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NASA NTRS1989

Volumetric visualization of 3D data

In recent years, there has been a rapid growth in the ability to obtain detailed data on large complex structures in three dimensions. This development occurred first in the medical field, with CAT (computer aided tomography) scans and now magnetic resonance imaging, and in seismological exploration. With the advances in supercomputing and computational fluid dynamics, and in experimental techniques in fluid dynamics, there is now the ability to produce similar large data fields representing 3D structures and phenomena in these disciplines. These developments have produced a situation in which currently there is access to data which is too complex to be understood using the tools available for data reduction and presentation. Researchers in these areas are becoming limited by their ability to visualize and comprehend the 3D systems they are measuring and simulating.

Russell, Gregory↗

NASA NTRS2004

Soluble Protein Analysis using a Compact Bench-top Flow Cytometer

Future space exploration missions will require analytical technology capable of providing both autonomous medical care to the crew and investigative capabilities to researchers. While several promising candidate technologies exist for further development, flow cytometry is an attractive technology as it offers both crew health (blood cell count, leukocyte differential, etc.) and a wide array of biochemistry and immunology assays. research settings, the application of this technique to soluble protein analysis is also possible. Proteomic beads using fluorescent dyes for optical encoding were used to monitor six cytokines simultaneously in cell medium of cell cultures in stationary and rotating cell culture systems. The results of this work demonstrate that a compact flow cytometer, such as a system proposed for space flight, can detect a variety of soluble proteins for crew health and biotechnology experiments during long-term missions.

Pappas, Dimitri↗

NASA NTRS2006

Technological Innovations from NASA

The challenge of human space exploration places demands on technology that push concepts and development to the leading edge. In biotechnology and biomedical equipment development, NASA science has been the seed for numerous innovations, many of which are in the commercial arena. The biotechnology effort has led to rational drug design, analytical equipment, and cell culture and tissue engineering strategies. Biomedical research and development has resulted in medical devices that enable diagnosis and treatment advances. NASA Biomedical developments are exemplified in the new laser light scattering analysis for cataracts, the axial flow left ventricular-assist device, non contact electrocardiography, and the guidance system for LASIK surgery. Many more developments are in progress. NASA will continue to advance technologies, incorporating new approaches from basic and applied research, nanotechnology, computational modeling, and database analyses.

Pellis, Neal R.↗

NASA NTRS2010

Pharmacology Risk Report

It seems very likely that the actions of administered drugs on crewmembers during spaceflight are different than they are on Earth, but even after more than 40 years of spaceflight experience, the answers to most questions about medication use during missions remain unanswered. Use of medications with insufficient knowledge about their actual activities may result in inadequate treatment and may even reduce performance and well-being in particular circumstances. There is evidence that this has already occurred during and immediately after spaceflights. The spaceflight pharmaceutical activity knowledge base must be improved to enable flight surgeons and crewmembers to make better decisions about using pharmaceuticals inflight. The spaceflight environment induces changes in human physiology, and these changes have been the subject of much study over the past few decades. These studies are confounded by the small number of potential subjects, as well by the inability to separate the different stressors of spaceflight (radiation exposure from microgravity, for example). In every physiological system, the details of spaceflight-induced physiological changes are not well understood. Despite this fact, crewmembers are treated with pharmaceuticals to reduce or prevent medical problems, with insufficient information as to drug function on their altered physiological systems. There are two major concerns about pharmaceutical use in the unusual environment of spaceflight. The actions of pharmaceuticals on physiology altered by a spaceflight environment are currently assumed to be the same as the actions in terrestrial use. This has yet to be established. The wide range of physiological systems altered by spaceflight and the degree of change experienced in some of them make it very likely that alterations in pharmaceutical action will be seen. As the duration of missions lengthens to include more distant exploration, it becomes more likely that problems will be encountered. Secondly, the integrity of stored pharmaceuticals must be established to ensure that adequate amounts of active compounds are available in each dose and that degradation to toxic compounds is minimized. This risk is also dependent on mission duration, since longer missions will require that drugs be stored much longer than their usual terrestrial shelf-lives.

