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NASA
Procedural
Requirements

NPR 8900.1B
Effective Date: December 16, 2016
Expiration Date: September 08, 2025

COMPLIANCE IS MANDATORY FOR NASA EMPLOYEES

Subject: NASA Health and Medical Requirements for Human Space Exploration

Responsible Office: Office of the Chief Health & Medical Officer

Chapter 1. Institutional and Programmatic Health and Medical Requirements and Responsibilities for Human Space Exploration

1.1 Overview

1.1.1 As stated in NASA Policy Directive (NPD) 8900.5, it is NASA's policy to provide a safe and healthy environment for crewmembers, including provision of health, medical care, environmental systems, programs, and countermeasures for all mission phases; establishment of health and medical, human performance, habitability, and environmental standards; and, sponsorship of health-related and clinical research.

1.1.2 This NPR establishes health and medical requirements for human space flight and the responsibilities for their implementation.

a. The policies for NASA medical operations and astronaut care are provided in NPD 8900.1 and NPD 8900.3.

b. The policy for protection of human research subjects is provided in NPD 7100.8.

c. The requirements for implementation of the Health and Medical Technical Authority are provided in NPR 7120.11.

1.2 NASA Health and Medical Standards for Human Space Exploration

1.2.1 NASA health, human performance, and medical standards for human space exploration will be established according to the process presented in Appendix C. The health, human performance, and medical standards apply to all NASA human space flight programs and NASA-contracted human space flight programs, as specified in contractual specifications. Health, human performance, and medical standards for human space exploration are documented as follows:

a. NASA-STD-3001 Vol. 1 standards cover the main physiologic parameters associated with the health and successful operation of the human system. They are not all encompassing but do address those areas where the human system has shown particular vulnerability in response to adaptation or exposure to applicable mission environments. These include appropriate levels of medical care, permissible exposure limits, fitness-for-duty criteria, and permissible outcome limits as a means of defining successful operating criteria for the human system.

b. NASA-STD-3001 Vol. 2 addresses habitability and environmental health, focuses on human physical and cognitive capabilities and limitations and defines standards for spacecraft (including, vehicles, habitats, and suits), internal environments, facilities, payloads, and related equipment, hardware, and software systems with which the crew interfaces during space operations.

c. OCHMO 80771201MED establishes and documents standards that address health and medical screening, evaluation, and certification of crewmembers.

1.2.2 Management and privacy of medical information and data are as follows:

a. Collection, control of records, communications, and public release of all astronaut medical care, biomedical, and medical research data will comply with the privacy requirements of NPR 1382.1 and the provisions of the Privacy Act of 1974, as amended.

b. Records will be disposed of in accordance with NPR 1441.1.

c. Requests, reviews, and potential release of human medical and research data will also comply with the established NASA policy, JSC-66306.

1.3 Institutional and Programmatic Roles and Responsibilities

1.3.1 General

a. The roles and responsibilities of senior management are defined in part in NPD 1000.0 and NPD 1000.3.

b. NPD 8900.5 defines explicit health and medical responsibilities for human space exploration. NPD 7120.4, NPR 7120.5, NPR 7120.8, and other NASA directives define the explicit program/project management responsibilities of program and project managers.

c. The NASA OCHMO shall serve as the office of primary responsibility providing leadership, policy direction, assessment, and coordination of the technical requirements and process compliance verification for this NPR.

1.3.2 The Chief Health and Medical Officer (CHMO) or designee, shall:

a. Promulgate health and medical policy for human space flight.

b. Serve as the NASA Health and Medical Technical Authority (HMTA).

c. Ensure Agency-wide implementation of HMTA (including, HMTA awareness), as described in NPR 7120.11.

d. Establish and maintain human health, human performance, and medical standards for space flight.

e. Establish and maintain mission-specific human health, human performance, and medical standards for commercial space flight in collaboration with the Federal Aviation Administration for NASA astronauts.

f. Review and approve all human health, human performance, and medical requirements for space exploration.

g. Review and deliberate on requests for waivers/deviations to human health, human performance, and medical requirements originated by human space flight programs and projects.

h. Participate in Design Reference Mission (DRM) discussions and Program/Project Pre-Formulation activities to assess the need for operational exceptions to health, human performance and medical standards, as described in Appendices E, F, and G.

i. Provide risk assessments for requested operational non-compliance (waiver, deviation, exception) with a health, human performance, or medical standard, as described in Appendices E, F, and G.

j. Review and approve all human health, human performance, medical research and technology recommendations, and deliverables that enable human space exploration.

k. Approve operational implementation of research and technology deliverables that enable human space exploration.

l. Approve operational use of health and medical systems and technologies prior to their use in space exploration.

m. Consult with the Science Mission Directorate (SMD) AA or designee to ensure that medical planetary protection requirements for space exploration are coordinated with existing health and medical policy for human space exploration.

