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6 articles tagged
Behavioral Health & Performance in Isolation and Confinement
Psychological, sleep and team-dynamics effects of long periods in small, isolated and confined crews.
Isolation & ConfinementDistance from EarthBehavioral Health & Sleep
SMF-T-0011 · draftOrthostatic Intolerance on Landing
Difficulty maintaining blood pressure when upright after return to gravity, causing lightheadedness or presyncope.
Gravity FieldsCardiovascular
SMF-T-0009 · draftSpaceflight Bone Loss
Unloading in microgravity drives loss of bone mineral, particularly at weight-bearing sites, with incomplete recovery after return.
Gravity FieldsMusculoskeletalRenal & GU
SMF-T-0006 · draftSpaceflight-Associated Neuro-ocular Syndrome (SANS)
Optic disc edema, globe flattening, choroidal folds and hyperopic shifts observed in long-duration astronauts.
Gravity FieldsHostile/Closed EnvironmentNeuro-ophthalmicNeurological & Cognitive
SMF-T-0007 · draftSpace Motion Sickness & Space Adaptation Syndrome
Nausea, malaise and vomiting in the first days of weightlessness as the vestibular system adapts.
Gravity FieldsVestibular & SensorimotorGI & Nutrition
SMF-T-0002 · draftSpace Radiation Environment & Biological Effects
Beyond low Earth orbit, crews are exposed to galactic cosmic rays and solar particle events that are difficult to shield and raise long-term health concerns.
RadiationOncologyNeurological & Cognitive
Clinical articles (16)
Medical standards overview
What NASA's crew health standard actually requires, how astronauts are medically selected and recertified, and what that means for a clinician who sees space travelers.
◆◆◆◆ High · E F
SMF-C-0012 · protocol · draftBehavioral health monitoring
What psychological problems have occurred in spaceflight, how agencies select, train, monitor and support crews, what isolation analogs teach us, and how to help with reintegration after return.
◆◆◇◇ Low · F A E
SMF-C-0005 · countermeasure · draftBone loss countermeasures
How much bone astronauts lose, what prevents it (resistance exercise, nutrition, and in research, bisphosphonates), how NASA monitors BMD with DXA, T-scores and FRAX, and what a primary care clinician should do after a long flight.
◆◆◆◇ Moderate · F A E
SMF-C-0002 · protocol · draftSFP screening
How to approach a patient who wants to fly as a paying passenger: what the FAA does and does not require, what published guidance recommends, and which conditions deserve a closer look.
◆◆◇◇ Low · E A F
SMF-C-0014 · protocol · draftDCS & EVA
Why spacewalks carry decompression risk, how prebreathe protocols prevent it, how DCS is recognized and treated without a hyperbaric chamber, and other EVA hazards (CO2, water in the helmet, hand injuries) — with links to dive and altitude medicine.
◆◆◆◇ Moderate · E A F
SMF-C-0006 · countermeasure · draftExercise countermeasures
What spaceflight does to aerobic capacity and muscle, NASA's fitness standards in plain numbers, how in-flight exercise works, and how to prescribe reconditioning after return.
◆◆◆◇ Moderate · F A E
SMF-C-0013 · topic · draftKidney stones
Why spaceflight raises stone-forming risk (bone calcium loss, low urine volume), what prevents it, how a stone would be recognized in flight, and what to watch for in the year after return.
◆◆◆◇ Moderate · F C E
SMF-C-0010 · topic · draftEmergencies & evacuation
What medical care is actually available on a spacecraft, who provides it, how evacuation works from orbit, and why the model changes completely for lunar and Mars missions.
◆◆◆◇ Moderate · F E C
SMF-C-0009 · topic · draftSpace pharmacy & drug stability
What astronauts actually take, whether drugs still work in space, what happens to medications stored for months to years, and how to plan a formulary for missions far from resupply.
◆◆◇◇ Low · F E M
SMF-C-0008 · protocol · draftOrthostatic intolerance on landing
Why returning space travelers get lightheaded or faint when they stand, how agencies prevent it (fluid/salt loading, compression garments, recumbent seating), and how to assess and treat it in the ED or clinic.
◆◆◆◇ Moderate · F A E
SMF-C-0011 · topic · draftPOCUS in space
How ultrasound became the main imaging tool in space — remote-guided FAST, echo, eye and kidney scans, and routine screening of the jugular veins for thrombosis — and what that means for clinicians on the ground.
◆◆◆◇ Moderate · F E
SMF-C-0015 · guide · draftPostflight recovery & surveillance
A timeline of what to expect after landing — day 0 to day 45 and beyond — what NASA measures and when, which problems can persist for months or years, and how lifelong occupational surveillance works.
◆◆◆◇ Moderate · F E
SMF-C-0000 · guide · draftClinician quick-start
A one-page orientation for GPs, emergency physicians, nurses and flight/aviation doctors: what to ask, what to check, the red flags, and where to find the details — before and after spaceflight.
◆◆◆◇ Moderate · E F
SMF-C-0003 · countermeasure · draftRadiation limits & monitoring
NASA's radiation limits in plain clinical terms, how crew dose is monitored, what shielding can and cannot do, and what it means for a patient's lifetime cancer screening.
◆◆◆◇ Moderate · E C F M
SMF-C-0004 · protocol · draftSANS management
How space agencies screen for and manage optic disc edema, globe flattening, choroidal folds and hyperopic shift in long-duration flyers — and how to evaluate a returning astronaut's eyes.
◆◆◆◇ Moderate · F A E
SMF-C-0007 · protocol · draftSpace motion sickness
Who gets space motion sickness, how it is graded, why promethazine is NASA's treatment of choice, what else is used, and how to manage the same symptoms after landing.
◆◆◆◇ Moderate · F E