NASA-STD-3001 Technical Brief

Relevant Technical 

Requirements

Behavioral Health 

Mishaps

OCHMO-TB-014

Rev B

NASA-STD-3001 Volume 1, Rev C

[V1 3001] Selection and Recertification

[V1 3002] Pre-Mission Preventive Health 

Care

[V1 3003] In-Mission Preventive Health Care 

[V1 3004] In-Mission Medical Care 

[V1 4011] Mission Cognitive Status 

[V1 4014] Completion of Critical Tasks 

[V1 5002] Crewmember Training 

[V1 6001] Circadian Shifting Operations and 

Fatigue Management 

[V1 6008] Crew Health Operations Concept

Document 

NASA-STD-3001 Volume 2, Rev D

[V2 3006] Human-Centered Task Analysis 

[V2 5007] Cognitive Workload 

[V2 6017] Atmospheric Control

[V2 6078] Continuous Noise Limits

[V2 6079] Crew Sleep Continuous Noise 

Limits

[V2 6080] Intermittent Noise Limits

[V2 6082] Annoyance Noise Limits for Crew 

Sleep

[V2 6083] Impulse Noise Limit

[V2 6084] Narrow-Band Noise Limits

[V2 6092] Vibration Exposure Limits during 

Sleep

[V2 7002] Food Acceptability

[V2 7008] Food Preparation

Executive Summary

Spaceflight mishaps related to behavioral health 

problems have been quite low however, the 

actual incidence may be underestimated due to 

the reluctance of astronauts to report them. 

Behavioral health decrements can lead to 

performance-related effects that compromise the 

crew’s ability to function, especially under 

abnormal or emergency conditions. Some 

reported spaceflight incidents indicate that sleep 

loss, circadian desynchronization, fatigue, and 

work overload, as experienced by ground and 

flight crews, may lead to performance errors, 

potentially compromising mission objectives. 

Managing behavioral health conditions during 

space missions is critical for the mental efficiency 

and safety of the crew and, ultimately, for the 

mission's success.
NASA-STD-3001 Technical Brief

OCHMO-TB-014 Behavioral Health Mishaps

NASA Office of the Chief Health & Medical Officer (OCHMO)

This Technical Brief is derived from NASA-STD-3001 and is for reference only.

It does not supersede or waive existing Agency, Program, or Contract requirements.

10/31/2023

Rev B 2

Relevant Technical 

Requirements

Executive Summary (continued)

NASA-STD-3001 Volume 2, Rev D

[V2 7012] Dining Accommodations

[V2 7038] Physiological Countermeasures 

Capability

[V2 7061] Nomenclature Consistency

[V2 7070] Sleep Accommodations 

[V2 7071] Behavioral Health and Privacy 

[V2 8001] Volume Allocation 

[V2 8049] Window Light Blocking

[V2 8051] Illumination Levels

[V2 8055] Physiological Effects of Light 

(Circadian Entrainment)

[V2 9057] Hearing Protection Provision

[V2 10200] Physical Workload

[V2 10001] Usability

[V2 10003] Operability

[V2 10150] Display Standards 

[V2 10022] Maximum System Response 

Times

[V2 10083] Communication System Design

[V2 10084] Communication Capability

[V2 10085] Communication Speech Levels

[V2 10091] Speech Intelligibility

[V2 10093] Private Audio Communication

[V2 10094] Video Communications Visual 

Quality 

NASA astronaut Peggy Whitson completing Crew 

Autonomous Scheduling (CAS) test sessions to 

schedule future workday. Photo: NASA

Members of Expedition 60 crew gather together

for dinner inside the galley of the Zvezda service 

module. Photo: NASA
NASA-STD-3001 Technical Brief

OCHMO-TB-014 Behavioral Health Mishaps

NASA Office of the Chief Health & Medical Officer (OCHMO)

This Technical Brief is derived from NASA-STD-3001 and is for reference only.

It does not supersede or waive existing Agency, Program, or Contract requirements.