1.3.3 The Associate Administrator (AA) of the Human Exploration and Operations Mission Directorate (HEOMD) or designee, shall:

a. Support the formulation of human health, human performance, and medical requirements that meet Agency-level human system standards.

b. Designate a senior manager for crew health and safety to advise the Mission Directorate Associate Administrator (AA) on crew human health, human performance, and medical issues.

c. Recommend requirements for health, human performance, medical care, and environmental systems, programs, and countermeasures for all mission phases and establish milestones for deliverables.

d. Provide on-orbit resources necessary to meet these milestones.

e. Recommend policies applicable to crew human health, human performance, and medical matters. f. Implement human health, human performance, and medical requirements.

g. Ensure that the OCHMO is included in Design Reference Mission (DRM) discussions and Program/Project Pre-Formulation activities to assess the need for operational exceptions to health, human performance, and medical standards as described in Appendices E, F, and G.

h. When necessary, initiate a request for an operational exception to a health, human performance, and medical standard in accordance with the processes described in Appendices E, F, and G.

i. Review space medicine operations and results on a periodic basis.

j. Define, plan, conduct, and oversee NASA-sponsored human health, human performance, and medical research and technology development.

k. Develop human health, human performance, and medical research and technology deliverables to an appropriate stage of readiness level for final review, approval and implementation and recommend timelines for implementation.

l. Oversee the implementation of human health, human performance, and medical research and technology deliverables once approved.

1.3.4 The AA for the Science Mission Directorate (SMD) or designee shall coordinate with the CHMO regarding health and medical issues related to planetary protection for human space exploration.

1.3.5 The Johnson Space Center (JSC), Center Director or designee, shall:

a. Concur with the CHMO appointment of a JSC Chief Medical Officer (CMO).

b. Develop a JSC HMTA Implementation/Awareness Plan, as described in NPR 7120.11.

c. Medically screen, evaluate, and certify crewmembers.

d. Conduct clinical evaluations and monitor astronaut health at regular intervals to determine medical status during ground-based training, space flight, and post-flight.

e. Provide medical care to maintain the crewmember's ability to perform assigned duties before, during, and after space flight.

f. Provide health maintenance and preventive care to maintain the crewmember's ability to perform assigned duties before, during, and after space flight.

g. Provide post-flight health reconditioning to assist the astronaut to return to functional baselines in the areas of physical fitness and physiological and behavioral health.

h. Provide mission-specific medical, performance, and behavioral health training for crewmembers.

i. Provide programs aimed at maintaining the health status and performance of crewmembers to enable their ability to function and perform all assigned duties over the duration of their career as an astronaut.

j. Establish, implement, and update a program of preventative medicine based on research findings, human health, human performance, medical lessons-learned, current standards of medical practice, risk management data (health and performance effects), and expert recommendations.

k. Develop and manage the Lifetime Surveillance of Astronaut Health (LSAH).

l. Establish, document, and implement a NASA policy which allows for request, review of, and potential release of human medical and research data.

1.3.6 The JSC CMO shall:

a. Exercise HMTA for activities conducted at JSC and delegated human space flight HMTA activities at other NASA Centers, as described in NPR 7120.11.

b. Assign a point of contact for human space flight HMTA issues at other NASA Centers as, described in NPR 7120.11.

c. Provide recommendations for health, medical, environmental, habitability, and human factors standards and requirements.

1.3.7 In accordance with NPR 7120.11, the CMOs at Centers other than JSC shall:

a. Establish interfaces with assigned points of contact from the JSC for human space flight HMTA issues.

b. Assist with the identification and resolution of HMTA human space flight issues.

c. Provide recommendations for health, medical, environmental, habitability and human factors standards and requirements.

1.3.8 Clinical decision will be made in accordance with the NASA Medical Policy Board (MPB) and Aerospace Medicine Board (AMB) responsibilities.