A Risk Reduction Strategy for Human Exploration of Space
A Risk Reduction Strategy for Human Exploration of Space

Author: National Research Council

Publisher: National Academies Press

Published: 2006-04-16

Total Pages: 162

ISBN-13: 030909948X

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Extending the spatial and temporal boundaries of human space flight is an important goal for the nation and for the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA). However, human space flight remains an endeavor with substantial risks, and these risks must be identified, managed, and mitigated appropriately to achieve the nation's goals in space. The Bioastronautics Roadmap (BR) is the result of extensive, commendable efforts on the part of NASA to prioritize research efforts to meet these challenges. In 2003, NASA asked the Institute of Medicine (IOM), in collaboration with the Division on Engineering and Physical Sciences of the National Academies, to conduct a review of the BR. Specifically, NASA asked the committee to (1) conduct a comprehensive assessment and report of the strengths and weaknesses of the content and processes of the Bioastronautics Roadmap as applied to the missions described in the President's exploration initiative and (2) identify the unique challenges for accomplishing its goals and objectives. In September 2004, the committee released its preliminary report to NASA entitled Preliminary Considerations Regarding NASA's Bioastronautics Critical Path Roadmap. That document presented the committee's preliminary conclusions about the strengths and weaknesses of the April 2004 version of the BR. This report, A Risk Reductions Strategy for Human Exploration of Space, builds on those preliminary conclusions and provides recommendations to NASA about how to address the issues identified by the committee.

A Subject Guide to Quality Web Sites
A Subject Guide to Quality Web Sites

Author: Paul R. Burden

Publisher: Scarecrow Press

Published: 2010-07-17

Total Pages: 779

ISBN-13: 0810876957

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The Web is always moving, always changing. As some Web sites come, others go, but the most effective sites have been well established. A Subject Guide to Quality Web Sites provides a list of key web sites in various disciplines that will assist researchers with a solid starting point for their queries. The sites included in this collection are stable and have librarian tested high-quality information: the most important attribute information can have.

A Constrained Space Exploration Technology Program
A Constrained Space Exploration Technology Program

Author: National Research Council

Publisher: National Academies Press

Published: 2009-01-29

Total Pages: 154

ISBN-13: 0309125839

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In January 2004, President George W. Bush announced the Vision for Space Exploration (VSE), which instructed NASA to "Extend human presence across the solar system, starting with a human return to the Moon by the year 2020, in preparation for human exploration of Mars and other destinations," among other objectives. As acknowledged in the VSE, significant technology development will be necessary to accomplish the goals it articulates. NASA's Exploration Technology Development Program (ETDP) is designed to support, develop, and ultimately provide the necessary technologies to meet the goals of the VSE. This book, a review of the ETDP, is broadly supportive of the intent and goals of the VSE, and finds the ETDP is making progress towards the stated goals of technology development. However, the ETDP is operating within significant constraints which limit its ability to successfully accomplish those goals-the still dynamic nature of the Constellation Program requirements, the constraints imposed by a limited budget, the aggressive time scale of early technology deliverables, and the desire to fully employ the NASA workforce.

An Assessment of Balance in NASA's Science Programs
An Assessment of Balance in NASA's Science Programs

Author: National Research Council

Publisher: National Academies Press

Published: 2006-06-30

Total Pages: 58

ISBN-13: 0309102219

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When the space exploration initiative was announced, Congress asked the NRC to review the science NASA proposed to carryout under the initiative. It also asked the NRC to assess whether this program would provide balanced scientific research across the established disciplines supported by NASA in addition to supporting the new initiative. In 2005, the NRC released three studies focusing on a portion of that task, but changes at NASA forced the postponement of the last phase. This report presents that last phase with an assessment of the health of the NASA scientific disciplines under the budget requests imposed by the exploration initiative. The report also provides an analysis of whether the science budget appropriately reflects cross-disciplinary scientific priorities.

Neuroscience in Space
Neuroscience in Space

Author: Gilles Clément

Publisher: Springer Science & Business Media

Published: 2010-06-09

Total Pages: 330

ISBN-13: 0387789502

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This book offers an overview of neuroscience research performed in space since the observations made during the first manned space flights to the detailed scientific investigations currently being carried out onboard the International Space Station. This book is for the general scientific reader. Each project and the reason why it was done is described with illustrations, rationale and hypothesis, and a summary of results. Also, reference lists guide readers to the published papers from experiments. This book is a legacy of what we have learned on brain mechanisms and functions through research done in space, and a guide for what could be investigated in the future.

On Orbit and Beyond
On Orbit and Beyond

Author: Douglas A. Vakoch

Publisher: Springer Science & Business Media

Published: 2012-12-20

Total Pages: 348

ISBN-13: 3642305830

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As we stand poised on the verge of a new era of spaceflight, we must rethink every element, including the human dimension. This book explores some of the contributions of psychology to yesterday’s great space race, today’s orbiter and International Space Station missions, and tomorrow’s journeys beyond Earth’s orbit. Early missions into space were typically brief, and crews were small, often drawn from a single nation. As international cooperation in space exploration has increased over the decades, the challenges of communicating across cultural boundaries and dealing with interpersonal conflicts have become all the more important, requiring different coping skills and sensibilities than “the right stuff” expected of early astronauts. As astronauts travel to asteroids or establish a permanent colony on the Moon, with the eventual goal of reaching Mars, the duration of expeditions will increase markedly, as will the psychosocial stresses. Away from their home planet for extended times, future spacefarers will need to be increasingly self-sufficient, while simultaneously dealing with the complexities of heterogeneous, multicultural crews. "On Orbit and Beyond: Psychological Perspectives on Human Spaceflight," the second, considerably expanded edition of "Psychology of Space Exploration: Contemporary Research in Historical Perspective," provides an analysis of these and other challenges facing future space explorers while at the same time presenting new empirical research on topics ranging from simulation studies of commercial spaceflights to the psychological benefits of viewing Earth from space. This second edition includes an all new section exploring the challenges astronauts will encounter as they travel to asteroids, Mars, Saturn, and the stars, requiring an unprecedented level of autonomy. Updated essays discuss the increasingly important role of China in human spaceflight. In addition to examining contemporary psychological research, several of the essays also explicitly address the history of the psychology of space exploration. Leading contributors to the field place the latest theories and empirical findings in historical context by exploring changes in space missions over the past half century, as well as reviewing developments in the psychological sciences during the same period. The essays are innovative in their approaches and conclusions, providing novel insights for behavioral researchers and historians alike.