Emergency medical support for a manned stratospheric balloon test program.

Area of Science:

• Aviation Medicine
• Space Medicine
• Emergency Medical Services

Background:

• The Red Bull Stratos program involved a record-breaking stratospheric jump from over 127,000 ft.
• Key risks included ebullism, negative Gz acceleration, and trauma.
• A comprehensive medical and crew recovery plan was essential.

Purpose of the Study:

• To describe the experience of providing emergency medical support for the Red Bull Stratos manned balloon flights.
• To detail the development and implementation of a Medical Support Plan.

Main Methods:

• Systematic evaluation of flight phases, associated risks, and available resources.
• Identification of six distinct flight phases from an Emergency Medical Services (EMS) perspective.

Main Results:

• A detailed Medical Support Plan was created, covering personnel, equipment, procedures, and communications.
• Multiple successful manned balloon flights were achieved at various altitudes (up to 127,582 ft).

Conclusions:

• The Medical Support Plan was successfully implemented despite geographical and resource limitations.
• The project refined EMS and crew recovery procedures for high-altitude flights.
• The experience is applicable to other high-altitude or commercial space ventures.