10/31/2023

Rev B 3

Sleep Deprivation and Fatigue

Sleep deprivation is a serious problem in spaceflight and can lead to disastrous situations. Fatigue 

caused by sleep deprivation can affect performance, increase irritability, diminish concentration, and 

increase reaction time. Sleep-deprived subjects “perform considerably worse on motor tasks, cognitive 

tasks, and measures of mood than non-sleep-deprived subjects”. Efforts are needed to improve sleep 

hygiene.

Hazards:

• Isolation

• Hostile/closed 

environment

• Distance from earth

• Radiation

• Altered gravity (microgravity and partial)

Contributing factors:

• Schedule shifting 

• Environmental factors 

• Work overload 

• Stress from operational 

requirements 

• Confined, limited volume

Potential impact:

• Fatigue

• Performance errors

• Team decrements

• Loss of mission (LOM)

• Loss of crew (LOC)

Risks of performance errors due to fatigue resulting from sleep loss, circadian 

desynchronization, extended wakefulness, and work overload. 

Relevant Technical Requirements

[V1 4014] Completion of Critical Tasks, [V1 6001] Circadian Shifting Operations and Fatigue 

Management, [V2 6079] Crew Sleep Continuous Noise Limits, [V2 7070] Sleep Accommodations, and 

[V2 7071] Behavioral Health and Privacy 

From: NASA-STD-3001 Volume 1 Rev C & NASA-STD-3001 Volume 2 Rev D

Relevant Technical Briefs

NASA OCHMO-TB-041 Sleep Accommodations & OCHMO-TB-016 Behavioral Health

Example

Gemini: Sleep-work schedules were 

responsible for considerable sleep 

disruption, fatigue, and circadian 

misalignment. One member of a two-crew 

operation needed to be awake at all times. 

• Gemini 11: EVA 1 was 

terminated early due to 

astronaut fatigue.

Background

NASA astronaut Megan 

McArthur, rests in her 

sleeping bag on the 

middeck of the Earthorbiting Space Shuttle 

Atlantis. Photo: NASA
NASA-STD-3001 Technical Brief

OCHMO-TB-014 Behavioral Health Mishaps

NASA Office of the Chief Health & Medical Officer (OCHMO)

This Technical Brief is derived from NASA-STD-3001 and is for reference only.

It does not supersede or waive existing Agency, Program, or Contract requirements.

10/31/2023

Rev B 4

Depression and Anxiety

Adverse cognitive and behavioral conditions are a risk for spaceflight operations, especially those of long 

duration and without real-time communication. Astronauts must cope with a stressful and dangerous 

environment in space, away from family and friends. 

Examples

Soyuz T10-Salyut 7 (1984): Crew reported possible 

hallucinations to mission control.

Soyuz T14-Salyut 7 (1985): Depression may have contributed 

to evacuation and early termination of the mission.

Mir: U.S. astronauts that flew on MIR commented that 

‘’Isolation is a tough thing’’, especially without any private 

space.

STS: A payload specialist became despondent when their 

experiment failed. The crew reported concerns about the 

potential for dangerous behavior, including opening a hatch. 

As a result, the STS hatches were fitted with locks.

Hazards:

• Isolation

• Hostile/closed 

environment

• Distance from earth

• Radiation

• Altered gravity (microgravity and partial)

Contributing factors:

• Stress

• Environmental factors 

• Workload

• Team functioning

• Family and social separation

• Sleep deficiency

• Deficient sensory stimulation

Potential impact:

• Stress levels

• Team performance decision 

making and reaction time

• Cognitive function

• Affected mood, morale, 

and well-being

Risk of adverse cognitive or behavioral conditions and psychiatric disorders.

Relevant Technical Requirements

[V1 4014] Completion of Critical Tasks, [V1 6001] Circadian Shifting Operations and Fatigue 

Management, [V2 5007] Cognitive Workload, [V2 6079] Crew Sleep Continuous Noise Limits, [V2 7070] 

Sleep Accommodations, and [V2 7071] Behavioral Health and Privacy 

From: NASA-STD-3001 Volume 1 Rev C & NASA-STD-3001 Volume 2 Rev D

Relevant Technical Briefs

NASA OCHMO-TB-041 Sleep Accommodations, OCHMO-TB-016 Behavioral Health, and OCHMO-TB-032 

Cognitive Workload

Background

ESA 

crewmember 

Samantha 

Cristoforetti 

inside of a 

sleeping bag in 

her personal 

crew quarters 

on the ISS. 

