Preliminary Planning for ISS as Analog for Mars Transit

1. Preliminary Planning for ISS as Analog for MarsTransit Briefing to Future In-Space Operations Colloquium June 29, 2011 • John B. Charles, Ph.D. • Chief Scientist, NASA Human Research Program

2. Human research in space flight? Yes!

3. Human Research on ISS by HRP • Human Research Program (HRP) established Oct. 2005 • Succeeded Bioastronautics Research Division, OBPR • Dramatic shift from basic research to applied research • Program goals • Perform research necessary to understand and reduce spaceflight human health and performance risks in support of exploration • Enable development of human spaceflight medical and human performance standards • Develop and validate technologies that serve to reduce medical risks associated with human spaceflight • Objectives • Establish evidence base on astronaut health and performance for long duration missions in weightlessness • Identify greatest risks and develop optimal approach to mitigations and countermeasures • Test space biomedical technology and medical care procedures • Actively collaborate and share resources with the International Partners on space biomedical research

4. Human Physiological Adaptations to Long-Duration Weightlessness in Space Flight Immunology viral reactivation & shedding  DTH skin test response Cell mediated immunity lymphocyte function -- unchanged humoral immunity Cardiovascular resting heart rate stroke volume early in flight  PACs & PVCs fluid volume orthostatic tolerance aerobic & anaerobic capacity resting blood pressure postflight central venous pressure (indirect) cardio/thoracic ratio postflight Body Fluids hemoglobin & hematocrit postflight total body water plasma & urine volumes postflight Electrolytes urinary Ca, PO4 postflight plasma K & Mg postflight urinary Na, K, Cl, Mg Hormones plasma ADH, ANF urinary aldosterone urinary ADH, cortisol postflight urinary epinephrine, androsterone postflight plasma ACTH, aldosterone, cortisol Metabolites plasma glucose, creatinine, BUN postflight albumin, cholesterol, triglycerides, uric acid Sensory-motor vestibular disturbances space motion sickness early in flight postural stability sensorimotor function intraocular pressure in flight retinal blood vessel constriction postflight  visual motor task performance contrast discrimination visual field postflight From Scientific American Muscle & Bone muscle mass muscle endurance & strength bone mineral content bone integrity

5. Impacts of Physiological Adaptation • Space flight-induced changes may affect operations during flight or during, after return to Earth • EVA capability • Nominal and contingency entry, descent, landing • Nominal and contingency egress • Rapid post-flight return to nominal operations • Long term health issues • These changes must be thoroughly understood and mitigated where possible in order to manage mission and crew health risks

6. Continuous space flight exposure ≥ 30 daysas of June 2008 But what about this…? Most long-duration flights are 4-7 months long Individual Exposures Mars missions may last up to 30 months 450 900 0 Flight Duration (days)

7. Time course of physiologicalchanges in long-duration weightlessness (notional) based on Skylab data Not shown: Behavioral Health & Performance NOTIONAL

8. Crew Recovery Status: Mir & ISS Observed post-landing conditions of Mir & ISS crewmembers may be predictive for just-arrived Mars crewmembers 162 days 125 days 1 year

9. Case Study: ISS Expedition 6 • Soyuz TMA-2 landing provided strong evidence FOR human functionality after Mars transit-like flight time • 5½-month simulated transit • Piloted de-orbit, aerobraking entry, descent and landing • Partial power-down of vehicle post-landing • Unstrapped, egressed vehicle unassisted • Deploy recovery aids • Qualitative decrements in crew performance • All three crewmembers exhibited reduced capability, up to voluntary immobility • Thirty minutes worth of work in about five hours, but no need to hurry (per Don Pettit) Note: unencumbered weight on Earth approximates Mars weight wearing projected pressure suit

10. Exploration-related NASA biomedical planning • “Mars Surface Analog Project” • NASA JSC, 2002-2003 • Three workshops of long-duration astronauts, flight medicine specialists, biomedical researchers • Discussed capabilities of astronauts on Mars immediately after 6-month transit • ISS Expedition 6, May 2003 • Bloomberg, Functional Task Test • HRP established in 2005 for Mars-focused human research and technology • “ISS Crew Increment Durations: Extension and Simulation of Mars Missions” • NASA HRP/JSC/ARC, Sep. 2009 • A workshop of NASA subject matter experts • How to extend ISS crew increments to 9-12 months? • How to use ISS to mimic a Mars mission? • “ISS as Testbed for Analog Research (ISTAR)” • NASA-wide since Sep. 2010 • HRP planning meeting "Toward a unified HRP perspective on ISS as Mars transit analog," Jan. 2011 • Bill Gerstenmaier quoted in Aviation Week & Space Technology, Mar. 7, 2011 • Early ISTAR emphasis includes time-delay, crew autonomy aspects of simulated Earth-Mars transit

