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WP10 – MEDICAL ASPECTS
Screening, monitoring and training of the passengers
(WP10 – Medical Aspects)
Natacha BENMESBAH – Willy BONNEUIL – Tristan COSCULLUELA – Jérémy RABINEAU
ISAE, formation SupAéro & UT3 Paul Sabatier – Toulouse
Commercial suborbital flight represents a
novel situation from a medical point of
view. There is no current data on the
human body’s behaviour on a flight profile
including acceleration, 3 to 5 minutes of
microgravity and deceleration with a peak
altitude of 100 km. Besides the regulatory
mechanisms
toward
space
flight
environment of a non-trained body with any
possible pathology are unknown. Yet, the
first commercial suborbital flights will
require a medical frame capable of
ensuring passengers safety as well as
good progress of their flight. Our aim is to
determine medical standards for flight
aptitude, and to design a training program
and monitoring strategies for pre-flight, in-
flight, and post-flight phases.
Our system survey conducted around the
passenger led to our identifying of the
actors within and outside of the cabin, and
the ways in which these interact with the
passenger. We thus quantified the
environmental conditions of suborbital
flight.
We then explained the regulatory
mechanisms of the human body toward
these conditions: general case, then
suborbital case, before evaluating them
during centrifuge experimentation. We
deduced from that recommendations to be
provided to spaceflight operators, related to
vehicle design and equipment to be carried
on board. Then, we determined which
pathologies would impair the regular
function of the regulatory mechanisms and
which pathologies would be aggravated by
spaceflight.
Several companies offer training for
commercial suborbital flight. We analyzed
the elements thereof, both from the legal
point of view of emergency procedures,
and concerning familiarization with the
environmental conditions.
We then designed a pre-flight monitoring
program in which we suggest a template
for medical screening. Besides, we
evaluated the conditions of in-flight
monitoring: parameters to be monitored,
along with available equipment and
medical crew. We finally defined the
methods for post-flight monitoring.
No medical study will be definitive as long
as the first flights have not taken place.
Data from those flights will build up a
reliable database which will help determine
the validity of our conclusions and
recommendations
.