MEDICAL

The Importance of My Job

Congratulations, you have been chosen as the Medical (MED) officer for this important mission. Your job is to monitor the Mission Commander’s physical and mental well-being during the mission. You will be monitoring their heart rate, temperature, and mental status as they carry out the mission.

You will need to follow every step on this page, without skipping a single step. If you find at any point that the readings from the spacecraft are not safe, you must inform the crew! 

You will be communicating with other teams using the CHAT and your MICROPHONE.

When using CHAT you will see your messages and directions in Purple. Make sure you use the drop down menu to select the correct team you want to send the message to.  Once you have typed it in the CHAT, make sure to hit Enter so that the team receives it.

When using the MICROPHONE your directions and reading will be in Green .  Unmute your MICROPHONE, read your message and make sure you mute after.

 

MEDICAL RESEARCH

Follow these directions for researching and analyzing HEALTH IN SPACE: 

  1. Read the notes from the previous MED officer by clicking on the box labeled NOTES.
NOTES

Space is a dangerous, unfriendly place. Isolated from family and friends, exposed to radiation that could increase your lifetime risk for cancer, a diet high in freeze-dried food, required daily exercise to keep your muscles and bones from deteriorating, a carefully scripted high-tempo work schedule, and confinement in a spacecraft.

It is important to monitor and assess any astronaut’s physical and mental condition during a mission. In space, the human heart starts to weaken as a result of not needing to pump as much blood as it normally would on Earth. Additionally, astronauts are more likely to develop insomnia, depression and/or anxiety due to enormous stress as well as adapting to a new, harsh environment. Without constant monitoring, astronauts are at risk of many health complications due to their time in space.

2. Open the MEDICAL RESEARCH DATA LOG and answer the MEDICAL RESEARCH questions below. Click “Submit” when you’ve answered the questions.

MEDICAL RESEARCH DATA LOG

OPEN DATA LOG

SKIN TEMPERATURE DATA

Follow these directions for recording and analyzing the Mission Commander’s SKIN TEMPERATURE.

1. Locate the microphone in your call software, unmute and read the following message:

This is the MED team with a message to the Mission Commander. Please send your skin temperature reading as soon as possible.

2. Mute the microphone.

3. Read the information on body and skin temperature by clicking on the box labeled TEMPERATURE.

TEMPERATURE

Body temperature is generally considered a good indicator of internal health. If your body temperature dips too low or spikes too high, your body is probably trying to tell you something. A body temperature that is too low is considered hypothermia and can be associated with other serious symptoms such as chills, breathing problems, and confusion. A body temperature that is too high is considered a fever and can be an indication that your body is fighting an infection. While there are other causes of fevers such as medicines, severe injury, or other medical conditions, an infection is the most common cause of an elevated body temperature.

While not an exact representation of your internal body temperature, a normal skin temperature typically falls within the range of 33.5 and 36.9 ℃ (92.3 and 98.4 ℉). Use the chart below to convert the skin temperature of the Mission Commander from ℉ to ℃. Round to the nearest degree.

 

DEGREES CELSIUS

DEGREES FAHRENHEIT

DEGREES CELSIUS

DEGREES FAHRENHEIT

27

80.6

34

93.2

28

82.4

35

95

29

84.2

36

96.8

30

86

37

98.6

31

87.8

38

100.4

32

89.6

39

102.2

33

91.4

40

104

4. Once the Mission Commander has given you their skin temperature, open the SKIN TEMPERATURE DATA LOG below and record the data. Complete the SKIN TEMPERATURE DATA LOG. When you finish, click “Submit”.

SKIN TEMPERATURE DATA LOG

SKIN TEMPERATURE DATA LOG

HEART HEALTH RESEARCH

Follow these directions for researching and analyzing the Mission Commander’s HEART HEALTH:

  1. Read the notes from the previous MED officer by clicking on the box labeled NOTES.
NOTES

When humans venture into space for long periods, their muscles tend to weaken. The heart of the matter is that muscles don’t have to work as hard without gravity. Of course, the most important muscle in the body is the heart. Doctors are well aware of this weakening of the heart in space — known as cardiac atrophy. At this time it is unknown if heart muscle weakening continues throughout a mission or if it levels off at some point. In order to help prevent this weakening of the heart, astronauts include 2 hours of daily exercise in their routine while in space.

Many crew members experience a brief period of lightheadedness and a drop in blood pressure when standing still after coming home to Earth from long-duration missions. Fainting can occur when the heart cannot generate enough force to pump the necessary blood to the brain and the rest of the body — either because the muscle is too small or weak, or because there is an abnormal heart rhythm.

2. Open the HEART HEALTH RESEARCH DATA LOG and answer the HEART HEALTH RESEARCH questions below. You may need this infromation later in the mission. Make sure to write it down on the Notepad provided or your own notes. Click “Submit” when you’ve answered the questions.

HEART HEALTH RESEARCH DATA LOG

OPEN DATA LOG

Notepad

HEART HEALTH DATA

Follow these directions for analyzing the Mission Commander’s HEART HEALTH:

1. Locate the microphone in your call software, unmute and read the following message:

This is MED. Please send the download code for your heart health data.

2. Mute the microphone.

3. When the Mission Commander gives you the download code, immediately open the HEART HEALTH DATA LOG to enter the code.

4. Before analyzing the data, read the information on understanding heart health data by clicking on the box labeled HEART DATA.