Source record↗

NASA NTRS2017

Risk of Cardiac Rhythm Problems During Spaceflight

NASA has concerns regarding the incidence and clinical significance of cardiac arrhythmias that could occur during long-term exposure to the spaceflight environment, such as on the International Space Station (ISS) or during a prolonged (e.g., up to 3 years) sojourn to Mars or on the Moon. There have been some anecdotal reports and a few documented cases of cardiac arrhythmias in space, including one documented episode of non-sustained ventricular tachycardia. The potential catastrophic nature of a sudden cardiac death in the remote space environment has led to concerns from the early days of the space program that spaceflight might be arrhythmogenic. Indeed, there are known and well-defined changes in the cardiovascular system with spaceflight: a) plasma volume is reduced, b) left ventricular mass is decreased, and c) the autonomic nervous system adapts to the weightless environment. Combined, these physiologic adaptations suggest that changes in cardiac structure and neuro-humoral environment during spaceflight could alter electrical conduction, although the evidence supporting this contention consists mostly of minor changes in QT interval (the time between the start of the Q wave and the end of the T wave on an electrocardiogram tracing) in a small number of astronauts after long-duration spaceflight. Concurrent with efforts by NASA Medical Operations to refine and improve screening techniques relevant to arrhythmias and cardiovascular disease, as NASA enters the era of exploration-class missions it will be critical to determine with the highest degree of certainty whether spaceflight by itself alters cardiac structure and function sufficiently to increase the risk of arrhythmias.

Lee, Stuart M. C.↗

NASA NTRS2023

Exploring the Complexities of Drug Formulation Selection, Storage, and Shelf-Life for Exploration Spaceflight

Medications have been a part of space travel dating back as far as the Apollo missions. Currently, medical kits aboard the ISS contain medications and supplies to help crew members cope with a variety of possible medical events. NASA reported that 1,867 medical events occurred from 1981 to 1998 on space shuttle flights, STS-1 to STS-89; 498 out of the 508 crewmembers on those flights reported experiencing a medical event other than space motion sickness. In 2000, the Institute of Medicine (IOM) convened a committee of experts, Committee on Creating a Vision for Space Medicine during Travel beyond Earth Orbit, to examine the issues surrounding astronaut health and safety for long duration space missions. The primary theme of the committee’s final report is that there is not enough known about the risks to human health during long-duration missions beyond Earth’s orbit and ways to effectively mitigate those risks in an environment of deep space. In 2014, the IOM convened the Committee on Ethics Principles and Guidelines for Health Standards for Long Duration and Exploration Spaceflights and released a report emphasizing the importance of prevention, mitigation, and treatment of major risks to human health during exploration spaceflight. NASA’s Human Research Program has organized five distinct categories of spaceflight hazards summarized by the acronym “RIDGE” (Space Radiation, Isolation and Confinement, Distance from Earth, Gravity fields, and Hostile/Closed Environments) that astronauts may encounter during exploration spaceflight. From those hazards, NASA further derived 30 of the most critical human health and performance risks, including limits to medical care resulting from pharmaceutical degradation. As we prepare for more distant exploration missions to Mars and beyond, risk management planning for astronaut healthcare should include the assembly of a medication formulary that is comprehensive enough to prevent or treat anticipated medical events, remains safe and chemically stable, and retains sufficient potency to last for the duration of the mission. The present editorial will summarize the current state of knowledge regarding innovative formulary optimization strategies, pharmaceutical stability assessment techniques, and storage and packaging solutions that could enhance drug safety and efficacy for future exploration spaceflight missions.

drug degradation risk assessment↗

NASA NTRSDate not supplied

Information Systems for Crew-Led Operations Beyond Low-Earth Orbit

On past and present human space missions, the management of vehicle health and status has primarily been executed from Earth. Missions such as Apollo, Space Shuttle, and ISS have relied on a safety net of ground-based experts with access to real-time telemetry data, broad and deep systems expertise, and powerful analytical and computing capabilities. The ground team monitors and manages the vehicle’s health in real-time and responds quickly to critical situations and malfunctions. Ground operators also provide real-time oversight and verbal guidance to flight crew members, especially during complex procedure execution and high-risk activities like extra-vehicular activities. However, this operational paradigm, in place for 60 years, will not transfer to long duration exploration missions beyond low Earth orbit (LEO). Lunar and deep-space crewed missions will encounter delayed communications that prohibit real-time operational and medical support. Additionally, there will be infrequent resupply and a diminished capacity to evacuate or rescue crew members. A small crew must operate independently, managing the vehicle’s state, responding to time-critical events, and executing complex procedures, all without the safety net of real-time support.

