RMP-INF-004 Air, water and surface sample collection: sampling-plan prompts, sample labelling, sealed carries and incubation log (the crew collect every sample)

1 · Identity and scope

At the times the environmental sampling plan sets (or on a crewmember's command), the robot prompts the crew; sampling starts only when a crewmember accepts. The robot brings the sealed sampling kit, checks each sample label against the plan (sample type, location, date and clock time, collector), carries only sealed samples to the incubation or return stowage the plan names, and logs incubation times and the read-outs the crew state. The crew collect every air, water and surface sample and read every result. The environmental lead and the flight surgeon compare results with the limits; the robot never does.

Why this protocol was chosen. ISS microbiology is routinely monitored by different collection methods and growth media, with testing on Earth; the in-flight acceptability limits are 1,000 bacterial and 100 fungal CFU (colony-forming units) per cubic metre of air, 10,000 bacterial and 100 fungal CFU per 100 cm2 of surface, and 50 CFU per mL of water with no coliforms (OCHMO-TB-046). Cultivable organisms on ISS surfaces ranged from 10^4 to 10^9 CFU per square metre (Checinska Sielaff 2019). NASA-STD-3001 requires microbiologically safe air and surfaces and water-quality monitoring (V2 6059, V2 7081, V2 6046). Labelling, sealed carries and logging are design judgment, following RMP-PREV-004. Water use while a result is pending is the commander's decision with the CMO's advice, under the onboard checklist (design judgment).

Autonomy: Max rung 2 for the scheduled prompt, bringing the sealed sampling kit, labelling samples against the sampling plan, carrying sealed samples to incubation or return stowage, and logging read-outs as the crew state them. The crew collect every sample and read every result; the robot never opens a sample or judges a result.

Related: RMP-INF-001 · RMP-INF-002 · RMP-INF-003 · RMP-PREV-004

2 · Roles

Medical authority

Flight surgeon (ground). Holds medical authority for every run.

Onboard lead

Crew medical officer (CMO), acting under delegated care; uses the pre-approved onboard checklist when there is no link.

Others

• Second trained CMO: receives every alert and takes over if the CMO is the patient
• Vehicle commander: leads any cabin emergency procedure
• Other crew: help as the CMO or commander directs
• Environmental lead (ground, with the flight surgeon): sets the sampling plan and reads every result against the limits

Commercial flights

On commercial flights, 'flight surgeon' and 'CMO' mean the operator's designated medical authority and trained onboard responder. If no trained responder is aboard, this protocol is not used. (NASA-STD-3001 requires two CMOs per vehicle for NASA programs [V1 3006]; FAA rules set no medical standards for spaceflight participants.) [9]

3 · Preconditions and consent

• PRE-1 The sampling run starts only when the crewmember (or the CMO) accepts the on-screen prompt; a loaded schedule alone never starts it. An unaccepted prompt is logged "not accepted" and the CMO is told. A crewmember or the CMO can also start it by command.human_start == trueV2 10174
• PRE-2 Robot self-test passed; kit stowage locations known.V2 10161V2 7059
• PRE-3 Robot and supplies restrained when not moving.V2 7046
• PRE-4 Link status known. The crew never wait for the robot before acting.link_state in [live, delayed, down]

Consent

Sampling involves no crewmember's body; the crew agree to their names being logged as collectors.

Emergency consent

A sampling run stops at once for any emergency.

Withdrawal

The crew can stop a run at any time; samples not taken are listed as "not taken".

4 · Required sensor inputs

5–6 · Steps and decision points

Each step names who acts. Decision points sit after the step they follow and say who decides: Robot Crew Ground. Any stop rule in section 7 can interrupt any step.

1. S1RobotRung 2

   Tell the flight surgeon and the environmental lead that a sampling run is due or has started (logged and sent with the next package; URGENT only if a red flag is stated). The sampling run starts only when the crewmember (or the CMO) accepts the on-screen prompt; a loaded schedule alone never starts it. An unaccepted prompt is logged "not accepted" and the CMO is told. A crewmember or the CMO can also start it by command. Every URGENT alert goes to the CMO and the flight surgeon at the same time (queued for the flight surgeon if the link is down). If the CMO is the patient, is busy treating, or does not answer, the alert goes to the second trained CMO, or the crewmember named before flight [V1 3006]. An URGENT alert that is not acknowledged within <set by validation> seconds is repeated and sent to the next named crewmember.