Photo: NASA
NASA-STD-3001 Technical Brief

OCHMO-TB-014 Behavioral Health Mishaps

NASA Office of the Chief Health & Medical Officer (OCHMO)

This Technical Brief is derived from NASA-STD-3001 and is for reference only.

It does not supersede or waive existing Agency, Program, or Contract requirements.

10/31/2023

Rev B 5

Work Overload

Excessive workload demands on any one task can cause the operators to focus exclusively on one 

problem, leaving little or no spare capacity to deal with any other issues that may occur. Designers need to 

consider the workload of the user when designing and producing an interface or designing a task. 

Hazards:

• Isolation

• Hostile/closed 

environment

• Distance from earth

• Radiation

• Altered gravity (microgravity and partial)

Contributing factors:

• Isolation

• Hostile/closed 

environment

• Distance from Earth

• Radiation

• Altered gravity (microgravity and partial)

Potential impact:

• Fatigue

• Performance errors

• Impairs decision making 

• Reaction time

• Sleep deprivation

• Loss of Mission (LOM)

• Loss of Crew (LOC)

Examples

Skylab 3: Crewmembers reported that they quickly ran into difficulty due to work overload. The fast-paced 

schedule and workload of the mission had initially caused these crew members to consistently “feel” 

behind on tasks as well as demoralized. At the start of the 45th day of their 59-day mission, the 

crewmembers elected to have a sit-down, during which they refused to perform scheduled tasks. 

Skylab 4: The astronauts reported to mission control their frustration and fatigue caused by an overloaded 

schedule, leading to mistakes.

Apollo: Some Apollo crews reported serious mental fatigue while performing Lunar EVAs (Scheuring et al., 

2007).

ISS: Astronauts experience high-tempo operations and high workloads.

• “The fatigue was evident when a couple of minor mistakes were made today on some payload 

activities. The ground caught the mistake and helped me out. But it is an obvious indicator of 

fatigue. ”I feel that the workload is going up; these last few weeks seem to have been pretty 

taxing. I’m very tired.”

Risk of performance errors due to fatigue resulting from sleep loss, circadian 

desynchronization, extended wakefulness, and work overload.

Relevant Technical Requirements

[V1 4014] Completion of Critical Tasks, [V2 5007] Cognitive Workload, and [V2 10200] Physical 

Workload

From: NASA-STD-3001 Volume 1 Rev C & NASA-STD-3001 Volume 2 Rev D

Relevant Technical Briefs

NASA OCHMO-TB-032 Cognitive Workload, OCHMO-TB-018 Human-in-the-Loop (HITL), & OCHMO-TB005 Usability, Workload, & Error

Background
NASA-STD-3001 Technical Brief

OCHMO-TB-014 Behavioral Health Mishaps

NASA Office of the Chief Health & Medical Officer (OCHMO)

This Technical Brief is derived from NASA-STD-3001 and is for reference only.

It does not supersede or waive existing Agency, Program, or Contract requirements.

10/31/2023

Rev B 6

Team Coordination and Collaboration

Numerous factors present during space missions disrupt effective teamwork and negatively affect team 

performance. Team conflict is a risk factor, especially in long-duration space missions, because of its 

potential impact on team member satisfaction, team cohesion, and performance. Team dynamics, in this 

case, are a key factor in exacerbating stress encountered.

Hazards:

• Isolation

• Hostile/closed 

environment

• Distance from earth

• Radiation

• Altered gravity (microgravity and partial)

Contributing factors:

• Work-rest schedule

• Fatigue

• Crew diversity

• Work overload 

• Mission duration

• Sleep deficiency

• Individual mental health

Potential impact:

• Decrements in team 

performance

• Cognitive dysfunction

• Communication problems

• Loss of Mission (LOM) 

Examples

Soyuz 21: Reportedly was ended prematurely 

due to unspecified "interpersonal issues" with 

the crew.

Salyut 5: Evacuation with interpersonal 

conflict as a primary contributing factor.

