EVA & Surface Ops

11 articles tagged · 1 topic · 3 clinical · 1 equipment · 6 research

Space Radiation Environment & Biological Effects

Beyond low Earth orbit, crews are exposed to galactic cosmic rays and solar particle events that are difficult to shield and raise long-term health concerns.

RadiationOncologyNeurological & Cognitive

Clinical articles (3)

SMF-C-0014 · protocol · draft

DCS & EVA

Why spacewalks carry decompression risk, how prebreathe protocols prevent it, how DCS is recognized and treated without a hyperbaric chamber, and other EVA hazards (CO2, water in the helmet, hand injuries) — with links to dive and altitude medicine.

◆◆◆◇ Moderate · E A F

SMF-C-0010 · topic · draft

Emergencies & evacuation

What medical care is actually available on a spacecraft, who provides it, how evacuation works from orbit, and why the model changes completely for lunar and Mars missions.

◆◆◆◇ Moderate · F E C

SMF-C-0003 · countermeasure · draft

Radiation limits & monitoring

NASA's radiation limits in plain clinical terms, how crew dose is monitored, what shielding can and cannot do, and what it means for a patient's lifetime cancer screening.

◆◆◆◇ Moderate · E C F M

Equipment guides (1)

SMF-E-0002 · reference · draft

Mission Medical Kits

What medical equipment, drugs and supplies are carried on suborbital flights, short commercial orbital flights, a low Earth orbit station, lunar and Gateway missions, and Mars-class missions, and how distance, duration, drug shelf life and the loss of evacuation change the kit.

◆◆◆◇ Moderate · F C E

Research pages (6)

RSK-12 · NASA risk · draft

Muscle & aerobic fitness

Even with about 10 hours of exercise a week, astronauts lose fitness in flight, and some don't meet NASA's standards. Exploration spacecraft will have less room for exercise equipment.

◆◆◆◇ Moderate · F E

RSK-13 · NASA risk · draft

Sensorimotor & balance

The brain re-tunes balance and orientation for weightlessness. That causes motion sickness and clumsiness around gravity changes, just when landing and early surface work demand the most.

◆◆◆◇ Moderate · F E

RSK-18 · NASA risk · draft

Lunar & Mars dust

Fine lunar dust can be inhaled once it gets into the habitat. NASA has set an exposure limit based on rodent studies. Mars dust is not yet characterized.

◆◆◇◇ Low · M E

RSK-19 · NASA risk · draft

Hypoxia (exploration atmosphere)

To make frequent spacewalks practical, future habitats may run a lower-pressure, mildly hypoxic atmosphere, roughly like living at 4,000–8,300 ft. Effects over long periods are being studied.

◆◆◇◇ Low · F E

RSK-20 · NASA risk · draft

Decompression sickness

No case of decompression sickness has been reported in flight, but frequent surface spacewalks in partial gravity could change that.

◆◆◆◇ Moderate · F A E

RSK-21 · NASA risk · draft

Spacewalk (EVA) injury & performance

Suits cause training injuries, and planetary spacewalks will be more frequent and more physical than ISS spacewalks. How to prevent suit injuries is not well understood.

◆◆◇◇ Low · F E