An ISS Space Ambulance Based on X-37B Technology

摘要

This study proposes that a Boeing X-37B spaceplane, its dimensions and performance characteristics estimated from publicly available documents, diagrams, and photographs, could be internally redesigned as a medical evacuation (ambulance) vehicle for the International Space Station (ISS). There currently exists no craft specifically designed to accommodate a contingency medical evacuation wherein a crew member aboard the ISS is injured or ailing and must be returned to Earth for immediate medical attention. The X-37B is an unmanned vehicle with a history of success both in sub-orbital testing and in all four of its long-duration orbital missions to date. The ongoing research conducted at UC Davis suggests that, through internal redesign and reconfiguration, it could be possible to retain the outer mold line (OML) of the vehicle while expanding the internal payload compartment to a volume sufficient for a crew of three - a pilot, crew medical officer (CMO), and injured crew-member (IC) - throughout de-orbit and atmospheric entry. The re-designed vehicle concept includes basic environmental control and life support systems (ECLSS) in addition to scenario-dependent medical equipment for medical stabilization of the patient in transit. More specifically, this work aims to produce an optimal, ergonomic crew configuration and berthing port location, and general procedures for responding to a select set of medical emergencies validated via physical simulation in a full-scale mockup of the proposed crew cabin.