1.0 Scope
1 SCOPE
The scope of this NASA Technical Standard is restricted to human spaceflight missions and includes activities affecting crew in all phases of the life cycle (design, development, test, operations, maintenance), both inside and outside the spacecraft, while on Earth, in space, and on extraterrestrial surfaces.
1.1 Purpose
The purpose of this NASA Technical Standard is to provide uniform technical requirements for crew health, performance, training, medical operations, design, selection, and application of hardware, software, processes, procedures, practices, and methods for human-rated systems. This technical standard has been established to guide and focus the development of the crew health technical requirements as a means of protecting spacefaring crews. NASA-STD-3001, Spaceflight Human-System Standard, is a two-volume set of NASA Agency-level technical requirements established by the Office of the Chief Health and Medical Officer (OCHMO), directed at minimizing health and performance risks for flight crews in human spaceflight programs.
NASA’s policy for establishing technical requirements to protect the health and safety of crew and for providing health and medical programs for crewmembers during all phases of spaceflight is authorized by NPD 1000.3, The NASA Organization, and NPD 8900.5, NASA Health and Medical Policy for Human Space Exploration. NPD 8900.1, Medical Operations Responsibilities in Support of Human Space Flight Programs, and NPD 8900.3, Astronaut Medical and Dental Observation Study and Care Program, authorize the specific provision of health and medical programs for crewmembers. NASA’s policy is to establish technical requirements for providing a healthy and safe environment for crewmembers and to provide health and medical programs for crewmembers during all phases of spaceflight. Technical requirements are established to maintain crew health and performance, contributing to overall mission success and preventing negative long-term health consequences related to spaceflight. In this NASA Technical Standard, the OCHMO establishes NASA’s spaceflight crew health technical requirements for the pre-mission, in-mission, and postmission phases of human spaceflight.
All technical requirements are based on the best available scientific and clinical evidence, as well as operational experience from Gemini, Apollo, Skylab, Shuttle, Shuttle/Mir (Russian space station), International Space Station (ISS) missions and Commercial Crew Program (CCP). Technical requirements are periodically and regularly reviewed, especially as the concept of operations and mission parameters for a program become defined and may be updated as new evidence emerges.
NASA-STD-3001, Volume 1: Crew Health, sets technical requirements for fitness for duty, spaceflight permissible exposure limits (PEL), permissible outcome limits (POL), health and medical care, medical diagnosis, intervention, treatment and care, and countermeasures. This volume considers human physiologic parameters as a system, much as one views the engineering and design of a mechanical device. Doing so allows the human-system to be viewed as an integral part of the overall vehicle design process, as well as the mission reference design, treating the human-system as one system along with the many other systems that work in concert to allow the nominal operation of a vehicle and successful completion of a mission.
The technical requirements presented in this volume of the NASA Technical Standard are intended to complement the overall set of human technical requirements for spaceflight, which also includes NASA-STD-3001, Volume 2: Human Factors, Habitability and Environmental Health; OCHMOSTD-100.1A, NASA Astronaut Medical Standards Selection and Annual Recertification; and current medical standards of clinical practice
NASA-STD-3001, Volume 2: Human Factors, Habitability, and Environmental Health sets technical standards for human system integration, human physical and cognitive capabilities and limitations, and spacecraft (including orbiters, surface vehicles, habitats, and suits) internal environments, habitability, architecture and hardware and equipment. It also includes technical requirements for ground processing, facilities, payloads, and related equipment, hardware, and software systems with which the crew interfaces during space operations. This volume considers human-system integration where the context is about how the human crew interacts with other systems, including the habitat and the environment. The focus is on performance issues during a mission—whether the human and the system can function together (within the environment and habitat) and accomplish the tasks necessary for mission success.
Combined, these volumes provide Agency technical requirements for an appropriate environment for human habitation, certification of human participants, the necessary level of medical care, and risk-mitigation strategies against the deleterious effects of spaceflight. These technical requirements help ensure mission completion, limit morbidity, and reduce the risk of mortality during spaceflight missions.
