Human spaceflight is a hazardous endeavor, with long-term effects on the human condition remaining unknown. Known spaceflight related human health threats include those presented by the space environment (microgravity, vacuum, and radiation), the spacecraft environment (noise, closed life support), and the mission conditions (circadian disruption, sleep deprivation) effects. [1][2][3][4] In addition to the risks inherent to space travel, astronauts may be required to perform physically demanding tasks in unfamiliar environments both intentionally and unintentionally. When combined with the known higher risk for bone and muscle mass loss due to the effects of microgravity on the human body, astronauts are at increased risk for sustaining musculoskeletal and other injuries while conducting space operations, particularly during longer-term missions. [5] In October 2005, Design Reference Mission categories were created to quantify, characterize, and mitigate the highest risks to astronaut health and performance in support of exploration missions. These categories were created in response to the decision to move the human research program management from National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) Headquarters in Washington D.C. to the Johnson Space Center (JSC) in Houston, TX. These risk categories were grouped based on mission type as well as current ability for clinicians to address them in both operational and long-term health settings. [6] Of these categories, mitigation was required for assessment of readiness to address "the risk of adverse health outcomes and decrements to performance due to inflight medical conditions." Additionally, "the risk of bone fracture due to space-induced changes to bone" was also identified as requiring mitigation. [7] The Integrated Medical Model (IMM) Medical Conditions List (IMCL) provides a comprehensive list of relevant space flight medical conditions, based on the population of medical conditions of interest to the flight surgeons and space medicine communities. [8] The medical conditions considered for the IMM have either occurred in flight or have the potential to occur in flight. In the current IMCL, 49 of the one hundred conditions have occurred in flight. The IMCL helps bound the IMM Project and guides the clinical and statistical methods used in the model. In 2009, the Exploration Medical Capabilities (ExMC) Element
Additive manufacturing (aka 3D printing) has emerged as a new technique providing various modalities for treatment with respect to space medicine, bolstered by the recent deployment of 3D printers on the International SpaceStation. There are currently only a few reviews that summarize the evidence of its impact. In order to construct a systematic literature review of the applications and effects of 3D printing in space medicine, the PubMed, NCT, Google Scholar databases are searched for relevant titles, according to the preferred reporting items for systematic reviews and meta-analyses statement guidelines. 3353 titles are retrieved, of which nine me...