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The Biological Flight Research Laboratory (BFRL) includes a large (approximately 2.5 meter) diameter centrifuge, biospecimen habitats, a microgravity habitat holding unit, a glovebox, a unit for the routine servicing of biospecimen chambers, and generic laboratory equipment. It is being designed to support non-human life sciences research on Space Station Freedom. To assure the health and welfare of biospecimens and flight crew, the BFRL must provide containment of particulate, microbial and potentially hazardous chemical substances as well as isolation of the inhabitant biospecimens from the cabin environment. There are currently no clear definitions within NASA of what constitutes a biological hazard or how such material should be contained and handled. This paper defines many of the risk concepts of concern to NASA and recommends requirements for the design and operation of life sciences spaceflight hardware and experiments.

The use of non-human biological specimens for life sciences research on Space Station Freedom has generated concerns about spacecraft internal contamination, crew safety and hardware utility. Various NASA organizations convened to discuss the concerns and determine how they should be addressed. This paper will present the issues raised at this meeting, the process by which safety concerns were identified, and the means by which contamination control requirements for all biological payloads were recommended for incorporation into Space Station Freedom safety requirements. The microbiological, toxicological and particulate contamination criteria for long-term spaceflight will be based on realistic assessment of risk and hardware will be designed to meet established contamination criteria while facilitating crew operations, thereby meeting the needs of the investigator.