Rescue techniques during AustroMars - a report on four different scenarios.

ABSTRACT The first human expedition to Mars is planned for about 2030. The flight to the red planet might take approximately 10 months. After this long period in zero gravity the astronauts will suffer from osteoporosis and amyotrophia. In addition, the crew will have to face considerable strain due to a large number of experiments to be done within a very short time span. Therefore, we have to assume to be confronted with an increased accident risk and consequent injuries. The planning of a Mars expedition should include the development of rescue techniques´ procedures and the treatment of injured astronauts. In the Mars Desert Research Station in the desert of Utah, simulations of the first human expedition to Mars were performed. In addition to geophysical, microbiological and psychological experiments, various potential accidents and their consequent injuries were simulated for the very first time during “AustroMars” in April 2006. This work points out which injuries future astronauts may have to cope with, which rescue techniques might be suitable for recovery of survivors and the limited possibilities for treating injured astronauts. Keywords: Space medicine, emergency medicine, AustroMars, rescue techniques. INTRODUCTION AustroMars – a simulated expedition on Mars AustroMars is a research project of the Austrian space forum during which a manned Mars landing was simulated at the Mars Desert Research Station in the desert of Utah in April 2006. The crew consisting of 6 Austrian participants was selected in a months-long procedure from about 200 volunteers. They conducted experiments in co-operation with the US Mars Society in a Mars-similar environment in complete isolation of the external world for two weeks. The experiments included geophysical attempts, microbiological investigations as well as medical and psychological experiments as they are expected to be performed during a real Mars expedition in the future. During this simulation different accidents and injuries were brought in as anomalies for the first time. The different scenarios were trained in the preparatory phase. The aim of these trials was: x to develop rescue techniques for fallen astronauts and treatment procedures for various injuries, x to determine to what extend the analogue astronauts can perform medical procedures after previous training in the case of emergency under Mars-similar conditions, x to study the challenges and limitations of rescue techniques and medical treatment during planetary sojourns and to develop solutions. Consequences of weightlessness The first human expedition to Mars is planned for about 2030. The NASA has defined the largest risks of a human expedition on the red planet [1]. Besides constant radiation, extremes in pressure and temperature and new physical and chemical conditions, it is the low gravity that leads to serious consequences for human beings during a longer stay in space.