data representation↗

NASA NTRS1999

Novel Approaches to Cellular Transplantation from the US Space Program

Research in the treatment of type I diabetes is entering a new era that takes advantage of our knowledge in an ever increasing variety of scientific disciplines. Some may originate from very diverse sources, one of which is the Space Program at National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA). The Space Program contributes to diabetes-related research in several treatment modalities. As an ongoing effort for medical monitoring of personnel involved in space exploration activities NASA and the extramural scientific community investigate strategies for noninvasive estimation of blood glucose levels. Part of the effort in the space protein crystal growth program is high-resolution structural analysis insulin as a means to better understand the interaction with its receptor and with host immune components and as a basis for rational design of a "better" insulin molecule. The Space Program is also developing laser technology for potential early cataract detection as well as a noninvasive analyses for addressing preclinical diabetic retinopathy. Finally, NASA developed an exciting cell culture system that affords some unique advantages in the propagation and maintenance of mammalian cells in vitro. The cell culture system was originally designed to maintain cell suspensions with a minimum of hydrodynamic and mechanical sheer while awaiting launch into microgravity. Currently the commercially available NASA bioreactor (Synthecon, Inc., Houston, TX) is used as a research tool in basic and applied cell biology. In recent years there is continued strong interest in cellular transplantation as treatment for type I diabetes. The advantages are the potential for successful long-term amelioration and a minimum risk for morbidity in the event of rejection of the transplanted cells. The pathway to successful application of this strategy is accompanied by several substantial hurdles: (1) isolation and propagation of a suitable uniform donor cell population; (2) management of host immune rejection; (3) protection from the autoimmune component of the disease; and (4) anatomic placement of the engrafted cells that permits timely response to blood sugar levels as well as effective release and deployment of insulin. Bioreactor technology may provide some critical advances for surmounting some of these scientific hurdles. The NASA bioreactor is a horizontally rotating cylinder that is completely filled with culture medium. Gaseous exchange is maintained by a concentric cylinder of permeable silicon. In slow rotation (15-25 rpm) particles of small mass such as cells and tissue aggregates remain suspended in the rotating body of fluid. This novel approach suspends cells without stirring thus, allowing objects of different size mass to colocate and interact in a very low shear environment. In fact, analysis of the forces acting on individual cells in the rotating bioreactor reveals that the cells are continuously falling through the fluid medium. The conditions in the bioreactor permit assembly of cells into aggregates. three-dimensional tissue growth, synthesis of intercellular matrix,10 differentiation, and some sinusoid formations that may serve as a surrogate vasculature for larger tissue segments.

Pellis, Neal R.↗

NASA NTRS2004

Spaceflight Flow Cytometry: Design Challenges and Applications

Future space exploration missions will require analytical technology capable of providing both autonomous medical care to the crew and investigative capabilities to researchers. While several promising candidate technologies exist for further development, flow cytometry is an attractive technology as it offers both crew health and a wide array of biochemistry and immunology assays. While flow cytometry has been widely used for cellular analysis in both clinical and research settings, the requirements for proper operation in spaceflight impose constraints on any instrument designs. The challenges of designing a spaceflight-ready flow cytometer are discussed, as well as some preliminary results using a prototype system.

Pappas, Dimitri↗

NASA NTRS2015

Weaving Together Space Biology and the Human Research Program: Selecting Crops and Manipulating Plant Physiology to Produce High Quality Food for ISS Astronauts

Researchers from the Human Research Program (HRP) have teamed up with plant biologists at KSC to explore the potential for plant growth and food production on the international space station (ISS) and future exploration missions. KSC Space Biology (SB) brings a history of plant and plant-microbial interaction research for station and for future bioregenerative life support systems. JSC HRP brings expertise in Advanced Food Technology (AFT), Advanced Environmental Health (AEH), and Behavioral Health and Performance (BHP). The Veggie plant growth hardware on the ISS is the platform that first drove these interactions. As we prepared for the VEG-01 validation test of Veggie, we engaged with BHP to explore questions that could be asked of the crew that would contribute both to plant and to behavioral health research. AFT, AEH and BHP stakeholders were engaged immediately after the return of the Veggie flight samples of space-grown lettuce, and this team worked with the JSC human medical offices to gain approvals for crew consumption of the lettuce on ISS. As we progressed with Veggie testing we began performing crop selection studies for Veggie that were initiated through AFT. These studies consisted of testing and down selecting leafy greens, dwarf tomatoes, and dwarf pepper crops based on characteristics of plant growth and nutritional levels evaluated at KSC, and organoleptic quality evaluated at JSCs Sensory Analysis lab. This work has led to a successful collaborative proposal to the International Life Sciences Research Announcement for a jointly funded HRP-SB investigation of the impacts of light quality and fertilizer on salad crop productivity, nutrition, and flavor in Veggie on the ISS. With this work, and potentially with other pending joint projects, we will continue the synergistic research that will advance the space biology knowledge base, help close gaps in the human research roadmap, and enable humans to venture out to Mars and beyond.

