Milestones of space medicine development in Russia (establishment and evolution of the Institute of Biomedical...

This paper describes the history of the Institute of Biomedical Problems (IMBP): its birth and development. IMBP's directors were: Andrei V. Libedinsky (1963-1965), Vasily V. Parin (1965-1967), Oleg G. Gazenko (1968-1988), and Anatoly I. Grigoriev (1988 to the present). Most of the early employees of IMBP came from the USSR Air Force Institute of Aviation Medicine and the USSR Ministry of Health Institute of Biophysics. The major goals of IMBP were: development of a system of medical monitoring and support of long-duration space missions, selection and training of civilian crew members, bioengineering testing of flight equipment, and development of life support system concepts and requirements. The paper presents major results of the above research activities.