• In collaboration with the European Space Agency (ESA), Phase 1 entails using the Tempus ALS device, compared to current International Space Station (ISS) medical devices, for the completion of Periodic Health Status exams and ISS medical contingency drills for 6 crewmembers (ESA = 2, NASA = 4), in order to achieve ESA’s test objectives as described in the ESA Tempus ALS Technology Demonstration Activity Requirements Document (ARD)1.

• NASA-led Phase 2 of the demonstration will entail Exploration Medical Capability (ExMC) and the Exploration Medical Integrated Product Team (XMIPT) working together to demonstrate the use of Tempus ALS on the ISS as part of progressively Earth-Independent Medical Operations (EIMO) through the execution of onboard medical simulations that emphasize crew autonomy during exploration medical care.

The Tempus ALS is a multifunctional medical device with capabilities that include vital sign collection and monitoring, communications to enable telemedicine, interfaces with electronic health records, ultrasound, video laryngoscopy, and defibrillation. Tempus for ISS project activities will include evaluation of the usability of the Tempus ALS in a spaceflight environment, its functionality during the diagnosis and treatment of simulated medical conditions, and the increased onboard capabilities that it can provide when operated autonomously. The project results will be used to answer the question: Is the Tempus ALS a good candidate for inclusion within spaceflight medical system operations on exploration missions?

For this project, simulations of one or more medical contingency scenarios will be executed and ISS astronauts will be required to follow and perform the NASA and ESA developed medical procedures necessary for diagnosing and treating the medical emergency. The astronauts will be required to use several of the capabilities of the Tempus ALS device while performing these procedures. The astronauts will perform the procedures under varying levels of autonomy, including with and without communication delays and with different types of procedural guidance.

For long-duration space missions, mass, power, and volume requirements for medical devices will be increasingly limited. Further, with increased distance, the Earth-Independent Medical Operations (EIMO) capability will be a cornerstone of the provision of adequate medical care during exploration missions beyond low-Earth orbit (BLEO). There is a need to identify and evaluate medical devices that will be amenable to the EIMO construct.