NASA/SP-2010-3407, Human Integration Design Handbook (HIDH) is a compendium of human spaceflight history and knowledge and serves as resource for implementing NASA-STD-3001 by providing the background, data, and guidance necessary to derive and implement program- and project-specific requirements that in are in compliance with NASA-STD-3001. It is organized in the same sequence as NASA-STD-3001, Volume 2, and provides useful background information and research findings. The HIDH is also meant to help program planners, designers, and human factors and health practitioners achieve a successful integration of humans and systems. A complementary reference document to the HIDH is NASA/TP-2014-218556, Human Integration Design Processes (HIDP). The HIDP describes the “how-to” processes, including methodologies and best practices that NASA has used during the development of crewed space systems and operations. Additional supplementary resource information can be found on the OCHMO Human Spaceflight and Aviation Standards webpage (https://www.nasa.gov/ochmo/health-operations-and-oversight/hsa-standards/).
1.2 Program/Project Implementation
Applicability of individual technical requirements may change based on individual program/project parameters and must be considered to ensure cost-effective implementation of this NASA Technical Standard. Therefore, all technical requirements in this NASA Technical Standard are applicable to all NASA human spaceflight programs/missions/projects unless determined otherwise and agreed to by the delegated Technical Authority based on the following criteria:
- Gravitational Environment,
- Full Mission Duration ,
- Time to receive terrestrial medical capability,
- Radiation Environment,
- Spacesuit Capability,
- Destination,
- Mission Phase, or
- Other definable mission parameter.
As per NPR 7120.5, NASA Space Flight Program and Project Management Technical Requirements, during the systems requirements phase of program or project development, technical requirements applicability will be determined based on the program’s mission parameters. Refer to Figure 1.2-1—Applicability, Tailoring, and Verification of Requirements for Human Space Flight Programs/Projects, for the process of applicability, tailoring, and verification of requirements for programs or projects.
Figure 1.2-1—Applicability, Tailoring, and Verification of Technical Requirements for Human Space Flight Programs/Projects
1.2.2 Full Mission Duration Applicability
In order to protect human health and performance from exposures or conditions that have a cumulative effect, technical requirements will be tailored into program requirements pertaining to the full mission duration (from launch of crew through their landing back on Earth) for each human spaceflight vehicle or habitat which is used to conduct one or more segments of a multi-segment or multi-vehicle mission, even if their isolated segment would have allowed for higher exposures on its own.
Missions may be comprised of consecutive segments that occur in different vehicles, take place in different locations in space with varying distances from Earth, and last for different durations. Many requirements that pertain to cumulative exposures and conditions (such as Permissible Exposure Limits) have been tailored (relaxed) to accommodate short missions Customization: Customizing is meeting the intent of the requirement through alternative approaches and/or modification of recommended practices and does not require waivers or deviations. For example, utilizing an industry standard that is equivalent to a NASA standard. (Source: NPR 7123.1C) Standard or Technical Standard (STD): A document that establishes uniform health, medical, engineering or technical criteria, methods, processes, and practices. Tailoring: The process used to adjust or seek relief from a prescribed requirement to accommodate the needs of a specific task or activity (i.e., program or project). The tailoring process results in the generation of deviations and waivers depending on the timing of the request. (Source: NPR 7120.5) Program-Specific Requirement: Detailed verifiable requirement based on a unique program’s detailed mission operations and defined task. May be the same as a standard— “Agency requirement.” Standards Agency-level requirements that are associated with an agreed to risk posture. Applicability Selection of which standards are applicable to a program. Tailoring Modifying a standard or program requirement with approval to generate or modify a specific program requirement. Program-Specific Requirements A detailed requirement levied on a program that must be verified. If not met, a waiver must be initiated and approved. Verification Process Proof of compliance with requirements. Verification may be determined by a combination of test, analysis, demonstration, and inspection.
1.3 Tailoring
In accordance with NPR 7120.5, NASA Space Flight Program and Project Management Technical requirements, tailoring is the process used to adjust or seek relief from a prescribed technical requirement to accommodate the needs of a specific task or activity (e.g., program or project). The tailoring process results in the generation of deviations and waivers depending on the timing of the request. The tailoring of the technical requirements from this NASA Technical Standard for application to a specific program or project shall be formally documented as part of program or project requirements and require formal approval from the HMTA/OCHMO by the NASA Chief Health and Medical Officer or delegated Program Representative in accordance with NPR 7120.5.
1.4 Authority
NASA policy for establishing Standards to provide health, performance, and medical programs for crewmembers during all phases of spaceflight and to protect the health, performance, and safety of the crew is authorized by NPD 1000.3, The NASA Organization, and NPD 8900.5, NASA Health and Medical Policy for Human Space Exploration.
