The ISS flight of Richard Garriott: a template for medicine and science investigation on future spaceflight participant missions.

BACKGROUND: A total of eight commercial spaceflight participants have launched to the International Space Station (ISS) on Soyuz vehicles. Based on an older mean age compared to career astronauts and an increased prevalence of medical conditions, spaceflight participants have provided the opportunity to learn about the effect of space travel on crewmembers with medical problems. The 12-d Soyuz TMA-13/12 ISS flight of spaceflight participant Richard Garriott included medical factors that required preflight intervention, risk mitigation strategies, and provided the opportunity for medical study on-orbit. Equally important, Mr. Garriott conducted extensive medical, scientific, and educational payload operations during the flight. These included 7 medical experiments and a total of 15 scientific projects such as protein crystal growth, Earth observations/photography, educational projects with schools, and amateur radio. The medical studies included the effect of microgravity on immune function, sleep, bone loss, corneal refractive surgery, low back pain, motion perception, and intraocular pressure. CONCLUSION: The overall mission success resulted from non-bureaucratic agility in mission planning, cooperation with investigators from NASA, ISS, International Partners, and the Korean Aerospace Research Institute, in-flight support and leadership from a team with spaceflight and Capcom experience, and overall mission support from the ISS program. This article focuses on science opportunities that suborbital and orbital spaceflight participant flights offer and suggests that the science program on Richard Garriott's flight be considered a model for future orbital and suborbital missions. The medical challenges are presented in a companion article.

Giant hepatic hemangioma and cross-fused ectopic kidney in a spaceflight participant.

Commercial spaceflight participants are typically older than traditional astronauts and often have medical conditions that make medical certification for flight difficult. This case report considers a 43-yr-old spaceflight participant who planned a short-duration Soyuz flight to the International Space Station (ISS). While he participated in many hazardous activities such as parachuting, hang gliding, scuba diving, Antarctic and jungle exploration, and deep sea submersible operations, he knew that several of his medical conditions precluded serving as a career astronaut. At the time of his initial spaceflight prescreen examination, he was known to have previous bilateral photorefractive keratectomy (PRK) for myopia and a cross-fused left ectopic kidney that would be disqualifying for a career astronaut. During the evaluation for the left single cross-fused ectopic kidney, a giant hepatic hemangioma was also discovered. In order to medically qualify for flight, the giant hepatic hemangioma was surgically removed. This case summary investigat*es the implications of a single cross-fused left ectopic kidney and the decision process and treatment implications for spaceflight medical certification in an individual with an asymptomatic giant hepatic hemangioma.

International Space Station medical standards and certification for space flight participants.

INTRODUCTION: The medical community of the International Space Station (ISS) has developed joint medical standards and evaluation requirements for Space Flight Participants ("space tourists") which are used by the ISS medical certification board to determine medical eligibility of individuals other than professional astronauts (cosmonauts) for short-duration space flight to the ISS. These individuals are generally fare-paying passengers without operational responsibilities. MATERIAL AND CONTEXT: By means of this publication, the medical standards and evaluation requirements for the ISS Space Flight Participants are offered to the aerospace medicine and commercial spaceflight communities for reference purposes. It is emphasized that the criteria applied to the ISS spaceflight participant candidates are substantially less stringent than those for professional astronauts and/or crewmembers of visiting and long-duration missions to the ISS. CONCLUSIONS: These medical standards are released by the government space agencies to facilitate the development of robust medical screening and medical risk assessment approaches in the context of the evolving commercial human spaceflight industry.