Analog habitat health and safety protocol: replicable standard system for analyzing data related to human factors in...

As space exploration emerges as the next frontier for humanity, challenges related to health and safety in isolated, confined, and extreme (ICE) environments become increasingly relevant. This study examines the development of integrated monitoring protocols to establish a replicable standard for collecting and analyzing human factors indicators in both analogous and real space missions, adapting existing approaches from polar environments. A one-month analog mission was conducted with a six-member crew, during which protocols were designed for pre-, during-, and post-mission phases. The methodological approach combined Soft Systems Methodology (SSM) for modeling complex systems with a comparative analysis of ICE technologies developed for polar expeditions, particularly in Antarctica, alongside direct observations of existing systems. The resulting system adopts an interdisciplinary framework, integrating biological, physiological, medical, and psychological data. A key outcome of this study is the proposal for an automated adaptive response mechanism, enabling the creation of individualized profiles and standardized scores that evolve throughout the mission. The findings underscore the necessity of flexible protocols for crews in prolonged isolation while maintaining standardized indicators for comparative analysis. These protocols can be adapted for two-week missions, broadening their applicability across various analog space environments. This research contributes to the development of a health and safety monitoring model aligned with the requirements of future manned missions to the Moon and Mars, as well as expeditions in remote and challenging environments on Earth. Future studies should assess the proposed model using the Delphi method.