Challenges in Medical Support for An International Human Expedition to Mars

Abstract

As we approach the opportunity to send humans to Mars, we do so with an awareness of the risks and challenges crewed missions will face. Living and working in low-Earth orbit and visits to the moon five decades ago have provided a wealth of knowledge on the potential benefits and concerns for human planetary exploration. Technology and scientific investigation in a wide variety of disciplines has helped identify the challenges, risks, and enabling countermeasures for extending human presence in space. This manuscript reviews the current status of the challenges for transit to and from Mars plus considers the appropriate medical systems for productive stays on the Martian surface. These factors range from the optimization in crew selection to training, operational tempo, countermeasures, medical care systems, etc. Each of these are covered as a snapshot in time and will continuously evolve as technology in robotics, artificial intelligence, and risk aversion advances. It is impossible to include the detailed description of all the problems and human physiological decrements and medical needs. This document includes the main concepts for supporting safe and productive human missions to Mars and directions for the future analysis of medical support systems and provider competencies.