A STRATEGY FOR SPACE BIOLOGY AND MEDICAL SCIENCE
For the 1980s and 1990s.
Committee on Space Biology and
Medicine, Space Science Board,
Commission on physical Sciences,
Mathematics and Resources, National
Research Council. National Academy
Press, Washington, DC, 1987. 196 pp.
This report, which represents the collective thinking of some 60 scientists, was developed over the course of two and a half years in series of meetings of the Space Science Board’s Committee on Space Biology and Medicine. It proposes specific goals for NASA and the scientific community in 10 areas of space biology research: developmental biology, gravitropism, sensorimotor integration, bone and mineral metabolism, cardiovascular/pulmonary function, muscle remodeling, nutrition, human reproduction, space anemia and human behavior. The main emphasis is on basic science, its applicability to clinical science and the many uncertainties about microgravity.
The strategy is an excellent guide for planning and evaluating a coherent research program. It summarizes what...