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Spaceflight Medical Systems

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Principles of Clinical Medicine for Space Flight

Abstract

Providing adequate medical care for spaceflight crews requires that appropriate diagnostic tools and treatment modalities be available to them throughout their mission. The challenge for mission planners is deciding what medical capability to provide and then packaging it in a way that meets the many unique constraints of space flight. Crews also must receive adequate training that will help them make correct diagnoses and administer the appropriate level of care to an ill or injured crewmember. Identification of appropriate levels of medical care is driven by the risks that have been identified in space flight. The duration of a space mission and the number of high-risk activities associated with it (e.g., extravehicular activities) will also influence decisions concerning the content of onboard medical. Finally, the unique physiological responses to space flight must also be examined—space adaptation syndrome, cardiovascular deconditioning, and bone demineralization, among others. Only by accounting for all of these factors can the best possible care and facilities be provided to spaceflight crews.

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Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. NASA Johnson Space Center, Houston, TX, USA

    Terrance A. Taddeo

  2. Department of Human Health and Performance, NASA, Houston, TX, USA

    Stevan Gilmore

  3. International Space Station Program, NASA Johnson Space Center, Houston, TX, USA

    Cheryl W. Armstrong

Authors
  1. Terrance A. Taddeo
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  2. Stevan Gilmore
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  3. Cheryl W. Armstrong
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Terrance A. Taddeo .

Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. NASA Johnson Space Center, Houston, TX, USA

    Michael R. Barratt

  2. Gynecologic Oncology and Reproductive Medicine, University of Texas, MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, TX, USA

    Ellen S. Baker

  3. Deceased, Formerly Chief, Medical Sciences Division, NASA Johnson Space Center, Houston, TX, USA

    Sam L. Pool

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Taddeo, T.A., Gilmore, S., Armstrong, C.W. (2019). Spaceflight Medical Systems. In: Barratt, M., Baker, E., Pool, S. (eds) Principles of Clinical Medicine for Space Flight. Springer, New York, NY. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4939-9889-0_6

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4939-9889-0_6

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  • Publisher Name: Springer, New York, NY

  • Print ISBN: 978-1-4939-9887-6

  • Online ISBN: 978-1-4939-9889-0

  • eBook Packages: MedicineMedicine (R0)

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