SATPC0041439 TAB 04 4 SOW.pdf

V. 08.23.22

Statement of Work Human Systems Integration Division

Nox Medical 5 A1 Polysomnography Systems

BACKGROUND

Project Title: Evaluation of mission-like schedules during the MEA mission

The Fatigue Countermeasures Laboratory (Human Systems Integration Division - Code TH) will purchase 5 Nox A1 polysomnography systems used to measure electroencephalography (EEG) during sleep as part of a project in collaboration with NASA

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The proposed project directly addresses key gaps in the Human Research Roadmap related to sleep, circadian rhythms, and fatigue risk in exploration missions. It contributes to Sleep- 101 by characterizing how multiple stressors – such as extended duty periods, circadian disruption, and sleep fragmentation – interact to affect crew sleep-wake regulation and neurobehavioral performance within a high-fidelity operational analog. In addition, the project addresses Sleep-102 by evaluating the combined effectiveness, feasibility, and acceptability of integrated countermeasures, including lighting, fatigue management education, controlled rest, and strategic caffeine use. Through its systematic assessment of mission-like schedules in both crewmembers and mission controllers, the study provides data necessary to inform risk assessments, guide schedule design, and support the translation of countermeasure strategies to future exploration vehicles and surface habitats.

Human travel to Mars will introduce several challenges, including extended duration stays in isolated and confined environments and exposure to hazards that remain poorly understood, such as galactic cosmic radiation. These conditions have the potential to negatively impact crew sleep quality and quantity, and, in turn, impair cognitive function.

Living and working on the surface of Mars will also impose novel demands on sleep, circadian rhythms and performance that have not been fully assessed in a mission-like operational setting. In parallel, mission controllers may be required to synchronize their work schedules with the Mars day in order to effectively support mission activities (1).

Mars rotates with a period of 24 hours and 39 minutes (i.e., a ‘Mars Sol’). While this is close to the 24-hour rotation of Earth, adapting to the Mars Sol will require individuals to shift their sleep 39 minutes later each day. This may be outside the limits of entrainment for some individuals, especially those with an early chronotype or intrinsically short circadian periods (i.e., < 24 hours).

There have only been a few studies that evaluated humans living on a Mars Sol. CHAPEA Mission 2, currently underway, includes a 36-day phase where crewmembers are asked to maintain a Mars Sol schedule. In this phase, investigators provide blue-enriched supplemental lighting throughout the habitat, and crewmembers are instructed to activate the blue-enriched lighting after completing their post-sleep routines and to leave it on until one-hour before bedtime. Fatigue Risk Management Training (FRMT) and exposure to blue-enriched lighting during the Mars Sol will be evaluated with respect to circadian phase alignment, sleep opportunity; the sufficiency and stability of crew sleep; and performance.

Although this effort will yield useful information about the feasibility of implementing experimental lighting protocols, there are a number of limitations to this evaluation due to the implementation approach. For example, future spacecraft and habitats are expected to integrate lighting into the environments so that crews do not need to remember to use supplemental devices. During the Phoenix Mars Lander project, a study evaluating teams working on a Mars Sol found that although individuals were provided with blue-light boxes, they used them only sporadically (1).

In addition to the sleep and circadian rhythm challenges posed by the Mars Sol, transit to any destination outside low-Earth orbit will require the vehicle to perform multiple trajectory correction burns (TCBs). Critical burns may necessitate shifting crew sleep to allow real-time monitoring, while non-critical burns may interrupt sleep due to abrupt noise events. Preliminary laboratory studies are evaluating whether countermeasures such as pink noise can protect sleep continuity and whether enhanced lighting regimes or strategic napping can mitigate the performance impairments associated with these sleep shifts. Although these countermeasures show promise, they have not been tested in an operational environment that reflects the complexity and demands of schedules like those expected for exploration missions.

Finally, in addition to the challenges faced by exploration crews, flight mission controllers will need to work shifts to support mission operations. Although mission controllers traditionally rotate through three shifts, this structure may not be well suited to the sleep shifts imposed by TCBs or the demands of operating on a Mars Sol. One proposed alternative is to have mission controllers adopt a Mars Sol schedule alongside the crew, as is common during robotic Mars missions, to maintain continuous coverage during the active portion of communication throughout the Sol portion of the mission. Studies are needed to characterize the impact of mission control shifts on controller alertness, performance, sleep, or team coordination. Studies are therefore needed to characterize the impacts of these shift schedules and to identify countermeasures that can support mission control operations, including how schedule changes may influence the quality of handovers.

For this proposed study, we will build on the countermeasure approaches previously evaluated in laboratory settings and in CHAPEA Mission 2, while also assessing mission controller schedules within the MEA operational context.

OBJECTIVE or REQUIREMENTS

Study Aims

1) Characterize the impact of schedule shifts caused by trajectory correction burns

(TCBs). We will quantify how TCB-related schedule disruptions, which require crew monitoring and may displace or interrupt sleep, affect sleep, alertness and performance.

a. In parallel, we will evaluate a suite of countermeasures designed to sustain alertness and performance during TCB phases. Findings will inform best-practice recommendations for future missions.

2) Evaluate the effectiveness of 250 melanopic EDI (mEDI) lighting combined with fatigue risk management education for Mars Sol adaptation. We will assess whether integrated 250 mEDI lighting, paired with targeted fatigue risk management training, facilitates appropriate circadian phase shifting (via melatonin), and supports stable alertness, and performance as crewmembers adjust to the longer Mars Sol schedule.

3) Assess whether fatigue risk management training and associated countermeasures support mission controller performance across all shifts. We will determine whether lighting and caffeine strategies, paired with fatigue management education, are sufficient for enabling controllers to maintain stable alertness, mood, and performance across nominal, TCB-related, and Mars Sol schedules.

a. We will also evaluate organizational and team-level impacts. As more flight-like orbit shifts are implemented to support MEA, we will examine how controller teams conduct handovers during Mars sol operations compared to baseline procedures and determine whether additional countermeasures are warranted.

Sleep-related Methods

Electroencephalography (EEG). Participants will wear the Nox A1 to evaluate various EEG metrics and respiratory function (e.g., sleep stages, arousals, sleep latency, wake after sleep onset, total sleep time). The EEG data will be provided in raw format and in processed format. The processed data will include sleep outcomes scored by a qualified sleep scorer.

Actigraphy. Participants will wear actigraphy continuously. This will enable us to compare nights when respiratory function is not measured to nights when it is measured to identify potential variations in night-to-night sleep. We will also be able to compare arousals in the actigraphy data to arousals captured by the Nox T3 to determine whether actigraphy could be used to detect respiratory-related arousals during future missions.

Companies Identified: Nox Medical (https://noxmedical.com/)

Environmental:

Additional request: 5 A1 devices to be shipped to NASA Ames

PLACE OF PERFORMANCE

https://noxmedical.com/

NASA AMES RESEARCH CENTER

JOHNSON SPACE CENTNER

PERIOD OF PERFORMANCE

The project’s period of performance will take place from FY26-FY29. In order to receive, test, and implement the equipment for this high priority study, we request expedited approval to ensure delivery of the equipment by July 1, 2026.

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