Operational radiation protection for human space flight: the flight surgeon's perspective

Full text: Yuri Gagarin was the first human in space in 1961 almost 60 years ago. Eight years later Neil Armstrong left his footprints on the Moon – the first human on the surface of a celestial body other than Earth. By now long-duration missions of up to 1 year have become a reality for humans in space. Nearly 19 years of continuous human presence at the International Space Station (ISS) have provided a unique insight into human life in space. Humans are reaching out for more – targeting missions to take us outside the protective hull of low earth orbit into deep space. The challenges to human health and well-being remain significant and increase with distance and time from Earth. The lack of gravity, the ubiquitous ionising radiation, remoteness, and confinement are just some examples of the hostile environment of space. More hurdles have to be overcome prior to the human endeavour of reaching out into deep space and radiation is one such primary and inevitable factor that is key to crew health, safety and overall mission success. This presentation will provide an introduction into operational space medicine and radiation protection for humans in space as executed on ISS, in low earth orbit and in preparation for the scenarios 'beyond'. (author)