11. Preliminary Planning for ISS as Analog for Mars Transit NASA Mars-ISS integrated product team (IPT) is developing plans to use the ISS as a test platform to reduce risk for an outbound Mars transit and possibly a Mars landing transition. ISTAR - ISS Testbed for Analog Research • Joint project between NASA’s Exploration, International Space Station (ISS) and Human Research (HRP) Programs and JSC Flight Crew Operations Directorate and Mission Operations Directorate • Integrated Product Team (IPT) established • NASA multi-center team including Exploration Systems, Exploration Analogs, Flight Crew, Human Research Program, Mission Operations, ISS Utilization, Engineering • Established to mitigate Key Exploration Risks and answer architectural Questions • Human Research including Behavioral, Medical, and Performance • Autonomous Operations • Mission Planning & Execution • Exploration Technology Demonstration

12. ISTAR - Objectives • Facilitate preparations for crew autonomous operations for Mars or NEA exploration • Exercise ground elements training and technology development • Evaluate new exploration technologies as they become available • ISTAR Long Term Goal • ……Conduct long duration Mars Transit and Landing Transition simulations using technology and operational tools & concepts developed and tested during previous ISTAR and Earth-based Analogs

13. Assumptions • No Mars Mission related test will place ISS vehicle or astronauts at risk • Develop rules for simulation breakouts for ISS nominal events and anomalies, while maximizing continuous simulation time • Agreement by, and involvement of, all ISS partners is sought • Involve flight crewmembers and ground elements (possibly up to and including families) and technology development • Effects on “non-Mars” payloads to be minimized • This will not be a one-time event • Multiple opportunities throughout ISS operational life • Initial tests: days to weeks to evaluate test protocols • Later: weeks to months to evaluate complex FTO’s • Exploit early (low cost or no cost) opportunities for ISS to advance preparations for Mars and NEO missions • Use current Soyuz crew rotation scheme, and preserve or accommodate original ISS visiting vehicle schedule

14. Overview of Hypothetical Mars Expedition Based on: Human Exploration of Mars, DRA 5.0, NASA-SP-2009-566, July 2009 Mars Departure Earth Departure Mars Arrival Earth Arrival • ISS expeditions of ~6 months duration simulate Earth-to-Mars transit • similar crew condition as at Mars arrival Earth-to-Mars transit: ~6 months Mars surface stay: ~18 months Mars-to-Earth transit: ~6 months

15. Variation in Distance and Communications Delay Between Earth and Mars (example: 2001-2005) Farthest from Earth Outbound transit to be simulated on ISS Comm. delay (min.) Distance (AU) Depart Mars Arrive at Mars Closest to Earth Arrive at Earth Depart Earth Calendar date

16. Overview of Hypothetical NEO Expedition • NEO expeditions • Validate technologies and procedures for Mars missions • Acquire additional unique deep-space data • Dust on and near asteroids • Near-NEO radiation environment • Behavioral health & performance • ISS expeditions of ~6 months duration simulate ~6-month+ Earth-to-NEO round trip • 0-g baseline • experience base Earth-to-NEO transit: ~3-4 months NEO surface ops: ~2 weeks NEO-to-Earth transit: ~1-3 months

17. ISTAR - 5 Year Strategic Plan • Utilizes phased approach to reduce Exploration Risks, answer Architectural Questions, and execute long-duration Exploration Mission Simulations • Begin with short duration ISTAR Analogs to test risk mitigating technologies & operational tools • Establish baselines for crew performance, behavior, and medical procedure; develop and test countermeasures • Increase periods of Crew/Vehicle Autonomy Simulations • Crew procedures & Mission Control operations will be modified to provide more realistic experience to crew/ground control personnel. • Perform Comm Delays leading to full (voice/data/command) Mars Transit-delays by 2016 (Notional) ~ 12 minutes each way • Post-landing exploration mission analogs will be added eventually • Continue development of ISTAR Analog Groundrules & Constraints • Continue working with technology & science experiment developers of risk mitigating xDTOs candidates and map them to future ISS Increments • ISTAR 5 Year Plan will be integrated with larger multi-yearplan for all Exploration Analogs

18. Mars-ISS Analog Mission Concept Use ISS as test platform to reduce risk to humans of Mars transit mission (outbound or return) and Mars surface transition • ISS as high-fidelity, cost-effective simulation of eventual Mars mission: personnel (flight, ground); vehicle; environment; perceived risk; meaningful work. • Limitations: Earth outside window; infrastructure (resupply timing; real-time MCC monitoring);capability to break simulation when necessary. • Near-Term • Assess and reduce crew health and mission risks such as weightless deconditioning, crew autonomy, communication delays, planning and execution, and new technologies • Exploit ISS as unique testbed providing weightlessness and psychological factors not available in other analogs • Longer-Term • Full Mars (or NEO) mission duration (900 days) • Expanded landing site exploration activities

