NASA weighs the ethics of sending astronauts into space for years

[Buster's Uncle]

NASA weighs the ethics of sending astronauts into space for years
The Verge
By Valentina Palladino on April 2, 2014 11:00 am






Since NASA launched MAVEN on a yearlong mission to Mars at the end of last year, the organization has been thinking about sending more people into space for longer periods of time. To prep for these kinds of missions, NASA asked the Institute of Medicine, the health division of the National Academy of Sciences, to come up with ethics standards it can use to decide if long-term missions can be carried out even if they go against current health standards.

NASA's most recent health standards divide missions into five tiers of risk and outline how it will help astronauts before, during, and after those missions. But the organization knows some missions that send astronauts into space for years at a time — like a proposed three-year-long trip to Mars — won't fit into any of those divisions. The Institute of Medicine designed basically a three-step process for accepting those missions: first, NASA has to decide if the mission meets current health standards. If it doesn't, NASA has to deem the mission ethically acceptable and an exception to the rules. In that case, NASA then has to carefully choose and train each participating astronaut and crew member for the upcoming years of work.


Do the risks outweigh the benefits?


Extensive prep for space travel isn't new for NASA or other competing space programs. NASA astronauts already have to complete over 300 hours of training in shuttle simulators before they go into space, and Russian space crews have spent 105 days inside sealed tubes to mimic living in a space shuttle before actually launching on a mission. These new standards focus more on NASA and its thought process before a mission even gets started. One of the biggest points made in the report regards the benefits a mission will have for society at large — NASA will have to prove that sending a team of astronauts into space for years at a time will yield significant scientific discoveries that will push society forward.

One of the ethics principles proposed also appears to allude to an astronaut's choice to participate in certain missions: it states that "NASA should ensure that astronauts are able to exercise voluntariness to the extent possible in personal decision-making regarding participation in proposed missions." In addition to monitoring astronauts' health throughout the mission, NASA also has to update them on potential health risks leading up to a mission and allow them to decide if they want to participate despite those risks. It seems unlikely that an astronaut would refuse a space mission after going through NASA's rigorous selection process and extensive training, but as astronauts could be more selective when missions have seriously potential health risks, these guidelines could make NASA more selective as they choose space missions that take up a large portion of an astronaut's life.


http://www.theverge.com/2014/4/2/5573672/nasa-institute-of-health-ethics-guidelines-for-long-term-space-missions

[gwillybj]

MarsDaily
Health Risks of Mars Mission Would Exceed NASA Limits
by Staff Writers
Washington (AFP) April 02, 2014



Efforts to send humans to Mars would likely expose them to health risks beyond the limits of what NASA currently allows, an independent panel of medical experts said Wednesday.

Therefore, any long-term or deep space missions -- which are still decades off -- need a special level of ethical scrutiny, said the report by the Institute of Medicine.

"These types of missions will likely expose crews to levels of known risk that are beyond those allowed by current health standards, as well as to a range of risks that are poorly characterized, uncertain, and perhaps unforeseeable," said the IOM report.

Currently, astronauts are launched into low-Earth orbit, where they spend three to six months at a time aboard the International Space Station.

But journeys to Mars could take up to 18 months. NASA has said it aims to send people to the Red Planet by the 2030s, and is working on building a heavy duty launcher and spacecraft for this purpose.

Health risks from short-term missions in space can include nausea, weakness, blurred vision, while long-term risks include radiation-induced cancer and the loss of bone mass.

Given the uncertain risks of exploring further into space than ever before, NASA asked the IOM to develop an ethics framework to guide decisions in the future of human spaceflight.

"The committee finds relaxing (or liberalizing) current health standards to allow for specific long duration and exploration missions to be ethically unacceptable," the report said.

Members also ruled out creating a separate set of safety standards for Mars missions.

Instead the group concluded that the only option was to grant an exception to existing health standards.

But the IOM cautioned, NASA still needs to determine whether such a loophole would be ethically acceptable.

"Any exceptions should be rare and occur only in extenuating circumstances," the IOM said.

Key considerations should include avoiding harm and exercising caution, allowing astronauts to make their own decisions about whether to participate, choosing missions that provide benefits to society and seeking a favorable balance of the risk of harm and benefit.

NASA should also ensure equal opportunity during crew selection, and provide lifetime health care and protection for astronauts.

"From its inception, space exploration has pushed the boundaries and risked the lives and health of astronauts," said chair of the committee Jeffrey Kahn, a professor of bioethics and public policy at Johns Hopkins Berman Institute of Bioethics, Baltimore.

"Determining where those boundaries lie and when to push the limits is complex."

[gwillybj]

I think the idea of volunteers is the way to go. Test them as to psychological and physical fitness, of course, then have them sign a waiver (and their families, too) so they wouldn't be able to sue for any damage they suffer on the mission. I'm sure even with full knowledge of the hazards, there will still be plenty of volunteers itching to go.

[Buster's Uncle]

Mars One is getting plenty of volunteers for a one-way trip...