoring standards
• Planning, provision, and coordination of pre-flight, in-flight, and post-flight behaviour and performance support
• Astronaut work/rest schedules
• Emergency support of crewmembers experiencing difficulties in their performance or behaviour

In-flight Clinical Medicine Working Group

Mandate:

To support the Multilateral Medical Operations Panel (MMOP) in coordinating input from international partners regarding:

• Provision of medical diagnostics, monitoring and care to the ISS crew
• Develop and maintain standards for in-flight clinical care

Example of Issues:

• Criteria for ordering the early termination of a flight due to medical reasons

Medical Informatics and Technology Working Group

Mandate:

To support the Multilateral Medical Operations Panel (MMOP) in coordinating input from international partners regarding:

• The definition of technical means, rules and procedures to document and capture the provision of medical care
• Effectively and securely share data among the ISS Medical Operations community

Examples of Issues:

• Protection of medical and health-related data of all crewmembers and space flight participants

Medical Standards Working Group

Mandate:

To support the Multilateral Medical Operations Panel (MMOP) in coordinating input from the international partners regarding:

• Requirements and procedures for Medical Assessment Testing (MAT) and managing the MAT database
• Medical standards for International Space Station crewmember selection
• Standards and procedures for periodic monitoring during training, pre-flight, in-flight, and post-flight

Examples of Issues:

• Management/access to MAT data
• Countermeasure Evaluation and Validation Project (CEVP)
• Development of medical standards for spaceflight participants
• On-going review of the Astronaut Medical Evaluation Requirement Document (AMERD)

Nutrition Working Group

Mandate:

To support the Multilateral Medical Operations Panel (MMOP) in coordinating input from the international partners regarding:

• Nutritional requirements and methodologies for astronauts
• Assessment of nutritional status
• Validation and implementation of new nutrition strategies

Examples of Issues:

• Nutritional status assessment
• Nutrient intake requirements (e.g. dietary sodium, vitamin K, and iron)
• Microbiological and toxin standards for food
• Crew training (e.g. nutrition education, food preparation)
• Menu list (e.g. provision of food items by international partners)
• Food packaging

Radiation Working Group

Mandate:

To support the Multilateral Medical Operations Panel (MMOP) in coordinating input from the international partners regarding:

• Radiation limits and control principles
• In-flight dosimetry including radiation biodosimetry
• Radiation exposure monitoring and dose management
• Radiological equipment and procedures
• Radiological training

Examples of Issues:

• Exposure limits for radiation from space environment and man-made radiation sources
• Radiation protection requirements and strategies
• Crewmember radiation training content
• Operational countermeasures
• Radiation protection hardware responsibilities
• Radiation monitoring requirements
• Radiation health risk assessment procedures
• Operational procedures
• Radiation biodosimetry methodology
• Non-iodizing radiation