Closed

NASA seeks a portable, force/load measurement system capable of being integrated into existing International Space Station (ISS) exercise systems. During long duration spaceflight, exercise countermeasures are prescribed to mitigate bone and muscle loss. However, advancement of these exercise prescriptions may require biomechanical analysis of exercise on orbit. Output parameters from the proposed device must operate in the bandwidth from 0-100Hz and be able to be synchronized with existing analog data systems.

Further human exploration of the solar system will present significant new challenges to crew health including hazards created by traversing the terrain of asteroids or planetary surfaces and the effects of variable gravity environments. The limited communications with ground-based personnel for diagnosis and consultation of medical events creates additional challenges.

As user applications pervade the field of telemedicine, smart phones provide a robust, reconfigurable platform capable of communications, computations and various functions (i.e., imaging, video, power source, signal processing) that will continue to expand at an accelerated pace.

The Behavioral Health and Performance topic is interested in developing strategies, tools, and technologies to mitigate Behavioral Health and Performance risks.

This subtopic is to develop a virtual reality training environment to support pre-mission and just-in-time training for exploration crews and controllers. The training should encompass individual interactions with other team members as well as with the environment.

The emphasis on developing new, innovative technologies to enable future space exploration encompasses a need for new approaches in the areas of Space Human Factors and Food Systems. Operations in confined, isolated, and resource-constrained environments can lead to suboptimal human performance. Research and development activities in this topic address challenges that are fundamental to design, development, and operation of the next generation crewed space vehicles. These challenges include:

Develop a software tool that automatically processes raw motion video footage (from a single conventional 2D camera) of a crew (spacecraft or ground) during a space mission. Such a tool is needed to address vehicle/habitat design issues, as well as crew-to-crew interaction issues, on the ground. For example, unprocessed space mission operational videos down linked from a spacecraft that involve humans as the subjects of interest need to be analyzed on the ground for their motion and behavioral health information. Requirements:

The goal of the NASA Space Radiation Research Program is to assure that we can safely live and work in the space radiation environment, anywhere, any time. Space radiation is different from forms of radiation encountered on Earth. Radiation in space consists of high-energy protons, heavy ions and secondary products created when the protons and heavy ions interact with matter such as a spacecraft, surface of a planet, moon, asteroid, or even the astronauts themselves. NASA requires instruments that can reliably measure these radiations.

NASA has a need for compact active radiation detection systems that can meet stringent size, power, and performance requirements. These include real-time personal monitors and area monitors that can be used on the ISS as well as on future missions beyond LEO. Ending the Space Shuttle program will increase the need to replace the current passive monitoring technologies on the ISS with active ones to reduce up and down mass. Also, as missions extend beyond LEO there will be further premium on reduced size, mass, and power for radiation detection technologies.

The Fundamental Aeronautics Program conducts cutting-edge research to achieve technological capabilities necessary to overcome national challenges in air transportation including reduced noise, emissions, and fuel consumption, increased mobility through a faster means of transportation, and the ability to ascend/descend through planetary atmospheres. These technological capabilities enable design solutions for performance and environmental challenges of future air vehicles.