PERCEPTION OF THE MEDICAL RISK OF SPACEFLIGHT

We conducted an opinion survey to improve the characterization of medi cal risk during spaceflight, using a questionnaire designed to elicit space medicine experts' perceptions of the probability, health effect, and mission impact of selected medical events occurring during spacef light missions of 30-90 d. This questionnaire was directed toward thos e events about which little data currently exist, therefore medical ev ents that have occurred during spaceflights with some frequency, such as space motion sickness, were excluded from the questionnaire. The qu estionnaire was mailed to 99 clinical and research professionals invol ved with NASA medical programs; 65 responses were returned, of which 6 0 could be analyzed. The experts rated skin disorders as the most like ly to occur, but which would have little effect on mission completion or astronaut health. Circulatory diseases were rated as having the low est probability of occurrence, but the highest effect on the mission o r on a crewmember's health. The results of this survey will be combine d with data from analogous populations and existing astronaut health d ata to establish a data set to support decisions about allocation of h ealth care resources.