Soyuz TM2-Mir: Evacuation with interpersonal 

conflict as a primary contributing factor.

Background

Risk of performance decrements due to inadequate cooperation, coordination, 

communication, and poor psychosocial adaptation.

Relevant Technical Requirements

[V1 3001] Selection and Recertification

From: NASA-STD-3001 Volume 1 Rev C

Relevant Technical Briefs

NASA OCHMO-TB-041 Sleep Accommodations, OCHMO-TB-016 Behavioral Health, & OCHMO-TB-032 

Cognitive Workload

The Five Behaviors of a Cohesive Team Model
NASA-STD-3001 Technical Brief

OCHMO-TB-014 Behavioral Health Mishaps

NASA Office of the Chief Health & Medical Officer (OCHMO)

This Technical Brief is derived from NASA-STD-3001 and is for reference only.

It does not supersede or waive existing Agency, Program, or Contract requirements.

10/31/2023

Rev B 7

Design Considerations to Minimize Sleep Deficiency:

• Provide restraints to secure blankets and maintain positioning, ranging from knees to chest to full 

body stature. 

• Provide individual control of the sleep environment in order to ensure adequate sleep and maintain 

well-being during missions.

• Environmental factors such as noise, temperature, vibration, and light can inhibit sleep and affect 

well-being in space, and should be taken into consideration in system design.

• Examples of sleep accommodations include clothing, bedding, ear plugs, light blockers, eye masks,

etc. 

Design Considerations to Minimize Anxiety & Depression:

• Communication system should be provided in each private quarter.

• System that facilitates voice and text should be provided.

• Private communication with family.

• Private space with pictures of family members.

Application

Relevant Technical Requirements

[V2 6078] Continuous Noise Limits, [V2 6079] Crew Sleep Continuous Noise Limits, [V2 7070] Sleep 

Accommodations, [V2 6080] Intermittent Noise Limits, [V2 6082] Annoyance Noise Limits for Crew 

Sleep, [V2 6083] Impulse Noise Limit, [V2 6084] Narrow-Band Noise Limits, [V2 6092] Vibration 

Exposure Limits During Sleep, [V2 7070] Sleep Accommodation, [V2 8049] Window Light Blocking, [V2 

8055] Physiological Effects of Light (Circadian Entrainment), and [V2 9057] Hearing Protection Provision

From: NASA-STD-3001 Volume 2 Rev D

Relevant Technical Requirements

[V2 10083] Communication System Design, [V2 10084] Communication Capability, [V2 10085] 

Communication Speech Levels, [V2 10091] Speech Intelligibility, [V2 10093] Private Audio 

Communication, and [V2 10094] Video Communication Visual Quality 

From: NASA-STD-3001 Volume 2 Rev D

NASA astronauts Scott Tingle, Joe Acaba, 

Alexander Misurkin, and Mark Vande Hei; Anton 

Shkaplerov of Roscosmos; and Norishige Kanai 

of the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency 

(JAXA), are seen on a video monitor as they 

speak with family and friends at the Moscow 

Mission Control Center in Korolev, Russia a few 

hours after the Soyuz MS-07 docked to the ISS. 

Photo: NASA
NASA-STD-3001 Technical Brief

OCHMO-TB-014 Behavioral Health Mishaps

NASA Office of the Chief Health & Medical Officer (OCHMO)

This Technical Brief is derived from NASA-STD-3001 and is for reference only.

It does not supersede or waive existing Agency, Program, or Contract requirements.

10/31/2023

Rev B 8

Design Considerations to Minimize Work Overload:

• When designing a human-system interface to support a crew task, designers are to assess the operation 

as part of a human-in-the-loop simulation to determine the workload associated with that operation. If 

the cognitive workload is judged to be so high that a human has little or no spare capacity to deal with a 

concurrent problem, the task and supporting interfaces are to be redesigned.

• The user must be able to cognitively process all information sources and physically execute all actions 

within the time required.

Design Considerations to Maximize Team Coordination & Collaboration:

• A common area for recreation, large enough to accommodate all crewmembers at the same time.

