Health Maintenance and Human Productivity in the Space Station Era 851312

Human productivity is influenced by many factors. Central among these factors in any environment is the worker's physical and mental health. Likewise, in the environment of the Space Station, productivity will be highly dependent on the physiological and psychological health of the crew. A significant challenge to Space Station planners will be to provide the facilities, equipment, supplies, procedures, and timeline allocation to maintain crew health, while minimizing the tax that these needs place on overall Station resources. This paper presents a discussion of some of these health maintenance needs and the trade-offs involved in selecting specific approaches. Central in this discussion is the development of an individualized combination of physiological countermeasures to minimize the body's cardiovascular and musculoskeletal adaptation to micro-g.