International Space Station↗

NASA NTRS1994

Designing for human presence in space: An introduction to environmental control and life support systems

Human exploration and utilization of space requires habitats to provide appropriate conditions for working and living. These conditions are provided by environmental control and life support systems (ECLSS) that ensure appropriate atmosphere composition, pressure, and temperature; manage and distribute water, process waste matter, provide fire detection and suppression; and other functions as necessary. The functions that are performed by ECLSS are described and basic information necessary to design an ECLSS is provided. Technical and programmatic aspects of designing and developing ECLSS for space habitats are described including descriptions of technologies, analysis methods, test requirements, program organization, documentation requirements, and the requirements imposed by medical, mission, safety, and system needs. The design and development process is described from initial trade studies through system-level analyses to support operation. ECLSS needs for future space habitats are also described. Extensive listings of references and related works provide sources for more detailed information on each aspect of ECLSS design and development.

Wieland, Paul↗

NASA NTRS1994

Applications drivers for data parking on the Information Superhighway

As the cost of data storage continues to decline (currently about one-millionth of its cost four decades ago) entirely new applications areas become economically feasible. Many of these new areas involved the extraordinarily high data rates and universal connectivity soon to be provided by the National Information Infrastructure (NII). The commonly held belief is that the main driver for the NII will be entertainment applications. We believe that entertainment applications as currently touted (multi-media, 500 video channels, video-on-demand, etc.) will play an important but far from dominant role in the development of the NII and its data storage components. The most pervasively effective drivers will be medical applications such as telemedicine and remote diagnosis, education and environmental monitoring. These applications have a significant funding base and offer a clearly perceived opportunity to improve the nation's standard of living. The NII's wideband connectivity both nationwide and worldwide requires a broad spectrum of data storage devices with a wide-range of performance capabilities. These storage centers will be dispersed throughout the system. Magnetic recording devices will fill the majority of these new data storage requirements for at least the rest of this century. The storage needs of various application areas and their respective market sizes will be explored. The comparative performance of various magnetic technologies and competitive alternative storage systems will be discussed.

Johnson, Clark E., Jr.↗

DOE OSTI2024

Machine learning without a processor: Emergent learning in a nonlinear analog network

Standard deep learning algorithms require differentiating large nonlinear networks, a process that is slow and power-hungry. Electronic contrastive local learning networks (CLLNs) offer potentially fast, efficient, and fault-tolerant hardware for analog machine learning, but existing implementations are linear, severely limiting their capabilities. These systems differ significantly from artificial neural networks as well as the brain, so the feasibility and utility of incorporating nonlinear elements have not been explored. Here, we introduce a nonlinear CLLN—an analog electronic network made of self-adjusting nonlinear resistive elements based on transistors. We demonstrate that the system learns tasks unachievable in linear systems, including XOR (exclusive or) and nonlinear regression, without a computer. We find our decentralized system reduces modes of training error in order (mean, slope, curvature), similar to spectral bias in artificial neural networks. The circuitry is robust to damage, retrainable in seconds, and performs learned tasks in microseconds while dissipating only picojoules of energy across each transistor. This suggests enormous potential for fast, low-power computing in edge systems like sensors, robotic controllers, and medical devices, as well as manufacturability at scale for performing and studying emergent learning.

Science & Technology - Other Topics↗

NASA NTRSDate not supplied

Safety & Mission Assurance (SMA) Activities in Support of Artemis I and Plans for Artemis II

The Artemis I mission in 2022 accomplished humanity’s first venture beyond Low-Earth Orbit (LEO) with a human-rated spacecraft in over fifty years. Artemis comprises several key Program elements – Multi-Purpose Crew Vehicle (MPCV) Orion Crew Module, Service Module, Launch Abort System; the Space Launch System (SLS) and the Exploration Ground System (EGS). Much of our human spaceflight experience with crewed lunar missions is captured in historical program documents, but first-hand knowledge is limited to a few spaceflight veterans. Missions to LEO have offered the opportunity of direct, near-instantaneous communications and assistance, and the ability to return to Earth within a matter of hours in case of emergency. Outward-bound missions do not have these features and will require a more autonomous and reliable spacecraft. The assessment of compliance with applicable safety requirements and adequacy of hazard controls and verifications is the responsibility of the MPCV Safety and Engineering Review Panel (MSERP), along with a Joint [NASA/ESA] Safety and Engineering Review Panel (JSERP) for the review of the European Service Module (ESM). The MSERP has two features that are relatively unique amongst NASA safety panels. First, NASA Engineering was added as a Panel co-chair, which enhanced the Engineering organization’s engagement and level of understanding of hazard analysis methodology and results. The MSERP has representation from each office, including Flight Operations Directorate (FOD) and Health and Medical Technical Authority, supporting the Orion Program in addition to the Engineering and Safety Technical Authority co-chairs. Second, the JSERP has a second set of co-chairs from ESA Engineering and ESA Product Assurance and Safety organizations, which recognizes the international arrangement as one of partnership. This paper will focus on SMA processes, activities, and plans for the Orion element and explore unique challenges associated with Artemis II as we approach the flight of the first crewed Orion vehicle.

