Physical Countermeasures for Long-Term Manned Space Flights

Abstract

The concept of using physical countermeasures during long-term mannedspace flights should be reconsidered for the following reasons: - although man`s adaptive processes during short-term flights (10 to 15 days) are well documented, data from long-term (6 to 12 months) manned missions are insufficient, and therefore less well understood - the countermeasures applied to date have not been evaluated in controlled experiments and their efficacy therefore remains uncertain- the impact on a mission in terms of the time devoted to perform countermeasures is high (up to 2.5 h exercise per day and Lower Body Negative Pressure (LBNP)); new protocols must be studied and tested - from a technical point of view it is necessary to build new deviceswith new ergonomic approaches (volume, weight, easier use). The objectives of this report are the following: 1. to ascertain the physiological data that provide the most accurate description of the medical problems encountered during long-term space flight, and data indicating a need for countermeasures to ameliorate the safety of astronauts, 2. to ascertain the ground studies that will best serve as a basis for future flight protocols, 3. to list all the physical countermeasures used during past space flights and propose new approaches, 4. to indicate the need for long-term bed-rest studies necessary to gain more fundamental knowledge about the adaptive processes that occur during weightlessness, and to validate the ability of various proposed countermeasures to counteract these mechanisms.