   Done when: Notice logged; prompt accepted or "not accepted" logged.

   V2 10174V1 3006

2. S2RobotRung 2

   Bring the sealed environmental sampling kit from its stowage, check its kit ID and seal against the plan before hand-over, and hand it over closed; a kit whose ID or seal does not match is held and the crew are told.

   Done when: Kit handed over closed, or held.

   Limit: <set by validation>

   V2 7059

3. S3Crew

   The crew collect each air, water and surface sample at the locations and times the plan states, wearing gloves, and close each sample in its sealed bag.

   Done when: Samples collected and sealed, or "not taken".

   V2 6059V2 7081V2 6046

4. S4RobotRung 2

   Scan each sample label and compare it with the plan (sample type, location, date and clock time, collector). Show "labels match the sampling plan" only when every field matches; otherwise show "label mismatch – sample held" with the fields named; the robot never relabels. Only the collector corrects a label, and only if they can confirm the location and time from the plan; the robot logs the original and the corrected label. Otherwise the crew discard or repeat the sample as the plan states, as in RMP-PREV-004.

   Done when: Each sample shown with its result.

   V2 7059

5. S5RobotRung 2

   Carry only sealed sample bags the crew have closed to the incubation or return stowage the plan names, never opening them, and log the incubation start time. Then hold at the cleaning point until the crew have cleaned the gripper under RMP-INF-002.

   Done when: Sealed samples stowed; times logged.

   V2 6063

6. S6RobotRung 2

   At the read-out time the plan sets, show an on-screen prompt; the crew read each result and state it, and the robot logs it word for word as "count as stated by the crew". It never reads, counts or judges a result.

   Done when: Read-outs logged or "not read".

   V1 6003

7. S7RobotRung 2

   Ask the crewmember who collected the samples, on screen or by voice, whether they saw mould, a spill, or water that looked or smelled unusual, and whether anyone feels unwell; log the answers word for word.

   Done when: Answers logged or "no response".

   V1 6003

   D1DecisionRobot decides

   Checked after every answer and at any point in the run (even mid-question or mid-step): does any answer, reading or observation meet a red flag?

   • Yes → Stop the current question or step at once and apply the action listed for each matching red flag (URGENT alert, flag, or stop), with the answer or reading itself, never a cause. Every URGENT alert goes to the CMO and the flight surgeon at the same time (queued for the flight surgeon if the link is down). If the CMO is the patient, is busy treating, or does not answer, the alert goes to the second trained CMO, or the crewmember named before flight [V1 3006]. An URGENT alert that is not acknowledged within <set by validation> seconds is repeated and sent to the next named crewmember.
   • No → Continue.
   D2DecisionRobot decides

   Did the crewmember answer the questions, or say they want to skip them?

   • Yes → Continue.
   • Declined explicitly (the crewmember says no to a question) → Log "declined" for that question only; the alert already sent stands.
   • No response, or the answer does not make sense → URGENT: log "no response" (never "declined"); the CMO, or the second trained CMO if the CMO is the patient, checks the crewmember in person at once.
8. S8RobotRung 2

   After any URGENT alert: After an URGENT alert the robot does not leave on its own: it stays at its rest position in the module, with its screen and voice link available, until a human has taken over or tells it to go. It never follows, blocks or touches anyone. It keeps time-stamping what humans say they did, and repeats the alert if it is not acknowledged.

   Done when: Robot at rest in the module until a human releases it; alert acknowledged or escalated.

   V2 10173V1 3006

9. S9Ground

   The environmental lead and the flight surgeon (or the commander and CMO under the onboard checklist when there is no link) compare the results with the limits and decide on cleaning and repeat samples; water use while a result is pending, or after RF3, is the commander's decision with the CMO's advice, under the onboard checklist (with a link, the environmental lead and flight surgeon advise).

   Done when: Decision logged.

   V2 6046

   D3DecisionGround decides

   What cleaning, water use or repeat sampling applies?

