Project Introduction and Purpose Paper

This paper is intended to introduce who I am and my topic for the Independent Study
Mentorship, or ISM, course. Furthermore, the reasons behind my career field selection and my
goals are to be examined, along with the most significant part, my project and project and the
purpose behind them.
My name is Aaron Lassmann, and I am a junior currently enrolled at Clear Springs High
School and ISM, a course designed to allow students to self-study in a personally interesting
field under a mentor to gain professional experience and knowledge. My field of study is
aerospace medicine, specifically as it pertains to spaceflight. I was drawn to this field due to a
lifelong interest in medicine, as well as, an interest in space, likely stemming from my mother,
who has worked at NASA for the past twenty years giving me a childhood of exposure to the
United States space program. My brother-in-law, who is board-certified in aerospace medicine,
introduced me to my mentor, Dr. Ronak Shah, DO, an element scientist for the Exploratory
Medical Capabilities, or ExMC, element of NASAs Human Research Program.
My project looks at the research and training that must be done to prepare for and
mitigate any medical events that could occur in space. Here on Earth, if there is a medical issue,
one can just call 911 and go to the hospital. In space, the crew is restricted to whatever is
available in their confined environment with a return to Earth requiring a minimum of a day just
while in orbit. Specifically, I will look at the simulation side of this preparation and research
various medical problems and how these must be planned for and mitigated. Using this in-depth
research, I will analyze how the restrictions of spaceflight affect the available responses and
treatments to these medical conditions. Space restrictions force medical needs and equipment to

compete with scientific research and mechanical needs. The likelihood and gravity of impact a
specific medical event could have must be taken into account when planning and ranking
importance. I hope to have a better understanding of the medical side of space travel through
this.
This then lead into my proposed product, a simulation of a medical event. Wyle, a
company which NASA contracts jobs out to, is the actual company Dr. Shah works at, and at
their site they have a medical lab used for simulations and training. The med lab consists of three
rooms, a fake mission control room, an observation room, and a simulation room with a manikin
and the medical equipment available in space. My product consists primarily of creating a
simulation using the manikin in the med lab and running the simulation. This uses the same
system used by NASA and Wyle in their creation and running of medical simulations.
My hope for this project is to better understand the medical capabilities and limitations of
space and to allow others to understand this. Space travel is not as easy as some believe. Space
constraints impact all areas, especially medical, and, this lack of space requires in-depth planning
of likelihoods and impact to allow for a successful mission, despite any medical setbacks.