A Strategy to Manage Human Health and Performance Risks for Space Flight
- Paper number
IAC-08.A1.3.2
- Author
Mrs. Barbara Corbin, NASA Johnson Space Center, United States
- Coauthor
Ms. Jennifer Fogarty, NASA Johnson Space Center, United States
- Coauthor
Dr. James Locke, NASA Johnson Space Center, United States
- Coauthor
Mr. Torin McCoy, NASA Johnson Space Center, United States
- Coauthor
Dr. Barbara Woolford, NASA Johnson Space Center, United States
- Coauthor
Ms. Judith Hayes, National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA), United States
- Coauthor
Prof. Millard Reschke, NASA Johnson Space Center, United States
- Coauthor
Dr. Michelle Edwards, Futron Corporation, United States
- Coauthor
Mr. Kiley Wren, Wyle Laboratories, United States
- Coauthor
Dr. Jerry Myers, NASA Glenn Research Center, United States
- Year
2008
- Abstract
It is the goal of the National Aeronautics and Space Agency (NASA) to enable safe, reliable, and productive human space exploration. To that end, the Chief Medical Officer (CMO) at the Johnson Space Center unveiled a plan entitled, "Human Health And Performance Risk Management- An Approach For Exploration Missions" describing a high-level approach to managing human health and performance risks. This paper describes the implementation of this vision. The authors developed a continuous risk management process for human health and performance risks that remains focused on risk as defined by a condition with some probability of an adverse outcome, such as impact to NASA’s missions or long term astronaut health. Our approach represents sources of risks ranging from hardware vulnerability to specific health risks, including those due to spaceflight exposure. The process utilizes an evidence-based approach for risk identification; integrated risk analyses for characterization; research, monitoring and mitigation planning within an appropriate spaceflight program; tracking and control throughout missions and research activities; and communication of results back into an evidence database. Risks are regularly reassessed to allow informed disposition of each risk as new evidence and mitigation results are collected. A Human System Risk Panel (HSRP) was established to fully document existing risks, adjudicate new risks, monitor mitigation status, assign risk ownership, and articulate acceptable risk. A risk mitigation analysis tool is proposed to maintain and communicate the current state of knowledge including the status and acceptability of any given risk or mitigation strategy. The HSRP is chaired by the CMO to support and maintain compliance with the Space Flight Human System Standards Volumes I and II and the NASA Space Flight Crew Health Standards. The Human System Standards were established to optimize crew health and performance thus contributing to overall mission success, and preventing negative long-term health consequences. Crew Health standards are applied to all NASA human space flight programs and address the preflight, in-flight, and postflight phases. Membership of the HSRP includes a cross section of stakeholders in crew health including management, research, and operations which allows engagement of risk management techniques from multiple perspectives. This continuous risk management process provides a framework for quantification of risk likelihood and consequence, planning mitigation strategies, understanding limitations, costs and trades, etc. for all human health and performance risks across all NASA missions.
- Abstract document
- Manuscript document
IAC-08.A1.3.2.pdf (🔒 authorized access only).
To get the manuscript, please contact IAF Secretariat.