   • Link live → Flight surgeon decides on cleaning and repeat samples; water use while a result is pending, or after RF3, is the commander's decision with the CMO's advice, under the onboard checklist, and the environmental lead and flight surgeon advise; robot logs.
   • Link down or delay too long → The CMO decides on cleaning and repeat samples under the pre-approved onboard checklist; water use while a result is pending, or after RF3, is the commander's decision with the CMO's advice, under the onboard checklist; the flight surgeon reviews the log at the next contact.
10. S10RobotRung 2

    Send one package to the environmental lead and the flight surgeon: samples taken and not taken, labels, times, read-outs as stated, answers and alerts.

    Done when: Package delivered or queued.

    V1 6003

7 · Stop and escalate rules, red flags

Red flags

The robot reports the sign or value only, never what it means. Numeric thresholds are placeholders for the clinical lead.

8 · Safety limits

9 · Logs and audit

• LOG-1 Every input, robot action, decision (with who made it) and hand-off, time-stamped to the second.V2 10163V2 10164
• LOG-2 Mode changes and safety-limit events are announced to the operator as they happen and logged.V2 10162V2 10172
• LOG-3 Records are stored and sent as private medical data, encrypted, with access limited to the medical team.V1 6003V1 7003
• LOG-4 Results are kept in a permanent, retrievable format so the flight surgeon can see trends.V1 7001
• LOG-5 Prompt and acceptance; each sample with type, location, time, collector and label result; incubation start; read-outs as stated; answers as stated; sealed carries.
• LOG-6 Each URGENT alert, who received it, the time it was acknowledged (or the escalation to the next named crewmember), and the time a human released the robot.V2 10163

10 · Links to NASA-STD-3001

IDs as published in Volume 1 Revision C [4] and Volume 2 Revision F [5]. NASA-STD-3001 binds NASA programs; it is not a regulation for commercial flights. Its robot rules are general automation requirements, not medical-device rules.

11 · Validation

1. Simulation. Scripted runs with a label mismatch, a leaking bag, mould stated, an alarm mid-run, lost link. Pass: Zero samples opened; zero results judged; every red flag raised.
2. Training model. Mock sampling run with all three sample types. Pass: Every label checked; every carry sealed.
3. Parabolic or station demonstration. Sealed carries in weightlessness. Pass: No loose items.
4. Flight use under flight surgeon supervision. First runs alongside the crew's manual log. Pass: Agreement with the manual log.

No stage has been run. Pass and fail criteria must be fixed in advance by the clinical lead and safety board.

12 · Human sign-off

Before any use

• Clinical lead for the specialty (sets every clinical threshold marked <set by clinical lead>)
• Flight surgeon, as medical authority
• Robotics and medical-device safety board
• Program approval for the mission

Each run

Started by an accepted prompt or a crewmember's command. The crew collect and read every sample; the environmental lead and flight surgeon judge every result.

Restart after a stop

Human only. After any emergency or protective stop, a crewmember must restart the robot; the robot never restarts itself.

None of these sign-offs has happened. This is a Draft v0.2.

13 · Change control for learning

• Every change gets a new version number and a written reason; earlier versions are kept.
• Any change to steps, thresholds, limits or software that touches the patient repeats validation from the simulation stage before use.
• Software and learned-skill updates follow a pre-agreed change plan (what may change, how it is tested, how to roll back), modeled on the FDA predetermined change control plan approach.
• If a new version misbehaves, the robot rolls back to the last validated version and the event is reviewed by the flight surgeon and safety board.
• The robot never changes its own protocol, thresholds or limits.

Change-plan model: FDA guidance [8].

Loss of signal and Mars delay

Live link

Low Earth orbit: results reach the environmental lead when the link allows.

Loss of signal

• Only the robot pauses non-essential motion, at a position clear of hatch routes and crew routes, and tells the CMO; it resumes offline only on the CMO's confirmation.
• Crew sampling, care already under way and all other care continue under the onboard checklist and never wait for the link or the robot.
• Results are queued; water use while a result is pending, or after RF3, is the commander's decision with the CMO's advice, under the onboard checklist.

