Evening Lecture: Healthcare of European Space Agency Astronauts in Space and on Earth

This lecture will be given by Dr Volker Damann, Head of the Space Medicine Office at the European Space Agency.

Astronauts spend days, sometimes weeks and months, in space. They are provided with a habitat, with food and other resources and have been trained for all potential issues, malfunctions and off-nominal situations. But what happens if an astronaut gets sick or is severely injured? Most likely, a physician will not be on board and the return to earth may not be possible or will be delayed. How are the astronauts prepared for medical emergencies? What medical diagnostic infrastructure is available and what therapy options exist in space? Can potential medical issues be excluded pre-flight and how are astronauts medically selected and kept fit and healthy during their career? Can we translate knowledge and experience from aviation medicine to space medicine?

Space Medicine is a very specific subspecialty of medicine since it usually deals with very healthy individuals, has to consider bridging distances and remote operations and has to take effects of weightlessness and harsh environmental conditions into account.

This presentation will explore the medical services provided to European astronauts and examine the challenges that come out of this, the training of astronauts and the medical health care providers. It will also conclude with a view of future space medicine on exploration class missions.