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REVIEW article

Front. Space Technol.
Sec. Space Exploration
Volume 5 - 2024 | doi: 10.3389/frspt.2024.1505823

A Review of Scientific Recommendations for High-Fidelity Lunar and Martian Research Analogs

Provisionally accepted
Katherine M Rahill Katherine M Rahill 1Alexandra M Whitmire Alexandra M Whitmire 1*Ajitkumar Mulavara Ajitkumar Mulavara 2Brian Francis Gore Brian Francis Gore 3
  • 1 Johnson Space Center, National Aeronautics and Space Administration, Houston, Texas, United States
  • 2 KBRwyle, Houston, Texas, United States
  • 3 Ames Research Center, National Aeronautics and Space Administration, Moffet Field, United States

The final, formatted version of the article will be published soon.

    As the National Aeronautics and Space Administration, international space agencies, and commercial spaceflight programs set their sights on missions to the Moon and Mars, understanding the impact of spaceflight on astronauts’ health and performance becomes increasingly important. High-fidelity ground-based and space-based simulations of the hazards induced by these missions can be used to conduct research that will help determine the likelihood and the consequences of adverse outcomes in astronauts’ behavioral health and performance. In this review, current classifications of NASA’s research analogs are discussed, along with their strengths and limitations for effectively assessing risks to astronauts’ behavioral health and performance. Recommendations are proposed for future consideration when designing high-fidelity analogs of spaceflight, which emphasize the importance of standardizing protocols, maintaining safety, and addressing ethical standards for future research and for developing analogs of mission-specific habitats.

    Keywords: Human space exploration, analog research environments, analog research fidelity, behavioral health and performance, Human spaceflight analog

    Received: 03 Oct 2024; Accepted: 06 Dec 2024.

    Copyright: © 2024 Rahill, Whitmire, Mulavara and Gore. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) or licensor are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.

    * Correspondence: Alexandra M Whitmire, Johnson Space Center, National Aeronautics and Space Administration, Houston, 77058, Texas, United States

    Disclaimer: All claims expressed in this article are solely those of the authors and do not necessarily represent those of their affiliated organizations, or those of the publisher, the editors and the reviewers. Any product that may be evaluated in this article or claim that may be made by its manufacturer is not guaranteed or endorsed by the publisher.