Human Subjects Concerns in Ground Based Eclss Testing--Managing Uncertainty in Closely Recycled Systems

Document Number: 901251

Date Published: July 1990

Author(s):
L. Dale Thomas - NASA Marshall Space Flight Center
William J. Crump - NASA Marshall Space Flight Center
Daniel S. Janik - Cetus Research

Abstract:
U.S. space missions have to this point used water either made on board or carried from Earth and discarded after use. For Space Station Freedom, long duration life support will include air and water recycling using a series of physical-chemical subsystems. The environmental control and life support system (ECLSS) designed for this application must be tested extensively at all stages of hardware maturity. Human test subjects are required to conduct some of these tests, and the risks associated with the use of development hardware must be addressed.

Federal guidelines for protection of human subjects require careful consideration of risks and potential benefits by an Institutional Review Board (IRB) before and during testing. This paper reviews the ethical principles guiding this consideration, details the problems and uncertainties inherent in current hardware testing, and presents an incremental approach to risk assessment for ECLSS testing.

File Size: 1051K
Product Status: In Stock

See other papers presented at International Conference On Environmental Systems, July 1990, Williamsburg, VA, USA, Session: International Conference On Environmental Systems

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