Human spaceflight support (HSFS) has been a Department of Defense (DOD) mission since the establishment of the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) in 1958. Medical support is a key component of this mission, including the provision of healthcare to astronauts and other space flight personnel during routine operations and mishaps. Providing high-quality care in these circumstances requires training for demanding, high-intensity, rare operations. However, full mission profile (FMP) training for the mission is highly expensive and complex, requiring medics and equipment to be dropped into the ocean for simulated capsule recovery. In this work, we developed an immersive virtual reality (IVR) medical simulation capability to broaden access to FMP-style simulation training across the full spectrum of special warfare medics who may be deployed for the HSFS mission. An interdisciplinary working group consisting of emergency physicians, space operational medicine experts, instructional designers, and IVR engineers was formed. The working group first determined a set of scenarios to implement in IVR. Then, a set of mission-specific platforms and environments with associated sets, kits, outfits, and equipment were specified. The specified materials were then implemented and iteratively refined using a previously developed IVR platform (VRMSS, SimX, San Francisco, CA). Ten scenarios ranging from normal operations to severe injuries and mishaps were specified, implemented, and refined within the IVR system. Virtual capsule replicas were developed in pad and ocean recovery environments. Aerial and naval platforms including the C-17, MH-60, Rigging Alternate Method Boat, and Advanced Rescue Craft were implemented. A complete equipment and outfit set was implemented, including 175 tools and equipment sets. A comprehensive IVR-based medical simulation capability for space operational medical support was developed for virtual FMP training. The resulting capability is currently being integrated into special warfare medicine training and may also have applicability to civilian commercial space flight programs.
@inproceedings{sarma2023virtual,
author = {Sarma, K. V. and Barrie, M. and Dorsch, J. R. and Carr, N. and Patel, N. and Poppe, M. and Weiss, T. L. and Polson, J. and Ribeira, R. J.},
title = {Virtual Reality-based Medical Simulation for Pre-Hospital Space Medicine Care: VALOR PHSMCC},
booktitle = {Interservice/Industry Training, Simulation, and Education Conference},
year = {2023},
}