Health Care of Astronauts

Abstract

The International Space Station (ISS) program is a major science and technology project that involves five space agencies, representing 15 countries. Japan started her full-dress participation in the project after successfully assembling the main parts of the Japanese Experiment Module, ''Kibo'', on the ISS in June 2008. Since March 2009, Astronaut Koichi Wakata has been carrying out the first Japanese long-duration mission on ISS. Muscle atrophy, bone loss, ex- posure to space radiation, and psychological stress are the main medical problems related to long-duration space flight. The medical operations team in each agency is working hard to take care of the astronauts and protect them from these medical problems. This team is composed of flight surgeons and other experts of various disciplines, including physiolog- ical countermeasures, nutrition, radiation, behavioral science, and environment. Five MedOps teams, one from each agency, form the Integrated Medical Group to work closely and cooperatively. Astronaut health care should be maintained continuously through pre-flight, in-flight, and post-flight. During the flight, the Crew Medical Offi cer will perform medical care activities using on-board medical equipment and drugs under supervision of flight surgeons on the ground. After the flight, long-duration mission crew members will undergo 45 days of rehabilitation.