All long-duration space stations in low Earth orbit have existed in the context of a relatively rapid return to Earth. For critical medical emergencies, a crew member could be stabilized and evacuated to Earth within a matter of hours. While return from a Lunar habitat is 3-5 days to Earth, return from Mars will be no less than seven months, more than three years for full crewed missions. Medical and surgical issues in exploration class missions will require on-orbit or in-hab medical management to increasing degrees of capacity in relation to the distance from Earth. Our team recently completed a 100-year survey of medical and surgical care paradigms in military, expeditionary, remote and spaceflight medicine. We recognize that advances in innovation, technology, training, and expertise have improved patient outcomes. However, care capabilities decrease with tightly constrained medical systems.
Through professional collaboration, the SAM MedBay Working Group proposes developing a fully-functional medical and surgical bay (“MedBay”) at the hermetically sealed and pressurized space analog and research facility SAM, using an iterative design process guided by NASA requirements and commercial needs, incorporating contemporary technology and innovation. The primary focus is surgical innovation, simulation, training, and education related to space.
The Space Surgery (Med Bay) Working Group at SAM is an inclusive group of self-assembled medical and non-medical professionals and industry partners seeking collaboration with a common interest in achieving the goal of developing a medical and surgical bay. The first meeting of the working group was held by video conference in September 2024. In the second meeting in November 2024, a list of action items and tasks were established to start working in parallel for design and development of the med bay with realizable waypoints and deliverables.
Contact Dr. Bindhu Oommen, MD at bindhuoommen at arizona dot edu to learn more …
SAM MedBay Overview (PDF) | 2025 MedBay Workshop | 2026 Prototype at SAM
