NASA uses the term countermeasures to describe the procedures, strategies, medications, exercise, etc. that help to keep our astronauts healthy and productive while they are traveling in space and after they return to Earth.
The Human Health Countermeasures Element is responsible for developing these strategies and procedures. They use a number of settings to research and test these countermeasures. These include analog environments, locations or situations that mimic the space environment or some aspect of it.
The focus of the Human Health Countermeasures Element is to develop and validate an integrated suite of countermeasures for exploration missions. Countermeasures maintain human health so that crews can perform all required duties during the phases of a mission, including transitions to altered gravitational conditions.
The diverse Human Health Countermeasures Element comprises
seven projects that address exercise, non-exercise, and
extravehicular activity (EVA) countermeasures. Other projects
use flight analog facilities to test and integrate potential
countermeasures before their actual flight verification.
Those eight projects are
Countermeasures target both physiological and psychological capabilities at risk from the space flight environment. Countermeasures encompass preflight, postflight and activities performed during flight. Preflight countermeasures involve physical fitness and exercise and physiologic adaptation training. Inflight countermeasures cover physiologic and nutritional health, physical fitness, and mission performance. Postflight countermeasures target rehabilitation strategies.Countermeasures target both physiological and psychological capabilities at risk from the space flight environment. Countermeasures encompass preflight, postflight and activities performed during flight. Preflight countermeasures involve physical fitness and exercise and physiologic adaptation training. Inflight countermeasures cover physiologic and nutritional health, physical fitness, and mission performance. Postflight countermeasures target rehabilitation strategies.
