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Mission phaseLifetime Surveillance
18 articles tagged · 3 topic · 7 clinical · 1 equipment · 7 research
Spaceflight Bone Loss
Unloading in microgravity drives loss of bone mineral, particularly at weight-bearing sites, with incomplete recovery after return.
Gravity FieldsMusculoskeletalRenal & GU
SMF-T-0006 · draftSpaceflight-Associated Neuro-ocular Syndrome (SANS)
Optic disc edema, globe flattening, choroidal folds and hyperopic shifts observed in long-duration astronauts.
Gravity FieldsHostile/Closed EnvironmentNeuro-ophthalmicNeurological & Cognitive
SMF-T-0002 · draftSpace 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 (7)
Bone loss countermeasures
How much bone astronauts lose, what prevents it (resistance exercise, nutrition, and in research, bisphosphonates), how NASA monitors BMD with DXA, T-scores and FRAX, and what a primary care clinician should do after a long flight.
◆◆◆◇ Moderate · F A E
SMF-C-0013 · topic · draftKidney stones
Why spaceflight raises stone-forming risk (bone calcium loss, low urine volume), what prevents it, how a stone would be recognized in flight, and what to watch for in the year after return.
◆◆◆◇ Moderate · F C E
SMF-C-0001 · standard · draftMedical standards overview
What NASA's crew health standard actually requires, how astronauts are medically selected and recertified, and what that means for a clinician who sees space travelers.
◆◆◆◆ High · E F
SMF-C-0015 · guide · draftPostflight recovery & surveillance
A timeline of what to expect after landing — day 0 to day 45 and beyond — what NASA measures and when, which problems can persist for months or years, and how lifelong occupational surveillance works.
◆◆◆◇ Moderate · F E
SMF-C-0000 · guide · draftClinician quick-start
A one-page orientation for GPs, emergency physicians, nurses and flight/aviation doctors: what to ask, what to check, the red flags, and where to find the details — before and after spaceflight.
◆◆◆◇ Moderate · E F
SMF-C-0003 · countermeasure · draftRadiation 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
SMF-C-0004 · protocol · draftSANS management
How space agencies screen for and manage optic disc edema, globe flattening, choroidal folds and hyperopic shift in long-duration flyers — and how to evaluate a returning astronaut's eyes.
◆◆◆◇ Moderate · F A E
Equipment guides (1)
Research pages (7)
Radiation & cancer
Space radiation may raise an astronaut's lifetime chance of cancer. There are no human data for this kind of radiation, so the risk is modeled, with wide uncertainty.
◆◆◇◇ Low · M C E
RSK-02 · NASA risk · draftBehavioral health & cognition
Long missions can strain mental health and thinking. Problems in flight have so far stayed below diagnostic levels, but analog data suggest risk grows with mission length and isolation.
◆◆◇◇ Low · F A E
RSK-05 · NASA risk · draftMedical conditions in flight
Illness and injury will happen on long missions. Far from Earth, the crew must handle them with limited supplies and no quick evacuation.
◆◆◇◇ Low · F C E
RSK-09 · NASA risk · draftSANS (eye & brain changes)
About 70% of long-duration crew show at least one eye sign of SANS. The cause is unknown and no countermeasure is proven yet.
◆◆◆◇ Moderate · F A E
RSK-10 · NASA risk · draftCardiovascular adaptations
Weightlessness shifts fluids toward the head and deconditions the heart and vessels, causing light-headedness on landing. Whether space radiation adds long-term heart disease risk is unresolved.
◆◆◇◇ Low · F A M E
RSK-11 · NASA risk · draftBone loss & fracture
Bones lose density without gravity's load. Exercise and drugs reduce the loss, but recovery after flight can be incomplete.
◆◆◆◇ Moderate · F E
RSK-17 · NASA risk · draftImmune changes
The immune system becomes dysregulated in flight, which can reactivate dormant viruses and cause rashes. These changes persist through 6-month missions.
◆◆◆◇ Moderate · F M E