• Include 'television' (or equivalent) for the crew to watch movies together (movies in the form of data can 

be transmitted from Earth also to provide sensory stimulation).

• A common area for dining, large enough to accommodate all crew members’ concurrent dining. This can 

be the same as the common area for recreation (converted). Space is required for food preparation.

• Characteristics of the crew (team size, gender makeup, job roles, and cultural backgrounds), which are 

established prior to the mission, should be considered when defining the habitat requirements.

Application

Relevant Technical Requirements

[V2 3006] Human-Centered Task Analysis, [V2 5007] Cognitive Workload, [V2 7061] Nomenclature 

Consistency, [V2 10001] Usability, [V2 10003] Operability, [V2 10150] Display Standards, [V2 10022] 

Maximum System Response Times, [V2 10200] Physical Workload

From: NASA-STD-3001 Volume 2 Rev D

Relevant Technical Requirements

[V1 3001] Selection and Recertification, [V2 7002] Food Acceptability, [V2 7008] Food Preparation, [V2 

7012] Dining Accommodations, [V2 7038] Physiological Countermeasures Capability

From: NASA-STD-3001 Volume 1 Rev C and NASA-STD-3001 Volume 2 Rev D

Expedition 60 crewmembers gather inside the Zvezda 

service module's galley for dinner on the ISS. Photo: NASA

ESA astronaut Samantha Cristoforetti exercises and 

practices yoga maneuvers on the ISS. Photo: NASA
NASA-STD-3001 Technical Brief

OCHMO-TB-014 Behavioral Health Mishaps

NASA Office of the Chief Health & Medical Officer (OCHMO)

This Technical Brief is derived from NASA-STD-3001 and is for reference only.

It does not supersede or waive existing Agency, Program, or Contract requirements.

Back-Up

10/31/2023

Rev B 9
NASA-STD-3001 Technical Brief

OCHMO-TB-014 Behavioral Health Mishaps

NASA Office of the Chief Health & Medical Officer (OCHMO)

This Technical Brief is derived from NASA-STD-3001 and is for reference only.

It does not supersede or waive existing Agency, Program, or Contract requirements.

Major Changes Between Revisions

10/31/2023

Rev B 10

Rev A  Rev B

• Updated information to be consistent with NASA-STD-3001 

Volume 1 Rev B and Volume 2 Rev C.

Original  Rev A

• Updated information to be consistent with NASA-STD-3001 

Volume 1 Rev B and Volume 2 Rev C.
NASA-STD-3001 Technical Brief

OCHMO-TB-014 Behavioral Health Mishaps

NASA Office of the Chief Health & Medical Officer (OCHMO)

This Technical Brief is derived from NASA-STD-3001 and is for reference only.

It does not supersede or waive existing Agency, Program, or Contract requirements.

Referenced Technical Requirements

10/31/2023

Rev B 11

NASA-STD-3001 Volume 1 Revision C

[V1 3001] Selection and Recertification Crewmembers shall be medically and psychologically selected and 

annually recertified following the guidance in OCHMO-STD-100.1A, NASA Astronaut Medical Standards 

Selection and Annual Recertification.

[V1 3002] Pre-Mission Preventive Health Care Pre-mission preventive strategies shall be used to reduce inmission and long-term health medical risks including, but not limited to: (see NASA-STD-3001 Volume 1 Rev 

C for full technical requirement).

[V1 3003] In-Mission Preventive Health Care All programs shall provide training, in-mission capabilities, 

and resources to monitor physiological and psychosocial well-being and enable delivery of in-mission 

preventive health care, based on epidemiological evidence-based probabilistic risk assessment (PRA),

individual crewmember needs, clinical practice guidelines, flight surgeon expertise, historical review, 

mission parameters, and vehicle derived limitations. These analyses consider the needs and limitations

of each specific vehicle and design reference mission (DRM) with particular attention to parameters such as 

mission duration, expected return time to Earth, mission route and destination, expected radiation

profile, concept of operations, and more. In-mission preventive care includes, but is not limited to: (see 

NASA-STD-3001 Volume 1 Rev C for full technical requirement).