HEART DATA

There are two main ways of measuring the health of your heart: 1) heart rate 2) blood pressure. Both of these measurements are important for understanding someone’s overall heart health. Your heart rate measures how many times your heart beats per minute while your blood pressure measures the force of your blood moving through your blood vessels. While your heart rate is measured in beats/minute, blood pressure measurements are measured in mm Hg and consist of two different numbers: systolic blood pressure and diastolic blood pressure.

Systolic Blood Pressure (the first number): measurement of the pressure your blood exerts against your artery walls when the heart beats. This measurement should be less than 120.

Diastolic Blood Pressure (the second number): measurement of the pressure your blood exerts against your artery walls while the heart is resting between beats. This measurement should be less than 80.

 Heart Rate: measures how many times your heart beats per minute (bpm). This measurement should be between 50 bpm and 100 bpm for an astronaut.

 

5. Analyze the Mission Commander’s heart health by answering the questions in the HEART HEALTH DATA LOG. You may need this infromation later in the mission. Make sure to write it down on the Notepad provided or your own notes. Click “Submit” when you are finished.

HEART HEALTH DATA LOG

OPEN DATA LOG

Notepad

MENTAL HEALTH RESEARCH

Follow these directions for researching and analyzing the MENTAL HEALTH of the Mission Commander:

  1. Read the notes from the previous MED officer by clicking on the box labeled NOTES.
NOTES
NASA has learned that behavioral issues among groups of people crammed in a small space over a long time, no matter how well trained they are, are inevitable. Expedition crews selected for a stay aboard the space station are carefully chosen, trained, and supported to make sure they can work effectively as a team for six months. The types of problems astronauts may encounter are a decline in mood, cognition, morale, or interpersonal interaction. They could also develop a sleep disorder because of a small, noisy environment, or the stress of prolonged isolation and confinement. Depression could occur. Fatigue is inevitable given that there will be times with heavy workload and shifting schedules. Still, periods of monotony may lead to boredom rearing its ugly head. Misunderstandings and impaired communications with team members might impact performance and mission success. A lack of fresh food and mean variety, or deficiency in nutrition, may further contribute to physiological and cognitive decrements. The more confined and isolated humans are, the more likely they are to develop behavioral or cognitive conditions, and psychiatric disorders.

2. Open the MENTAL HEALTH RESEARCH DATA LOG and answer the MENTAL HEALTH RESEARCH questions. You may need this infromation later in the mission. Make sure to write it down on the Notepad provided or your own notes. Click “Submit” when you’ve answered the questions.

MENTAL HEALTH RESEARCH DATA LOG

OPEN DATA LOG

Notepad

MENTAL HEALTH STATUS REPORT

Follow these directions for recording the Mission Commander’s MENTAL HEALTH STATUS REPORT:

1. Locate the microphone in your call software, unmute and read the following message:

This is the MED team with a message for the Mission Commander. Please give a status report on your mental health.

2. Mute the microphone

3. Before the Mission Commander gives you their mental health status report, open the MENTAL HEALTH STATUS REPORT below.

4. Fill in the information as the Mission Commander gives it to you.

MENTAL HEALTH STATUS REPORT

OPEN DATA LOG

 1. Locate the microphone in your call software, unmute and read the following message:

This is MED. I have completed all of my tasks.

2. Mute the microphone.

3. Continue on to your training in microbiology.

MICROBIOLOGY

MICROBES IN THE ENVIRONMENT

Microbes exist all around us and are even in the spacecraft!  Some are good and some are bad.  Learn more about helpful and harmful microbes so you will be ready to analyze the microbes that may exist in the spacecraft.  To begin go to Bacteria in the Cafeteria

EMERGENCY

If there is ever a radiation emergency onboard the Marius, you will need to follow the directions below to ensure the health of the Mission Commander:

1. Locate the CHAT in your call software.

2. Select “Flight Director” from the drop-down menu.

3. Type the following message:

This is MED. Due to the radiation emergency onboard the Spacecraft, the Mission Commander needs to undergo further medical testing. Standby for directions.

4. Once you have typed it in the CHAT, make sure to hit SEND or hit ENTER so that the Flight Director can read it and deliver it to the Mission Commander.

5. You will need to wait for the Flight Director to ask you to unmute yourself. Once this happens, continue on to the next step.

6. Locate the MICROPHONE button on your call software. 

7. The MICROPHONE button will have two states: on and off. To test that it works, say the entirety of the following message to Mission Commander:

This is MED to Marius. Do you read me, over?

8. Wait for a response from the Mission Commander. If there is no response, press or click the MICROPHONE button to ensure you are not muted, and then resend the message. If you get a response from the Mission Commander, that means the communication system is working, and you may continue to the next step.

9. Follow the directions below for each medical checkpoint to ensure that the Mission Commander is able to continue with the mission. Complete the EMERGENCY MEDICAL DATA LOG as the Mission Commander sends you information. Click “Submit” when you complete the data log. Return to your task cards after collecting the data.

Read to the Mission Commander these instructions to check their skin temperature.

1. Find the medical thermometer at the MED station.
2. Use the thermometer to measure your skin temperature and send me the results as soon as possible.

Read to the Mission Commander these instructions to check their heart health.

  1. Find the manual heart monitor at the MED station.
  2. Use the monitor to check your heart rate and blood pressure. Send me the results as soon as possible.

Read the Mission Commander these instructions to conduct a mental health check.

  1. Please report on your mental health after the emergency.

EMERGENCY MEDICAL DATA LOG

OPEN DATA LOG