This fundamental 3rd Edition offers a comprehensive overview of performance declines observed in astronauts and cosmonauts throughout various space missions, spanning from Gagarin's flight to the Apollo lunar surface activities, as well as Space Shuttle landings and long-duration stays on board the International Space Station. This evidence forms the basis for identifying risks to crew health and performance during extended space missions, as well as for developing countermeasures to mitigate these risks.

In this edition, you'll read how space agencies are currently gearing up for human missions beyond low-Earth orbit, which necessitates addressing numerous physiological, psychological, operational, and scientific challenges prior to establishing bases on the surface of Moon and Mars. The emerging commercial sub-orbital and orbital flight capabilities have captivated both the public and the scientific community. This book also identifies the anticipated hurdles, or "showstoppers," for these space missions and what must be understood to grasp fully the implications and risks for space explorers.

Over 650 astronauts from various nations have collectively spent over 184 years in space. Currently, the 72nd expedition crew resides on the International Space Station, maintaining a continuous human presence since 2000. Investigations during this time have explored issues like bone and muscle health, space motion sickness, immune function changes, crew dynamics, and medical challenges such as visual impairment and radiation effects. These studies, including those led by Gilles Clément, have provided valuable insights into human adaptation to space.

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Dr. Gilles Clément received Doctoral Degrees in Neurobiology from the University of Lyon in 1981 and in Natural Science from the University of Paris in 1986. He is conducting space research in collaboration with the COMETE laboratory at the University of Caen-Normandy in France and the Neuroscience Laboratory at the NASA Johnson Space Center in Houston, Texas.

Research in neurosciences has been his primary focus with experiments flown on Salyut, Mir, 44 Space Shuttle missions, and 67 Expeditions on the International Space Station. His research focuses on the effects of weightlessness on human posture, eye movements, spatial orientation, and cognition. Dr. Clément is the author of more than 200 publications in scientific journals and four books on the topics of space biology, space physiology, space medicine, and artificial gravity.

To date, Dr. Clément has gathered data on more than 240 astronauts and cosmonauts before, during, and after 110 space missions; and on 377 volunteers on board NASA and CNES aircraft during more than 4,000 parabolic maneuvers.

In 2023, Dr. Clément received the NASA Silver Snoopy Award, the Astronauts' Personal Achievement Award "in appreciation for professionalism, dedication and outstanding support that greatly enhanced space flight safety and mission success."

In 2024, he received the NASA Exceptional Scientific Achievement Medal "for exceptional scientific achievements addressing the spectrum of physiological adaptations associated with human space flight."