House Hearing on Lifetime Medical Care for Astronauts, June 2016
The Space Subcommittee of the House Science, Space, and Technology Committee held a hearing on June 15, 2016 on “Human Spaceflight Ethics and Obligations: Options for Monitoring, Diagnosing and Treating Former Astronauts.” Three current and former astronauts, including Scott Kelly who just set a new U.S. record for a long duration (340 days) spaceflight, NASA’s Chief Medical Officer, and a medical ethicist, testified. SpacePolicyOnline.com published a summary of the hearing on June 15. Witnesses were:
- Richard Williams, NASA Chief Medical Officer
- Chris Cassidy, NASA astronaut and Chief, Astronaut Office, Johnson Space Center
- Scott Kelly, former NASA astronaut
- Michael Lopez-Alegria, former NASA astronaut, President of the U.S. chapter of the Association of Space Explorers
- Jeffrey Kahn, Professor of Bioethics and Public Policy, Johns Hopkins Berman Institute of Bioethics and Chairman, Committee on the Ethics Principles and Guidelines for Health Standards for Long Duration and Exploration Spaceflights, Board on Health Sciences Policy, National Academies of Sciences, Engineering and Medicine