Report
At the request of the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA), the Institute of Medicine (IOM) established a committee and issued the report Review of NASA's Space Flight Health Standards-Setting Process: Letter Report. The committee was charged with examining the process by which NASA establishes space flight health standards for human performance. It assured the transparency of the current process, as well as considering its validity and integrity, particularly related to ensuring worker safety and integrating stakeholder input.
The committee came to the following conclusions:
- The initial standards-setting process developed by NASA is carefully-designed, evidence-based and involves input from relevant stakeholders ;
- The process follows an occupational health model as recommended in several prior IOM reports; and,
- It provides an analytical framework for enhancing the safety of human space flight.
The committee recommended the following enhancements to the process:
- Expanding the opportunity for input and review;
- Strengthening the evidence review;
- Increasing research and validation efforts;
- Enhancing the updates, appeals, and the development of new standards; and,
- Using an integrated systems approach.
Other Reports by this Activity
Displaying: 2 of 2 Reports
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Review of NASA's Human Research Program Evidence Books. A Letter Report
The newly released Institute of Medicine report, Review of NASA’s Human Research Program Evidence Books: A Letter Report, examines NASA’s plans to assemble the available evidence on human health risks of spaceflight and to move forward in identifying and addressing gaps in research.
Released: July 3, 2008
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Review of NASA's Longitudinal Study of Astronaut Health
Astronauts experience a range of physiological and clinical changes while living in space. However, relatively little is known about the potential long-term effects of space flight or overall risk of being an astronaut. In 1992, NASA designed a protocol, called the Longitudinal Study of Astronaut Health (LSAH), to examine these effects. NASA requested help from the IOM in assessing the study. The resulting IOM report, Review of NASA's Longitudinal Study of Astronaut Health, makes recommendations for improving the validity of the LSAH as a database for monitoring the health of astronauts and for research on the effects of space on humans.
Released: January 20, 2004
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