Mars-class delay

• Mars: water use while a result is pending, or after RF3, is the commander's decision with the CMO's advice, under the onboard checklist; results are reviewed with delay.

[7]

Sources

1. NASA OCHMO. Microbiology. Technical Brief OCHMO-TB-046 Rev A (2025). www.nasa.gov/wp-content/uploads/2025/05/ochmo-tb-046-microbi… Supports: ISS microbiology is routinely monitored by various collection methods, growth on different media and testing on Earth; culture-based monitoring needs sample return for identification. In-flight acceptability limits: air 1,000 bacterial and 100 fungal CFU (colony-forming units) per cubic metre; surfaces 10,000 bacterial and 100 fungal CFU per 100 cm2; water 50 CFU per mL with no detectable coliforms. Read Oct 21, 2026 (saved copy in src/b12).
2. Checinska Sielaff A, Urbaniak C, Mohan GBM, et al. Characterization of the total and viable bacterial and fungal communities associated with the International Space Station surfaces. Microbiome. 2019;7(1):50. PMID 30955503. doi:10.1186/s40168-019-0666-x Supports: Cultivable bacteria and fungi on ISS surfaces ranged from 10^4 to 10^9 CFU per square metre depending on location; the dominant organisms are associated with the human microbiome and may include opportunistic pathogens. Abstract read.
3. Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry (CDC). Medical Management Guidelines for Ammonia (NH3). Fetched Oct 21, 2026. wwwn.cdc.gov/TSP/MMG/MMGDetails.aspx?mmgid=7&toxid=2 Supports: NIOSH IDLH (immediately dangerous to life or health) 300 ppm. Ammonia is corrosive to eyes, skin and airways; upper airway swelling and pulmonary edema may lead to airway obstruction; after severe exposure, injury to the eyes, lungs and skin may continue to develop for 18 to 24 hours. Eye exposure: irrigate with plain water or saline for at least 15 minutes. Rescuers should be trained and appropriately attired before entering the contaminated (hot) zone. No antidote; treatment is supportive (humidified oxygen is given by clinicians).
4. NASA. NASA-STD-3001, Space Flight Human-System Standard, Volume 1: Crew Health, Revision C (2023). www.nasa.gov/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/nasa-std-3001-vol-1-… Supports: NASA-STD-3001 Vol 1 Rev C: V1 3006, V1 6003.
5. NASA. NASA-STD-3001, Volume 2: Human Factors, Habitability, and Environmental Health (Rev F, 2026), including Section 10.6 Automated and Robotic Systems. standards.nasa.gov/standard/NASA/NASA-STD-3001_VOL_2 Supports: NASA-STD-3001 Vol 2 Rev F: V2 6046, V2 6059, V2 6063, V2 7059, V2 7081, and Section 10.6 automated and robotic systems.
6. NASA OCHMO. Medical Operations. Technical Brief OCHMO-TB-044 (2025). www.nasa.gov/wp-content/uploads/2025/08/ochmo-tb-044-medical… Supports: The crew surgeon keeps medical authority when care is delegated; crew medical officers train on the JSC 48522 medical checklist.
7. NASA. Mars communications disruption and delay (fact sheet, 2023 Moon to Mars Architecture Concept Review). www.nasa.gov/wp-content/uploads/2024/01/mars-communications-… Supports: One-way Earth-Mars delay up to about 21-23 minutes, plus blackouts of about 2-3 weeks near solar conjunction.
8. U.S. Food and Drug Administration. Marketing submission recommendations for a predetermined change control plan for artificial intelligence-enabled device software functions (guidance). www.fda.gov/regulatory-information/search-fda-guidance-docum… Supports: A model for planning, validating and rolling back software updates.
9. U.S. Code of Federal Regulations, Title 14, Part 460: Human space flight requirements. www.ecfr.gov/current/title-14/chapter-III/subchapter-C/part-… Supports: Federal rules for crew and spaceflight participants on licensed commercial flights; they set no medical standards for spaceflight participants.

Checked on 2026-10-20: links opened (HTTP 200 or publisher redirect), DOIs and PubMed IDs matched, NASA documents read in full text. The framework comes from Part 1.