Paul J. Collier↗

NASA NTRS2009

Knowledge Discovery/A Collaborative Approach, an Innovative Solution

Collaboration between Medical Informatics and Healthcare Systems (MIHCS) at NASA/Johnson Space Center (JSC) and the Texas Medical Center (TMC) Library was established to investigate technologies for facilitating knowledge discovery across multiple life sciences research disciplines in multiple repositories. After reviewing 14 potential Enterprise Search System (ESS) solutions, Collexis was determined to best meet the expressed needs. A three month pilot evaluation of Collexis produced positive reports from multiple scientists across 12 research disciplines. The joint venture and a pilot-phased approach achieved the desired results without the high cost of purchasing software, hardware or additional resources to conduct the task. Medical research is highly compartmentalized by discipline, e.g. cardiology, immunology, neurology. The medical research community at large, as well as at JSC, recognizes the need for cross-referencing relevant information to generate best evidence. Cross-discipline collaboration at JSC is specifically required to close knowledge gaps affecting space exploration. To facilitate knowledge discovery across these communities, MIHCS combined expertise with the TMC library and found Collexis to best fit the needs of our researchers including:

Fitts, Mary A.↗

NASA NTRS1991

Spacecraft crew procedures from paper to computers

Described here is a research project that uses human factors and computer systems knowledge to explore and help guide the design and creation of an effective Human-Computer Interface (HCI) for spacecraft crew procedures. By having a computer system behind the user interface, it is possible to have increased procedure automation, related system monitoring, and personalized annotation and help facilities. The research project includes the development of computer-based procedure system HCI prototypes and a testbed for experiments that measure the effectiveness of HCI alternatives in order to make design recommendations. The testbed will include a system for procedure authoring, editing, training, and execution. Progress on developing HCI prototypes for a middeck experiment performed on Space Shuttle Mission STS-34 and for upcoming medical experiments are discussed. The status of the experimental testbed is also discussed.

Oneal, Michael↗

NASA NTRSDate not supplied

Managing HRP’S External Deliverables: The Process and the Customers

The Human Research Program’s (HRP) external deliverables (EDs) are the final outcomes of the research that the HRP Elements develop and execute. Four categories of HRP EDs exist: standards, requirements, countermeasures, and tools/technology. The NASA Human Health and Performance directorate’s primary stakeholders, i.e., the customers for the EDs, include the Office of the Chief Health and Medical Officer (OCHMO) (Standards Team, Chief Health and Performance Officers and Chief Medical Officers, Human System Risk Board), and the agency’s System Capability Leadership Teams. The EDs may address the need of a specific customer, a specific design reference mission, or a vehicle lifecycle milestone. HRP’s Maturation and Integration Office External Programs facilitates the process of delivering the EDs to the targeted customers according to the customer’s expectations. This presentation describes this coordinated process and provides an overview of the nature of different types of EDs and how they impact the customers’ products. Successful transfer of the EDs to the customers will help mitigate the health and performance risks that crewmembers will face during NASA’s future exploration missions.

HRP research external deliverables↗

NASA NTRSDate not supplied

Managing HRP's External Deliverables: The Process and the Customers

The Human Research Program’s (HRP) external deliverables (EDs) are the final outcomes of the research that the HRP Elements develop and execute. The NASA Human Health and Performance directorate’s primary stakeholders, i.e., the customers for the EDs, include the Office of the Chief Health and Medical Officer (OCHMO) (Standards Team, Chief Health and Performance Officers and Chief Medical Officers, Human System Risk Board), and the agency’s System Capability Leadership Teams. The EDs may address the need of a specific customer, a specific design reference mission, or a vehicle lifecycle milestone. HRP’s Maturation and Integration Office External Programs facilitates the process of delivering the EDs to the targeted customers according to the customer’s expectations. This presentation describes this coordinated process and provides an overview of the nature of different types of EDs and how they impact the customers’ products. Successful transfer of the EDs to the customers will help mitigate the health and performance risks that crewmembers will face during NASA’s future exploration missions.

research↗