19. ISTAR - Phased Approach for ISS as an Exploration Test Bed

20. ISTAR - xDTO Definition Process • NASA Exploration Study Teams • Develop Design Reference Missions (DRMs) and Reference Architectures for Beyond Low Earth Orbit destinations (e.g., Mars, NEA) • Define Key Exploration Mission Risks and Architectural Questions • Examples: EVA System/Suit, Life Support systems, Crew & vehicle autonomy, Communication Delays, Crew Medical and Behavioral Health, Crew training & mission control changes • ISTAR Team identifies Increment-specific xDTO candidates that provide top risk mitigation and support exploration operational concept development • ISTAR calls for xDTOs timed to sync with ISS Increment Research Planning Cycle • ISTAR identifies xDTO resource requirements (crew training and on-orbit crew time, hardware/software development, mass and volume, funding status, projected earliest readiness date) • ISTAR IPT conducts high-level reviews and rankings of proposed xDTOs and selects xDTO candidate list • ISTAR forwards proposed xDTO candidate list and requirements to ISSP’s Research Planning Working Group (RPWG) for integration into Utilization planning for an Increment Period

21. ISTAR - xDTOs Under Evaluation • ISS Increments 31-32 (Mar 2012 to Sept 2012) • JSC-ISTAR-TBD, Comm Delay technology demo (requirements not finalized) • JSC-ENG-011, Active Shielding Proof of Concept • JSC-ENG-017, SPHERES Free Flyer Simulated EVA Inspection • JSC-ENG-091, Robonaut 2 Simulated EVA Routine and Emergency Operations • JSC-MOD-001, Crew Autonomous Planning and Execution • ISS Increments 33-34 (Sept 2012 to Mar 2013) • JSC-ISTAR-TBD, Comm Delay technology demo (requirements not finalized) • JSC-017, SPHERES Free Flyer Simulated EVA Routine and Emergency Ops • JSC-091, Robonaut 2 Simulated EVA Routine and Emergency Operations • JSC-116, Miniature Exercise Device • JSC-024, Microbial Growth and Control for Space Exploration • JSC-020, Crew Autonomous Planning and Execution • ISS Increments 35-36 (Mar 2013 to Sept 2013) • JSC-HRP-076, Comm Delay (requirements not finalized) • JSC-017, SPHERES Free Flyer Simulated EVA Routine and Emergency Ops • JSC-091, Robonaut 2 Simulated EVA Routine and Emergency Operations • JSC-116, Miniature Exercise Device • JSC-024, Microbial Growth and Control for Space Exploration • JSC-020, Crew Autonomous Planning and Execution Preliminary NOTIONAL

22. ISTAR - ISS International Partner Participation • Some ISTAR xDTOs will seek to involve International Partner (IP) participation or use of IP facilities • “Behavioral” and “Crew Autonomy” investigations may impact visiting vehicle or spacewalk (EVA) scheduling • Communications/Data delay xDTOs could impact other operations (e.g. payloads) • Multilateral agreements will be required • New crew planning and execution tool xDTOs are planned • All ISS Partners’ Mission Control Center (MCC) procedures and tools for planning and execution are integrated and must stay in sync • Post-Landing (if it affects landing site ops or crew return) • ISSP has initiated discussions with IPs to seek their cooperation • Positive but reserved initial reaction received at ISS multi-lateral forums • ISS IPs have expressed interest in executing their own xDTOs • Process to integrate IPs’ initiatives is in development

23. What can ISS offer to human research in a simulated Mars transit? Strengths • Weightless duration comparable to opposition-class mission Earth-to-Mars and Mars-to-Earth transits • Physiology and countermeasures development and validation • High-fidelity representation of astronauts in a spacecraft in the flight environment with operational tasks and facing meaningful risks • Behavioral health and performance • Human factors Weaknesses • Shielded from deep-space radiation environment • Proximity to Earth • Minimal time delay in communications • Frequent abort opportunities • Earth is always just outside the window

24. Human research on ISS supports crew health and performance for current and future space missions • Pre-screening • Exercise • Nutrition • Pharmaceuticals • Operational workarounds • Other countermeasures as needed

25. Summary and Conclusions • ISS offers important benefits for risk reduction through simulation of Mars (and NEO) missions • Simulations will be difficult and will require substantial careful and thorough preparation • Success will be achieved only through consideration of requirements of all partners

26. Questions?

27. backup

28. Progress and Next Steps • Initiated by NASA ISS Program Manager Sep. 2010 • IPT briefed NASA ISS Program Manager Oct. 20 • Briefed NASA Headquarters Exploration Directorate Nov. 15; approval to continue • Now developing preliminary flight test objectives • Updated ISS Program Manager Dec. 13: received continued endorsement and encouragement • International Partners buy-in sought • ISS Program briefed Russian counterparts at Dec 8 TIM; will brief ESA, JAXA, CSA counterparts TBD • HRP briefed IBMP Dec. 3 • EMSO briefed ISECG by telecon late January • ISLSWG in June • IPT to continue to resolve operational concerns • Flight control center, astronauts • Develop concrete Flight Test Objectives • Develop schedule of implementation