Medical Evaluations and Standards

Candidates for space flight are medically screened to ensure the success of each mission by providing healthy crews who are able to perform operational objectives. Screening is carried out according to a framework of medical standards based on operational requirements. Consistent application of medical standards helps to establish an information database against which the assumptions underlying the standards can be objectively reviewed. These standards are revised over time as additional findings are collected. The ultimate goal is to produce rational, evidence-based, refined standards that reflect the operational requirements and the medical risks involved in space flight. By doing so, potentially larger subsets of the population that are today excluded from space flight may be able to participate in future space exploration.