Colloquium presentation by Dr. Melchor Antunano: “Physiological, Environmental and Operational Risk Factors for Crews and Passengers of Future Commercial Space Vehicles” Friday, Feb. 22nd at 5:00 pm

A Space Studies Colloquium presentation by Dr. Melchor J. Antunano will take place on Friday, February 22nd at 5:00 p.m. in Ryan Hall, Room 111. Dr. Antunano is currently the Director of the U.S. Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) Civil Aerospace Medical Institute (CAMI) in Oklahoma City. He is also a faculty member at Wright State University School of Medicine, the University of Texas Medical Branch at Galveston, and the National University of Columbia School of Medicine.

“Physiological, Environmental and Operational Risk Factors for Crews and Passengers of Future Commercial Space Vehicles”

This presentation will discuss a number of physiological,operational, and environmental risk factors (actual and potential) for the occupants of commercial space vehicles. Actual risks include exposure to: 1) High acceleration of flight profiles, 2) Decreased barometric pressure, 3) Microgravity, 4) Solar and galactic cosmic radiation, 4) Noise and vibration. Of particular concern are the effects of exposure (short-term and long-term) to microgravity on the cardiovascular, neurological, endocrinological, muscleskeletal, and gastro-intestinal systems, among healthy and diseased passengers. Furthermore, U.S. and Russian experience regarding space physiology and medicine involve short-term and long-term space flights but does not address the effects of: 1) Frequent repetitive exposure (several times a week) to flight profiles involving: normal gravity (pre-flight) – acceleration (launch/take off) – microgravity (space) – deceleration (return) – normal gravity (post-flight), 2) Frequent repetitive exposure to solar and cosmic radiation, and 3) Exposure to microgravity among individuals who have medical pathology. Other potential risk factors include unexpected exposure to: temperature extremes, in-flight cabin fire, cabin air contaminates, electricity, non-ionizing radiation, mechanical hazards, impact forces during crash landings, post-crash fire, emergency evacuation, and post-evacuation survival.