# Presentation: 000714

## Interagency Biomedical       Research MeetingNational Institutes of Health  December 8, 2006

**Neal R. Pellis, Ph.D.**
**Associate Director, Science Management**
**Space Life Science Directorate**
**NASA Johnson Space Center**
**Houston, TX 77058**
**281-483-2357**
**neal.r.pellis@nasa.gov**

## Overview

**Communicate the goals of NASA’s current biomedical research portfolio**
**Understand the near-term challenges faced by NASA’s Human Research Program **
**Identify potential synergies between NASA and other Federal Agencies for collaborative research efforts**

## New Direction

** **
***The Vision for Space Exploration***
- Complete ISS assembly and retire Shuttle
- Build new human spacecraft (CEV) for transport beyond LEO
- Return to the Moon with people and robots to explore and prepare for voyages beyond
- Human missions to Mars and other destinations
- "It is time for America to take the next steps.
- Today I announce a new plan to explore space and extend a human presence across our solar system. We will begin the effort quickly, using existing programs and personnel. We'll make steady progress –one mission, one voyage, one landing at a time.
**President George W. Bush -January 14, 2004**

## Vision for Space Exploration.... to Mars and Beyond

**The human element is the most complex element of the mission design**

**Mars missions will pose significant physiological and psychological challenges to crew members**

**Human engineering, human robotic/machine interface, and life support issues are critical**

**Bioastronautics Research Roadmap identifies risks to human health in space and in planetary environments **

**The ISS and the Moon must be used to investigate exploration risks to the “Go/No Go” decision**

**Ground-based and flight research will provide the knowledge and technology to mitigate the risks to human health during and after space exploration **

## Schedule for ExplorationBiomedical Requirements

**2012-14**
**Lunar Sortie**

**2018-20**
**Lunar Outpost**

**2030-35**
**Mars**

- Medical support
- Monitoring
- Specimen collection
- Minimal analytical
-   capabilities
- Radiation protection

- Medical support
- Monitoring
- Exercise
-   countermeasures
- Specimen collection
- Expanded health care
-   capabilities
- Diagnostics
- Expanded life support
-   systems
- Radiation protection and monitoring

- Autonomous operation
- Medical support
- Monitoring
- Specimen collection
- Health care capabilities
- Diagnostics
- Life support systems
- Food production?
- Closed loop systems
- Bioregeneration
- Waste Management
- Exercise and pharmaceutical
-   countermeasures
- Radiation protection,
-   monitoring, and exposure
-   countermeasures

## Schedule for ExplorationIn situ Research

**2012-14**
**Lunar Sortie**

**2018-20**
**Lunar Outpost**

**2030-35**
**Mars**

- Human Physiology
- Microbiology
- Dust toxicology
- Radiation
- Behavior and performance

- Changes unique to
-   human physiology in an
-   ‘outpost’ scenario
- Terrestrial life in 1/6 *G*
- Human performance in
-   surface exploration
- Effects of radiation
- Habitation and
-   environment
- In situ resource utilization

- Changes unique to
-   human physiology in an‘
-   outpost’ scenario
- Terrestrial life in 3/8 *G*
- Human performance in
-   surface exploration
- Effects of radiation
- Habitation and
-   environment
- In situ resource utilization
- Potential for permanent
-   occupation

##  Human Mars Mission Scenario 

**Mars Arrival**
**June 30, 2020**

**Mars Departure**
**Jan. 24, 2022**

_**Flight Profile**_
- Transit out: 161 days
- Mars surface stay: 573 days
- Return: 154 days

-  Human Mars Mission Scenario

**Earth Arrival**
**June 26, 2022**

**Earth Departure**
**Jan. 20, 2020**

## Human Research Program Goals

- Reduce spaceflight risks to humans, focused on the highest risks to crew health and performance during exploration missions
- Enable development of human spaceflight medical and human factors standards
- Development and validation of technologies that serve to reduce medical risks associated with human spaceflight.

## Research Portfolio Overview

**Main investment areas**
- Space Radiation
- Exploration Medical Capability
- Human Health Countermeasures
- Behavioral Health & Performance
- Space Human Factors & Environmental Standards
- ISS Research Capability
**Multi-center program with 20% of procurement and 25% of civil service workforce at other centers**
- Ames Research Center (space human factors, lunar dust toxicity)
- Glenn Research Center (exercise physiological modeling)
- Langley Research Center (radiation modeling)
- Marshall Space Flight Center (radiation transport codes)
**Collaboration with international partners and external organizations are important for maximizing return on investment**
- Brookhaven, National Institutes of Health, National Space Biomedical Research Institute (NSBRI) Network, University of Texas Medical Branch (UTMB)
- European Space Agency (ESA), Russia, Japanese Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA), Canadian Space Agency (CSA)

## Effects of Space Travel

- Radiation exposure
- Galactic cosmic radiation
- Solar proton events
- Planetary surface radiation
- Bone density decrements
- 1% per month in microgravity
- Unknown effects in fractional *G*
- Calcium excretion (renal stone risk)
- Muscle deconditioning
- Dysuse atrophy
- Difficulty upon return to Earth gravity

