Medical Support of Manned Long-Duration Missions (One Year or Longer) on the Mir Orbital Space Station

Abstract

We analyzed the results of medical control (MC) and medical situations and assessed the efficacy of measures to manage the medical cases recorded by Russian cosmonauts (aged 36 to 52 years) engaged in their long-duration (about one year or more) space missions (SM) on the Mir orbital station (OS). The standard monitoring of the crewmembers’ health during their stay on the Mir OS was performed within the program of MC, which was subdivided into operative and routine checkups, as well as included periodic extensive medical investigations. According to ECGs from 12 leads during the SM, changes in cardiac rhythm in terms of single and rare extrasystoles were observed in two cosmonauts, and the recorded decreases in the amplitude of T peaks varied in the majority of ECG leads from 23 to 70% in four out of five cosmonauts. The indicated changes were not qualified as pathological and did not require any pharmacological correction. The functional test results obtained in the periodic extensive medical investigations have shown no significant deviations and were consistent with the general patterns of human body responses to these tests under other SM conditions. The analysis of infrequent medical situations recorded in long-duration missions has shown the absence of any specific differences associated with the factor of more prolonged SMs. All somatic and functional disorders have been successfully managed using the onboard kits for medical aid. Russian system of space mission care has provided minimization of medical risks and permitted the preservation of cosmonauts’ health and workability in long duration missions (for nearly one year and more).