[V1 3004] In-Mission Medical Care All programs shall provide training, in-mission medical capabilities,

and resources to diagnose and treat potential medical conditions based on epidemiological evidence-based 

PRA, individual crewmember needs, clinical practice guidelines, flight surgeon expertise, historical

review, mission parameters, and vehicle-derived limitations. These analyses consider the needs and 

limitations of each specific vehicle and design reference mission (DRM) with particular attention to 

parameters such as mission duration, expected return time to Earth, mission route and destination, 

expected radiation profile, concept of operations, and more. In-mission capabilities (including hardware and 

software), resources (including consumables), and training to enable in-mission medical care, and 

behavioral care, are to include, but are not limited to: (see NASA-STD-3001 Volume 1 Rev C for full technical 

requirement).

[V1 4011] Mission Cognitive Status Pre-mission, in-mission, and post-mission crew behavioral health and 

crewmember cognitive state shall be within clinically accepted values as judged by behavioral health 

evaluation.

[V1 4014] Completion of Critical Tasks The planned number of hours for completion of critical tasks and 

events, workday, and planned sleep period shall have established limits to assure continued crew health 

and safety

[V1 5002] Astronaut Training Beginning with the astronaut candidate year, general medical training, 

including first aid, cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR), altitude physiological training, carbon dioxide 

exposure training, familiarization with medical issues, procedures of space flight, psychological training, and 

supervised physical conditioning training shall be provided to the astronaut corps.

[V1 6001] Circadian Shifting Operations and Fatigue Management Crew schedule planning and operations 

shall be provided to include circadian entrainment, work/rest schedule assessment, task loading 

assessment, countermeasures, and special activities.

View the current versions of NASA-STD3001 Volume 1 & Volume 2 on the 

OCHMO Standards website
NASA-STD-3001 Technical Brief

OCHMO-TB-014 Behavioral Health Mishaps

NASA Office of the Chief Health & Medical Officer (OCHMO)

This Technical Brief is derived from NASA-STD-3001 and is for reference only.

It does not supersede or waive existing Agency, Program, or Contract requirements.

Referenced Technical Requirements

10/31/2023

Rev B 12

NASA-STD-3001 Volume 1 Revision C

[V1 6008] Crew Health Operations Concept Document The medical and health care operations concept 

should include, as a minimum, the operational concepts of crew selection; pre-flight medical intervention 

standards; inflight medical and health care standards; private medical conferences; periodic health and 

fitness evaluation; behavioral health support for the crew, ground personnel, and crew families; definitive 

care facilities; vehicle/habitat crew performance system; medical survival kits; post- flight standards; postflight medical evaluations; and landing/launch EMS support. For past programs, this information has been 

documented in a Crew Health Operations Concept (CHOC) document.

NASA-STD-3001 Volume 2 Revision D

[V2 3006] Human-Centered Task Analysis Each human space flight program or project shall perform a 

human-centered task analysis to support systems and operations design. 

[V2 5007] Cognitive Workload The system shall provide crew interfaces that result in Bedford Workload 

Scale ratings of 3 or less for nominal tasks and 6 or less for tasks performed under degraded system 

conditions. 

[V2 10200] Physical Workload The system shall provide crew interfaces that result in a Borg-CR10 rating of 

perceived exertion (RPE) of 4 (somewhat strong) or less.

[V2 6017] Atmospheric Control The system shall allow for local and remote control of atmospheric 

pressure, humidity, temperature, ventilation, and ppO2.

[V2 6079] Crew Sleep Continuous Noise Limits For missions greater than 30 days, SPLs of continuous noise 

shall be limited to the values given by the NC-40 curve (see Figure 11, NC Curves, and Table 8, Octave Band 

SPL Limits for Continuous Noise, dB re 20 μPa) in crew quarters and sleep areas. Hearing protection cannot 

be used to satisfy this requirement.

[V2 7043] Medical Capability A medical system shall be provided to the crew to meet the medical 

requirements of NASA-STD-3001, Volume 1.

[V2 7070] Sleep Accommodations The system shall provide volume, restraint, accommodations, 

environmental control (e.g., vibration, lighting, noise, and temperature), and degree of privacy for sleep for 

each crewmember, to support crew health and performance.