## Effects of Space Travel

- Neurovestibular disturbances
- Balance and perception problems
- Space sickness
- Behavioral and performance
- Small group dynamics
- Estrangement
- Depression
- Cognition
- Sleep disturbances

## Effects of Space Travel

- Cardiovascular deconditioning
- Cephalad fluid shift
- Change in hemodynamics
- Decrease in total red blood cell population
- Potential decrease in cardiac muscle performance
- Nutrition
- Decreased appetite
- Changes in GI performance

## Effects of Space Travel

- Potential effect on immune performance
- Decreased response to:
- Recall antigens
- Polyclonal activators
- No evidence of opportunistic infection to date
- Gastrointestinal changes
- Increased transit time
- Orthostatic intolerance upon return to gravity

## CRL/TRL Definitions

| TRL Definition | TRL/CRL Score | CRL Definition | CRL Category |  |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Basic principles observed | 1 | Phenomenon observed and reported.  Problem defined. | Basic Research |  |
| Technology concept and/or application formulated | 2 | Hypothesis formed, preliminary studies to define parameters.  Demonstrate feasibility. |  |  |
| Analytical and experimental critical function/proof-of-concept | 3 | Validated hypothesis.  Understanding of scientific processes underlying problem. |  | Research to Prove Feasibility |
| Component and/or breadboard validation in lab | 4 | Formulation of counter-measures concept based on understanding of phenomenon. | Counter-measure Development |  |
| Component and/or breadboard in relevant environment | 5 | Proof of concept testing and initial demonstration of feasibility and efficacy. |  |  |
| System/subsystem model or prototype demonstration in relevant environment | 6 | Laboratory/clinical testing of potential countermeasure in subjects to demonstrate efficacy of concept. |  |  |
| Subsystem prototype in a space environment | 7 | Evaluation with human subjects in controlled laboratory simulating operational space flight environment. |  | Countermeasure Demonstration |
| System completed and flight qualified through demonstration | 8 | Validation with human subjects in actual operational space flight to demonstrate efficacy and operational feasibility. |  |  |
| System flight proven through mission operations | 9 | Countermeasure fully flight-tested and ready for implementation. | Countermeasure Operations |  |

## Human Research Program Investment Approach

## Managing Human Health Risks

**Bioastronautics Roadmap**
- Lists 45 major risks to human health in space exploration
- >450 associated “Research & Technology Questions” (R&TQs)
- Reviewed and approved by the Institute of Medicine (IOM)
**Standards to deliverables approach**
- Establish 8 standards for human health
- Use the standards to prioritize risks, focus research, and set deliverables aligned with the exploration schedules
**Risk Management Analysis Tool **
- The Risk Mitigation Analysis Tool (RMAT) has been proposed as an analytical and communication tool to be used to compare standards and requirements against known mission architectures and resources.
- The RMAT collects the appropriate standard, program requirements, and research and technology requirements that result in deliverables per architecture to mitigate the highest priority human risks for each architecture.
- Since each mission has different duration, distance from Earth, capabilities etc. the mitigation strategy and hence deliverables vary by mission.

## Bioastronautics Roadmap

- The Bioastronautics Roadmap is the framework for identifying, assessing, and reducing the risks of crew exposure to the hazardous environments of space.
- The Roadmap provides information for making informed decisions about determining research priorities.
- The Roadmap defines processes for accommodating new information and technology development as it becomes known, and guides the prioritized research and technology development that, coupled with operational space medicine, will inform:
- Development of medical standards
- Requirements for the human system
- Implementation of medical operations

## ‘Standards to Deliverables’

- NASA has defined a “standards to deliverables” risk mitigation approach for exploration.
- Crew health and performance standards will be defined by the NASA Chief Health and Medical Officer to set acceptable risk for exploration missions.
- These standards will define the need for deliverables that allow crew health to be maintained within acceptable limits based on the levels of care required for the mission scenario.
- The role of the HRP is to conduct research and develop technology that underlies standards development as well as enables deliverables which ensure that standards can be met.

## Risk Management Analysis Tool 

|  | Architectures |  |  |  |  |  |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
|  | CEV
(CEV to ISS) | ISS 
(6 Months) | ISS
(1 Year) | Moon
(<14 days) | Moon 
(Lunar Habitat) | Mars |
| Has the Risk Factor been verified? (Y/N) |  |  |  |  |  |  |
| Probability of the Adverse Outcome |  |  |  |  |  |  |
| Uncertainty Associated with the Outcome |  |  |  |  |  |  |
| Impact of the Adverse Outcome |  |  |  |  |  |  |
| Mitigation, Current and/or Proposed |  |  |  |  |  |  |
| Cost/Benefit Trades
(including risks of mitigation) |  |  |  |  |  |  |
| Current Work |  |  |  |  |  |  |
| Future Work |  |  |  |  |  |  |
| Test Bed Required |  |  |  |  |  |  |

## Research Venues

- Solicited- Grants
- Directed- Contracts, Intramural, Extramural
- Unsolicited-  Offerings from academic institutions, industry, and private individuals
- Partnerships
- Interagency
- Space Act  and Cooperative Agreements

## Interagency Opportunities

- Common needs
- Common goals
- Partnerships that take advantages of complementary talents and resources
- Partnerships that share excitement in exploration

## Slide 22