An ISS Space Ambulance Based on X-37B Technology

Prof. Stephen K. RobinsonChair, Dept. Of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering

UC Davis

An Ambulance for ISS Based on X-37 Technology

E. Etan Halberg, S.K. Robinson, R. Onishi, N.J. BlaesserAIAA SPACE 2016, Sept. 13–16

Long Beach Convention Center, Long Beach, CA

Crew Configuration, Crew Transfer Procedures, and In-Flight Care

CENTER FOR HUMAN/ROBOTICS/VEHICLEINTEGRATION & PERFORMANCE (HRVIP)

Overview

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• Background• Proposed mission requirements• Crew configuration design drivers• Full-scale cabin mockup• Crew station/restraint considerations• Hatch location and crew transfer procedures• In-flight caregiving• Summary

Background• Medical events (scale: 1-3)

� Class 2 requires ISS HMS; possible emergency evac; 1 per 2.4 years, crew of 7 (cardiac arrhythmia, pneumonia)

� Class 3 requires emergency evac; 1–3 per 15 years, crew of 7; (retinal detachment, acute appendicitis)

� Based on medical events (not system failures); data from remote outposts, spaceflight history

� Principles of Clinical Medicine for Space Flight (Barratt, Pool)• Soyuz

� Habitable volume: 141 ft3 (TMA descent module)� EDL typically around 4–5G; ~8G if ballistic� 9 injuries among 24 US crew (37.5%), Expeditions 6 thru 30†

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†Kukla, T., Soyuz Landing Missions from http://ntrs.nasa.gov/archive/nasa/casi.ntrs.nasa.gov/20160010479.pdf

Proposed Mission Requirements• Minimal crew: pilot, patient, crew medical officer (CMO)• Rapid transport: < 3 hours from ISS to Earth• Long duration “ready-state”: > 2 years on-station• Minimal G-loads throughout EDL• Immediate access to crew upon vehicle recovery• Ability to utilize public/commercial runways• Pilotable vehicle capable of accommodating a supine

passenger and unsuited crew.• Supine passenger able to receive life-saving care during

transport without compromising crew safety

5orig.: SCAPE suit (NASA), Soyuz TMA (NASA), Dragon (SpaceX), CST-100 (Boeing), X-38 and Space Shuttle (NASA), Dreamchaser, (Sierra Nevada Co.), X-37B (Boeing)

Vehicle

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X-37B Vehicle X-37UCD

N2O4 + MMH Propellant Non-toxic

storable

2300 ft/s Axial ΔV(*) 443 ft/s

7 x 4 ft PayloadDim. 13 x 4 ft

88 ft3 Payload Volume 147 ft3

orig.: NASA

Important Items & Terminology

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orig.: NASA-STD-3000 vol.1 sec.3

orig.: acapsule.com

• Crew safety and security• Ability of crew members to perform

role-specific tasks• Rapid and orderly transfer of crew

to/from vehicle• 5th and 95th percentile crew members

(Man-systems Integration Standards)

Crew Configuration – Patient

• G-loads• Access (to) by CMO• Egress procedures• Volume req. ≈ 12 ft3

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Volrem≈147-12≈135 ft3

0

0.2

0.4

0.6

0.8

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1.2

1.4

1.6

1.8

0 200 400 600 800 1000 1200 1400 1600 1800

Acce

lera

tion

(G's)

Time (s)

Shuttle EDL G-load Characteristics

+Gz

-Gx STS 56

From STS 5 & STS 56 (AoA)

Crew Configuration – Pilot

• G-loads (vestibular feedback)• Ergonomics/range of motion• Isolation (sterile cockpit)• Volume req. ≈ 13 ft3

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Ergonomic body joint anglesMin Max

Hip 90° 120°Knee 90° 130°Ankle 100° 120°

Canadian Centre for Occupational Health and Safety, 2016, “Good Body Posture: OSH Answers,” in "OSH Answers Fact Sheets.” from https://www.ccohs.ca/oshanswers/ergonomics/sitting/sitting_position.html http://easyultralightdesign.stroimsamolet.ru/design/cockpit_sizing.php

http://plane-crazy.k-hosting.co.uk/Aircraft/Jets/Meteor/gloster_meteor.htm

Volrem≈135-13≈122 ft3

Crew Configuration – CMO

• Access to patient (visual, physical)• Access to medical equipment• Range of motion• Volume req. ≈ 13 ft3