[V2 7071] Behavioral Health and Privacy For long-duration missions (>30 days), individual privacy facilities 

shall be provided.

[V2 8001] Volume Allocation The system shall provide the defined habitable volume and layout to 

physically accommodate crew operations and living.

[V2 10200] Physical Workload The system shall provide crew interfaces that result in a Borg-CR10 rating of 

perceived exertion (RPE) of 4 (somewhat strong) or less

[V2 6078] Continuous Noise Limits In spacecraft work areas, where good voice communications and 

habitability are required, SPLs of continuous noise (not including impulse noise) shall be limited to the 

values given by the Noise Criterion (NC)-50 curve in Figure 6.6-1—NC Curves, and Table 6.6-3—Octave Band 

SPL Limits for Continuous Noise, dB re 20 μPa (micropascals); hearing protection cannot be used to satisfy 

this requirement.

View the current versions of NASA-STD3001 Volume 1 & Volume 2 on the 

OCHMO Standards website
NASA-STD-3001 Technical Brief

OCHMO-TB-014 Behavioral Health Mishaps

NASA Office of the Chief Health & Medical Officer (OCHMO)

This Technical Brief is derived from NASA-STD-3001 and is for reference only.

It does not supersede or waive existing Agency, Program, or Contract requirements.

Referenced Technical Requirements

10/31/2023

Rev B 13

NASA-STD-3001 Volume 2 Revision D

[V2 6079] Crew Sleep Continuous Noise Limits For missions greater than 30 days, SPLs of continuous noise 

shall be limited to the values given by the NC-40 curve (see Figure 6.6-1—NC Curves, and Table 6.6-3—

Octave Band SPL Limits for Continuous Noise, dB re 20 μPa) in crew quarters and sleep areas. Hearing 

protection cannot be used to satisfy this requirement.

[V2 6080] Intermittent Noise Limits For hardware items that operate for eight hours or less (generating 

intermittent noise), the maximum noise emissions (not including impulse noise), measured 0.6 m from the 

loudest hardware surface, shall be determined according to Table 6.6-4—Intermittent Noise A-Weighted 

SPL and Corresponding Operational Duration Limits for any 24-hour period (measured at 0.6 m distance 

from the source). Hearing protection cannot be used to satisfy this requirement.

[V2 6082] Annoyance Noise Limits for Crew Sleep With the exception of communications and alarms, the 

system shall limit impulse and intermittent noise levels at the crewmember’s head location to 10 dB above 

background noise levels during crew sleep periods. Hearing protection cannot be used to satisfy this 

requirement.

[V2 6083] Impulse Noise Limit The system shall limit impulse noise measured at the crewmember’s head 

location to less than 140 dB peak SPL during all mission phases except launch and entry. Hearing protection 

cannot be used to satisfy this requirement.

[V2 6084] Narrow-Band Noise Limits The maximum SPL of narrow-band noise components and tones shall 

be limited to at least 10 dB less than the broadband SPL of the octave band that contains the component or 

tone.

[V2 6092] Vibration Exposure Limits During Sleep The system shall limit vibration to the crew such that the 

acceleration between 1.0 and 80 Hz in each of the X, Y, and Z axes, weighted in accordance with ISO 20283-

5, Mechanical vibration—Measurement of vibration on ships; Part 5 - Guidelines for the measurement, 

evaluation and reporting of vibration with regard to habitability on passenger and merchant ships, Annex A, 

is less than 0.01 g (0.1 m/s2) RMS for each two-minute interval during the crew sleep period.

[V2 7002] Food Acceptability The system shall provide food that is acceptable to the crew for the duration 

of the mission.

[V2 7008] Food Preparation The system shall provide the capability for preparation, consumption, and 

stowage of food.

[V2 7012] Dining Accommodations Crewmembers shall have the capability to dine together.

[V2 7038] Physiological Countermeasures Capability The system shall provide countermeasures to meet 

crew bone, muscle, sensorimotor, thermoregulation, and aerobic/cardiovascular requirements defined in 

NASA-STD-3001, Volume 1.

[V2 7061] Nomenclature Consistency The nomenclature used to refer to the items tracked by the inventory 

management system shall be consistent with procedures and labels.

