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Bioastronautics in Aerospace Engineering Sciences.  D.M. Klaus. Dept. of Aerospace Engineering Sciences, Univ. of Colorado, Boulder. 

   Bioastronautics can be thought of as encompassing biological, behavioral and medical aspects governing humans and other living organisms in a space flight environment; including design of research payloads, space habitats and spacecraft life support systems. In short, the study and support of life in space.  The study of life falls into the more conventional category of Space Life Sciences, while the support of life (whether in a biological research payload or an entire spacecraft) is an element of Engineering Design. Integrating Space Life Sciences into a traditional aerospace engineering curriculum essentially entails adding a 'human subsystem' into the spacecraft schematic.  The basic design elements governing satellites and launch vehicles are integral to any spacecraft (manned or unmanned) and, therefore, provide the foundation for human spacecraft design as well.  Bioastronautics expands upon the more established subject matter of aerospace engineering to give students an awareness of what it takes to sustain human health in the hostile, life-threatening environment of space. Human environmental needs and consumable mass inputs / outputs, in turn, drive the functional requirements for a life support system. The classes offered cover both the scientific and design aspects of payloads and human space flight.

   Many students also become interested in pursuing doctoral thesis research in addition to the coursework, or often, as a consequence of exposure to the topics covered.  From an engineering perspective, biophysical analysis of gravity-dependent transport processes; payload, spacecraft and countermeasure technology design; and systems level studies of advanced life support configurations, all offer challenging areas of study.    The engineering and science roles addressed are complementary; whether engineering designs that serve to enable research, or research needed to enable engineering designs. An overview of this educational program will be provided, with emphasis on the continuity bridging coursework and lab research.