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Volrem≈122-13≈109 ft3

PatientCrew Medical Officer (CMO)

Top View

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Crew Configurations

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1 3

2 4

Pilot Patient CMO

Aft

Fore

Crew Configurations

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1

+ Pilot isolation+ Familiar positions+ Equilateral access to patient by CMO- Overall access to patient/equipment- Cabin length; leg room issues

Pilot Patient CMO

Crew Configurations

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2

+ Leg room+ Equilateral access to patient- Overall access to patient/equipment- Egress procedures- Unfamiliar positions- Pilot isolation- Patient g-loads

Pilot Patient CMO

Crew Configurations

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3

+ Benefits of “1” but more compact+ Overall access to patient+ Egress procedures- Asymmetric access to patient (far-side)- Use of volume not ideal

Pilot Patient CMO

Crew Configurations

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4

+ Most compact+ Leg room+ Overall access to patient/equipment- Egress procedures- Pilot isolation- Patient g-loads

Pilot Patient CMO

Crew Configurations

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1 3

2 4

Aft

Fore

Pilot Patient CMO

Selected Configuration

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Cabin Mockup• Depiction most closely resembles config. “3”• Goal of enabling observation and evaluation• Rapidly reconfigurable

18In photo (from left to right): UCD students Logan Halstrom, Kasumi Kanetaka, and Alan Carey

Crew Stations

• All – collapsible/stowable• Patient (3 ft3)� No translation or rotation

• Pilot (4 ft3)� Translation along yaw axis� Translation along roll axis

• CMO (4 ft3)� Translation along all axes (1 ft3)� Rotation around yaw axis (4 ft3)

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Volrem≈109-16≈93 ft3

Crew Stations – CMO Seat Yaw

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0

20

40

60

80

100

0 20 40 60 80

Dist

ance

(inc

hes)

Angle (degrees)

CMO Seat Yaw Angle StudyTorso room availableTorso room requiredLeg room availableLeg room required

Top View

Pilot

Patient

CMO

Transfer Procedures – Hatch Location• Heat shield continuity• Main engine proximity• RCS thruster proximity• Berthing/Proximity ops• Crew extraction• Vehicle internals• B, C, F• ~3 ft3

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orig.: wiki/File:X_37B_OTV-2_01.jpg

Volrem≈93-3≈90 ft3

B

C

F

Transfer Procedures – Ingress/Egress• Worst-case – clear hatch with ~1 inch symmetric clearance• Trivial case – clear hatch with ease; no cornering danger

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C

B

Vreq ≈ 15 ft3

Vreq ≈ 14 ft3

Volrem≈90-15≈75 ft3

Top View

In-Flight Care

• Life-saving or improved/hastened recovery• Medical equipment� Monitoring, ~ 2 ft3

� Automated external defibrillator (AED), ~ 1 ft3

� Bag-valve mask (BVM), ~ 0.5 ft3

� Laryngeal mask airway (LMA), ~ 0.5 ft3

� Intravenous therapy supplies, ~ 2 ft3

� Chest compression system, ~ 2 ft3

• Effects of > 1G on equip in use (e.g. LMA)

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Volrem≈75-8≈67 ft3

Summary• 147 ft3 Æ 67 ft3; 54% of total volume in use (80 ft3)• Aft-located hatch (B), crew config. 3 are ideal• Work completed so far

� Trades; crew config, hatch locations� Mockups; small-scale, full-scale� Initial volumetric estimate

• Future work� Simulated procedures in mockup� Deconditioning considerations� Vehicle systems

– ECLSS– Propulsion– Power

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References[1] Halberg, E. E., Robinson, S. K., Onishi, R., and Blaesser, N. J., "An ISS Space Ambulance Based on X-37B Technology," Accepted, AIAA SPACE, Sept., 2016.[2] Canadian Centre for Occupational Health and Safety, 2016, “Good Body Posture: OSH Answers,” in "OSH Answers Fact Sheets.” from https://www.ccohs.ca/oshanswers/ergonomics/sitting/sitting_position.html, last retrieved Sept. 6, 2016.[3] n.d., “Aircraft cockpit sizing.” from http://easyultralightdesign.stroimsamolet.ru/design/cockpit_sizing.php, last retrieved Sept. 6, 2016.

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