Selecting Medical Conditions Relevant to Exploration Spaceflight to Create the IMPACT 1.0 Medical Condition List

Area of Science:

• Space Medicine
• Aerospace Engineering
• Risk Assessment

Background:

• Spaceflight medical conditions pose significant risks to crew and mission success, especially during long-duration exploration missions.
• NASA utilizes probabilistic risk assessment for low-Earth orbit operations, necessitating advanced tools for future missions.
• The Informing Mission Planning via Analysis of Complex Tradespaces (IMPACT) tool suite is being developed for exploration-class mission risk assessment.

Purpose of the Study:

• To develop a robust list of medical conditions relevant to exploration-class missions for the IMPACT tool suite.
• To create the IMPACT 1.0 Medical Condition List (ICL 1.0) to inform mission planning and risk assessment.
• To ensure accurate risk quantification for future deep space exploration.

Main Methods:

• Compiled the IMPACT 1.0 Medical Condition List (ICL 1.0) with 120 conditions for a 210-day cis-lunar, Mars analog mission.
• Systematically preserved institutional knowledge from nine prior condition lists.
• Prioritized conditions based on spaceflight history, concurrence across source lists, and expert consensus.

Main Results:

• The ICL 1.0 includes 120 medical conditions specifically relevant to exploration-class missions.
• The list was derived through a consensus process involving multiple medical specialties.
• The ICL 1.0 offers greater specificity, number, breadth, and depth of conditions compared to previous lists.

Conclusions:

• The ICL 1.0 is a significant advancement for spaceflight risk assessment, particularly for exploration missions.
• This comprehensive list will enhance the accuracy and utility of the IMPACT tool suite.
• The consensus-driven approach ensures a high-quality, medically sound resource for future space exploration planning.