HUMAN SPACE ENDEAVOURS SYMPOSIUM (B3) ISS Utilisation (3)

AbstractAstronaut missions lasting up to six months aboard the International Space Station (ISS) have muchin common with interplanetary ights, especially the outbound, Earth-to-Mars transit portion of a Marsmission. Utilization of ISS and other appropriate platforms to prepare for crewed expeditions to planetarydestinations including Mars has been the work of NASA’s Human Research Program (HRP) since 2005.HRP is charged speci cally to understand and reduced the risks to astronaut health and performance inspace exploration missions: everything HRP does and has done is directly related to that responsibility.Two major categories of human research have capitalized on ISS capabilities.The rst category centers on the biomedical aspects of long-duration exposure to spaceight factors,including prolonged weightlessness, radiation exposure, isolation and con nement, and actual risk tolife and limb. These studies contribute to astronaut safety, health and eciency on any long-durationmissions, whether in low Earth orbit (LEO) or beyond. Qualitatively, weightlessness is weightlessness,whether in LEO or en route to Mars. The HRP sponsors investigations into losses in muscle and boneintegrity, cardiovascular function, sensory-motor capability, immune capacity and psychosocial health,and development and demonstration of appropriate treatments and preventative measures.The second category includes studies that are focused on planetary expeditions beyond LEO. For these,ISS o ers a high delity analog to investigate the combined e ects of spaceight factors (described above)plus the isolation and autonomy associated with simulated increasing distance from Earth. Investigationsaddress crew cohesion, performance and workload, and mission control performance. The behavioralhealth and performance and space human factors aspects of planetary missions dominate this category.Work has already begun on a new investigation in this category which will examine the e ects of asimulated lag in communications (mimicking that expected in transit to Mars) on astronaut performanceaboard ISS.Extension of the current ISS increment duration from six months to nine or even twelve months wouldprovide opportunities for expanded research relevant to long duration missions, albeit at the cost of fewerastronauts as subjects for those investigations. Given the possible limited access to ISS after 2020, if ISSis intended to facilitate future exploration missions, then the in-ight human investigations should focuson those that clearly enable future exploration missions.