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Completed TRL 3 (started at 1, targeting 9)
The scope of the Crew Health Countermeasures (CHC) Systems Capability Leadership Team (SCLT) encompasses matters and concerns of human health and performance in support of exploration spaceflight activities and operations. The primary objective is to develop technologies needed to enable and optimize astronaut health and performance during exploration missions and long-term health. Five CHC Gaps are proposed based upon the priorities identified in the CHC Strategic Roadmap:
The Exercise System Gap (CHP.CHC.EXERCISE) aims to develop exercise countermeasures and assessment tools to maintain and monitor physical health and enable performance of critical exploration mission tasks during 0-gravity and reduced-gravity exploration missions. This requires identifying exploration exercise modality needs and design requirements (specifically, the need for in-flight treadmill exercise), developing and evaluating new exploration exercise device prototypes in 1g and on the International Space Station (ISS), and optimizing new exercise software that aligns with exploration data architecture plans, including clearly-defined objectives from end users, stakeholders, and subject matter experts.
The Exercise Vibration Isolation System Gap (CHP.CHC.VIS) aims to develop vibration isolation stabilization systems (VIS) that house exercise hardware to protect vehicles from loads imparted during exercise. Exploration forward VIS systems will need to protect the vehicle and provide sufficient stabilization for the exerciser during performance of all critical exercises. These enabling capabilities need to be achieved within exploration vehicle power, thermal, mass, and volume limitations.
The CHC & Performance Informatics Gap (CHP.CHC.INFO) aims to develop and test ground-based and in-flight informatics tools that are needed to monitor and optimize crew health and performance capabilities via improving use of exploration countermeasures use during increasingly earth-independent, resource-constrained, and long-duration mission operations. An Integrated Data Architecture is needed to operationalize these tools and enable near real time feedback.
The Disorientation Countermeasures and Assessment Tools Gap (CHP.CHC.NEURO) aims to develop and validate sensorimotor countermeasures and assessment tools that enhance preflight disorientation training, maintain inflight physical performance and accelerate recovery following transitions between gravity environments, enabling performance of critical exploration mission tasks during long-duration and reduced-gravity exploration missions.
The Cardiovascular Countermeasures Gap (CHP.CHC.CARDIO) aims to develop countermeasures and assessment tools to mitigate the long-term health and operational risks associated with cardiovascular structural and functional changes during and following long-duration and reduced-gravity exploration missions.
These efforts were transitioned to full projects and each one now has its own TechPort record, which can be found in the “Transitions” field of this record.
The CHC SCLT is an essential element in ensuring and optimizing astronaut health and performance during exploration missions, including pre-, in-, and post-flight activities via development and evaluation of countermeasures hardware and software systems. These efforts will ultimately mitigate the risks of loss of mission objectives, crew injury, or even loss of life by protecting crew's ability to perform mission critical tasks.
(CHP.CHC.EXERCISE) These efforts will develop requirements for Artemis, Gateway, and Mars exploration exercise systems. These requirements will include an understanding of exercise modality effects on crew health, software architectures that capture both the operational and performance enhancement perspectives, and ISS evaluations for crew acceptance, feasibility of use in 0g, and efficacy of the device to maintain multi-system health and performance of mission critical tasks.
(CHP.CHC.VIS) Exploration forward VIS systems are needed to protect the vehicle and provide sufficient stabilization for the exerciser during performance of all critical exercises.
(CHP.CHC.INFO) Ground-based and in-flight informatics tools, utilizing a Crew Health & Performance Integrated Data Architecture, are needed to monitor and optimize crew health and performance via improved use of exploration countermeasures during increasingly Earth-independent, resource-constrained, and long-duration mission operations.
(CHP.CHC.NEURO) Sensorimotor assessment and countermeasure tools are needed to enhance preflight training, maintain inflight conditioning, and accelerate recovery following transitions between gravity environments. Current efforts include augmenting the preflight disorientation training through motion simulations and portable trainers, augmenting the pre- and postflight assessment tools used by trainers, and developing an inflight proprioceptive training devices for exploration missions.
(CHP.CHC.CARDIO) Cardiovascular deconditioning can result in low blood volume, cardiac atrophy, vascular dysfunction, orthostatic intolerance, and reduced work capacity, affecting an astronaut’s ability to perform work during and immediately after spaceflight. Countermeasures and assessment tools are therefore needed to mitigate the long-term health and operational risks associated with cardiovascular structural and functional changes during and following long-duration and reduced-gravity exploration missions.
Most of these projects are at a Technology Readiness Level (TRL) of 2-4, the early stages of technological formulation and proof-of-concept validation. The goal for each project is to reach a TRL of 8-9, producing complete systems that are flight-qualified through testing and demonstration and/or proven through successful mission operations.
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