A FEASIBLE, NEAR-TERM APPROACH TO HUMAN STASIS FOR LONG-DURATION DEEP SPACE MISSIONS

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A FEASIBLE, NEAR-TERM APPROACH TO HUMAN STASIS FOR LONG-DURATION DEEP SPACE MISSIONS International Astronautical Congress 2016 30 September 2016 Guadalajara, Mexico

1 A FEASIBLE, NEAR-TERM APPROACH TO HUMAN STASIS FOR LONG-DURATION DEEP SPACE MISSIONS International Astronautical Congress September 2016 Guadalajara, Mexico Mark Schaffer Senior Engineer SpaceWorks Enterprises, Inc. John E. Bradford, PhD. President and COO SpaceWorks Enterprises, Inc. Douglas Talk, M.D., M.P.H. Medical Liaison 1

2 CONCEPT Place crew in inactive, low-metabolic Torpor state for deep space mission transit phases by expanding current medical practices in Therapeutic Hypothermia to support Prolonged Hypothermic Stasis and Metabolic Suppression. 2

3 RATIONALE Significant decrease in mission consumables due to inactive crew and reduced metabolic rates Large reduction in pressurized volume and size of radiation protection systems required for habitation and living quarters Eliminate many ancillary crew accommodations such as food galley, eating supplies, exercise equipment, entertainment, etc. Minimize psychological and social challenges for a crew in a confined environment for long durations Potentially solves or mitigates a number of health issues with human spaceflight 3

4 THERAPEUTIC HYPOTHERMIA Common medical practice for the treatment of Cardiac Arrest, Neonatal Encephalopathy, and other conditions Involves actively cooling the body to C for hours Sedatives administered to suppress shivering and induce sleep 4

THERMAL MANAGEMENT Effect of Body Temperature ( C) Evaporative

Hypothermia 36 34 32 30 Standard medical practice for

Threshold for medical complications Image Credit: Benechill 20

5 THERMAL MANAGEMENT Effect of Body Temperature ( C) Evaporative Cooling Systems Normothermia 38 Shivering starts Mild Hypothermia Standard medical practice for Therapeutic Hypothermia (TH) Moderate Hypothermia Threshold for medical complications Image Credit: Benechill 20 Deep Hypothermia Profound Hypothermia Image Credit: Advanced Cooling Technologies 5

NUTRITION AND HYDRATION Nutrition and hydration can be provided intravenously through Total Parenteral Nutrition (TPN) Mixture of lipids, amino acids,

from an accident, surgery, or digestive disorder Pinnacle System for automated TPN management Image Credit: B. Braun Medical Inc.

6 NUTRITION AND HYDRATION Nutrition and hydration can be provided intravenously through Total Parenteral Nutrition (TPN) Mixture of lipids, amino acids, dextrose, electrolytes, vitamins, and trace elements Bypasses the usual process of eating and digestion Routinely administered to patients recovering from an accident, surgery, or digestive disorder Pinnacle System for automated TPN management Image Credit: B. Braun Medical Inc. NASA IVGEN System for in-space purification of IV-grade water Metabolic suppression via torpor is likely to reduce consumables mass requirements by 30%-60% Image Credit: NASA 6

7 MEDICAL ADVANTAGES OF TORPOR TH has recently been recommended as a standard treatment for reducing increased intracranial pressure in hospitals Recent medical testing on comatose patients indicates that neuromuscular electrical stimulation (NMES) can prevent muscle atrophy due to disuse Stationary crew simplifies implementation of induced artificial gravity through rotation to combat bone demineralization Some medical studies have indicated the potential for reduced damaging effects of radiation on animals when cooled 7

IMPLEMENTATION IN SPACE Body Cooling Thermal management system inserted through nasal cavity Body Warming Thermal pads TPN administration Tunneled central

8 IMPLEMENTATION IN SPACE Body Cooling Thermal management system inserted through nasal cavity Body Warming Thermal pads TPN administration Tunneled central venous catheters in chest and leg Health Monitoring Sensor leads across body (e.g. 12-lead ECG) Waste Collection Urine collection catheter and drain line 8

9 STUDY STATUS In 2013, conducted a Phase I study from NASA NIAC program to study feasibility of using torpor to support human exploration missions to Mars Received Phase II funding from NASA NIAC in summer to continue medical and engineering analysis Assembled a team of medical researchers to study biomedical aspects of concept Currently pursuing additional funding, from both private sources and government, to initiate preliminary medical evaluations 9

10 NASA NIAC PHASE II STUDY 1. Medical Assessments and Evaluations Nutrition and intravenous support Metabolic suppression approaches Prolonged hypothermia physiological impacts Evaluation of prolonged hypothermia in non-hibernating mammals Hypothermia induction process and supporting hardware systems 3. Extensibility Beyond Mars Martian moons Main belt asteroids Jupiter and Saturn systems 2. Mars Mission Habitat Designs Habitat internal thermal environment analysis Radiation shielding assessment Crew concept of operations Torpor habitat design refinement 4. Technology Roadmap Development Identification of key challenges Maturation costs Near-term and long-term development roadmaps 10

Professor, University of Alaska Fairbanks Department of Chemistry and

M.D. Professor of Clinical Neurology Mayo Clinic Medical Director of

Professor of Anesthesiology Mayo Clinic Health System Albert

11 MEDICAL TEAM Doug Talk, M.D., M.P.H. Medical Team Lead Naval Air Station Lemoore, CA Departmental Director of Surgical Services Kelly Drew, Ph.D. Neuroscientist, Professor Be Cool Pharmaceutics (BCP), LLC. Professor, University of Alaska Fairbanks Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, Institute of Arctic Biology (IAB) Alejandro Rabinstein, M.D. Professor of Clinical Neurology Mayo Clinic Medical Director of Neuroscience Intensive Care Unit (ICU) Matthew Kumar, M.D. Asst. Professor of Anesthesiology Mayo Clinic Health System Albert Lea/Austin Chair (Department of Anesthesiology) Leroy Chiao, Ph.D. Astronaut ISS Expedition 10 Commander, STS-65/72/92 Missions Doctorate in Chemical Engineering 11

12 KEY CHALLENGES Maximizing stasis period. Current common practice is 2-3 days, more cases at 4-5 days, with some very limited cases at 14-days. Mitigating known complications of TPN and hypothermia (thromboembolism, infection, fatty liver disease, etc.) Developing procedures for addressing medical issues that could occur during transit with inactive crew, e.g. automated vs. human intervention Addressing slow wake times that are currently required during warming Uncertainty in effects of prolonged torpor on crew mental faculties 12

13 FINAL REMARKS Therapeutic Hypothermia continues to appear as the most promising approach toward enabling human stasis. Prolonged hypothermic stasis combined with metabolic suppression may provide a number of unique benefits and solve a variety of medical challenges for space travel Our goal is to develop near-term and long-term technology development roadmaps to mature this concept for human spaceflight We believe this capability will be critical for sustaining human presence in space and ultimately settling the solar system 13

14 Engineering Today, Enabling Tomorrow SPACEWORKS ENTERPRISES, INC. (SEI) Crown Pointe Parkway, Suite 950 Atlanta, GA USA

ADVANCING TORPOR INDUCING TRANSFER HABITATS FOR HUMAN STASIS TO MARS

ADVANCING TORPOR INDUCING TRANSFER HABITATS FOR HUMAN STASIS TO MARS 2016 NASA NIAC Symposium 24 August 2016 Raleigh, NC John E. Bradford, PhD. NIAC Fellow President and COO SpaceWorks Enterprises, Inc.