EVA Med Evac Sim HMP RS August 7, 2006

In summary, the 2006 HMP Lunar Medical Contingency Simulation demonstrated that an injured suited crewmember could be safely extracted from difficult terrain, similar to what might be expected in a lunar EVA, and transported to a remote site for diagnostic and therapeutic care. A number of issues developed unexpectedly during the sim that challenged the crew and sim planners. However, the team was able to complete the mission, which involved real-time communications and coordination between members of the Exploration Payload Operations Center at NASA-Johnson Space Center (ExPOC), International Space University (ISU) in Strasbourg, France, and the Payload Tele-Operations Center (PTOC) in Montreal, Canada.

EVA Med Evac Simulation Objectives

• Demonstrate the ability to coordinate between multiple control centers (in this case Houston, Montreal, Strasbourg), the CEV (Crew Exploration Vehicle, in this case astronauts on-bord the International Space Station), and the EVA crew while conducting EVA operations on an extra-planetary surface.
• Develop management strategy for off-nominal rover traverse navigation
• Develop response plan for unexpected EVA traverse contigencies
• Develop effective management strategy for a planetary EVA medical/field contingency.
• Demonstrate the ability to conduct field (possibly high-angle) rescue operations for an incapacitated EVA crewmember on an extra-planetary surface.
• Demonstrate the ability to conduct remote patient medical diagnosis of an ill/injured EVA crewmember using telemedicine (including ultrasound) techniques.
• Familiarize students (at the International Space University in Strasbourg) with mission control center operations; communications protocols; flight controller responsibilities
• Students to have interactive role functioning as back room flight controllers for EVA, ECLS, Surgeon and SRAG - with responsibilities to work issues real-time with the ExPOC (Houston) - designated front room controllers.

In addition to those organizations mentioned above, coordination and implementation of the exercise on Devon Island was carried out by participants from Simon Fraser University, Hamilton-Sundstrand, Virginia Commonwealth University, University of Colorado (Boulder), Rocky Mountain Rescue, the Canadian Space Agency, NASA-Johnson Space Center, NASA-Ames Research Center and Mars Institute.

Back Room Medical Support Team Life Sciences Dept. International Space University, Strasbourg France



EVA Med Evac Sim HMP RS 2006 Back Room Medical Support Led by Dr. Jeffrey Jones NASA ISU SSP06 Life Sciences Strasbourg, France 2006. Photos Sarah Jane Pell. Rick Scheuring and Pascal Lee EVA crew simulating accident and emergency response, Houghton Mars Project in Canada. Photo Nikki Wilkinson.

EVA Med Evac Sim duration: approx 13+ hours