[V2 7070] Sleep Accommodation The system shall provide volume, restraint, accommodations, 

environmental control (e.g., vibration, lighting, noise, and temperature), and degree of privacy for sleep for 

each crewmember to support overall crew health and performance.

[V2 7071] Behavioral Health and Privacy For long-duration missions (>30 days), individual privacy facilities 

shall be provided. 

View the current versions of NASA-STD3001 Volume 1 & Volume 2 on the 

OCHMO Standards website
NASA-STD-3001 Technical Brief

OCHMO-TB-014 Behavioral Health Mishaps

NASA Office of the Chief Health & Medical Officer (OCHMO)

This Technical Brief is derived from NASA-STD-3001 and is for reference only.

It does not supersede or waive existing Agency, Program, or Contract requirements.

Referenced Technical Requirements

10/31/2023

Rev B 14

NASA-STD-3001 Volume 2 Revision D

[V2 8001] Volume Allocation The system shall provide the defined habitable volume and layout to 

physically accommodate crew operations and living.

[V2 8049] Window Light Blocking Each system window shall provide a means to prevent external light 

from entering the crew compartment, such that the interior light level can be reduced to 2.0 lux at 0.5 m 

(20 in) from each window.

[V2 8051] Illumination Levels The system shall provide illumination levels to support the range of expected 

crew tasks.

[V2 8055] Physiological Effects of Light (Circadian Entrainment) The system shall provide the levels of light 

to support the physiological effects of light in accordance with Table 8.7-2—Physiological Lighting 

Specifications.

[V2 9057] Hearing Protection Provision Appropriate personal hearing protection shall be provided to the 

crew during all mission phases for contingency or personal preference.

[V2 10001] Usability The system shall provide crew interfaces that result in a minimum average satisfaction 

score of 85 or higher of the NASA Modified System Usability Scale (NMSUS). 

[V2 10003] Operability The system shall provide crew interfaces that enable tasks to be performed 

successfully within the appropriate time limit and degree of accuracy.

[V2 10150] Display Standards The system shall meet the Display Standard in Appendix F.

[V2 10022] Maximum System Response Times The system shall provide feedback to the crew within the 

time specified in Table 10.2-1—Maximum System Response Time(s).

[V2 10083] Communication System Design Communication systems shall be designed to support 

coordinated and collaborative distributed teamwork.

[V2 10084] Communication Capability The system shall provide the capability to send and receive 

communication among crewmembers, spacecraft systems, and ground systems to support crew 

performance, behavioral health, and safety.

[V2 10085] Communication Speech Levels Audio communication systems shall allow crew to communicate 

with one another and with the ground at normal speech levels and with expected background SPLs.

[V2 10091] Speech Intelligibility For critical communications, the system shall ensure 90% English word 

recognition, using ANSI/ASA S3.2-2009, Method for Measuring the Intelligibility of Speech over 

Communication Systems.

[V2 10093] Private Audio Communication The system shall provide the capability for two-way private 

audio communication with the ground. 

[V2 10094] Video Communication Visual Quality Video communications shall employ digital encoding or 

alternate coding of equivalent visual quality.

View the current versions of NASA-STD3001 Volume 1 & Volume 2 on the 

OCHMO Standards website
NASA-STD-3001 Technical Brief

OCHMO-TB-014 Behavioral Health Mishaps

NASA Office of the Chief Health & Medical Officer (OCHMO)

This Technical Brief is derived from NASA-STD-3001 and is for reference only.

It does not supersede or waive existing Agency, Program, or Contract requirements.

Reference List

10/31/2023

Rev B 15

1. Human Integration Design Handbook, Rev 1 https://www.nasa.gov/organizations/ochmo/humanintegration-design-handbook/

2. Significant Incidents & Close Calls in Human Spaceflight. (2019). JSC SMA Flight Safety Office. 

https://sma.nasa.gov/SignificantIncidents/

3. Loss of Signal Aeromedical Lessons Learned from the STS-107 Columbia Space Shuttle Mishap 

https://ntrs.nasa.gov/archive/nasa/casi.ntrs.nasa.gov/20140008287.pdf