Physiological, Environmental and Operational Risk Factors for Crews and Passengers of Future Commercial Space Vehicles
- Paper number
IAC-06-E3.4.06
- Author
Dr. Melchor Antunano, U.S. Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), United States
- Year
2006
- Abstract
As exciting and feasible as it is, manned commercial space travel (suborbital and orbital) will generate its own kind of risk factors that must be dealt with in order to ensure the health and safety of crews and passengers. Once these flights start, there will be no turning back and this new space transportation industry will grow at an accelerated pace. This presentation will discuss a number of physiological, operational and environmental risk factors (actual and potential) for the occupants of commercial space vehicles. Actual risks include exposure to: 1) High acceleration and deceleration flight profiles, 2) Microgravity or weightlessness, 3) Solar and cosmic radiation, 4) Noise and vibration, 5) Unfamiliar motion (space sickness), 6) A sealed cabin environment (cabin air quality). Of particular concern are the effects of exposure (short-term and long-term) to microgravity on the cardiovascular, neurological, endocrinological, muscle-skeletal, and gastro-intestinal systems, on both healthy and diseased passengers. In addition, there is no clear scientific understanding of the metabolism and effectiveness of a number of medications used by individuals during exposure to microgravity. There is evidence of decreased efficacy of antibiotics and other medications in microgravity, and increased virulence of microorganisms in space. Furthermore, U.S. and Russian experience regarding space physiology and medicine involve short-term and long-term space flights, but does not address the effects of: 1) Frequent repetitive exposure (several times a week) to flight profiles involving: normal gravity (pre-flight) - acceleration (launch/take off) - microgravity (space) - deceleration (return) - normal gravity (post-flight), 2) Frequent repetitive exposure to solar and cosmic radiation, and 3) Exposure to microgravity among individuals who have select medical pathology. There is also a potential for occupant injuries (closed and open) during intra vehicular activities in microgravity. Other potential risk factors for the occupants of commercial space vehicles include unexpected exposure to: very low or absent barometric pressure (rapid and/or explosive decompressions), temperature extremes (heat and cold), humidity extremes, in-flight cabin fire, cabin air contaminants (biological, chemical, particulates, etc.), electricity, non-ionizing radiation, structural cabin hazards (sharp edges and corners, etc.), impact forces during crash landings, post-crash fire, emergency evacuation, and post-evacuation survival.
- Abstract document
- Manuscript document
IAC-06-E3.4.06.pdf (🔒 authorized access only).
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