"I believe that the time has arrived for medical investigation of the problems of manned rocket flight, for it will not be the engineering problems but rather the limits of the human frame that will make the final decision as to whether manned space flight will eventually become a reality." Wernher von Braun, Space Medicine, 1951

 

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The Space Medicine Branch was founded in 1951 as the first constituent organization of the Aerospace Medical Association (AsMA). In 2006, the organization changed the name to the Space Medicine Association (SMA) since being an organization under the Aerospace Medical Association was no longer a sensitive issue. The association was founded for the express purpose of advancing the science and art of space medicine and the biological sciences, with special emphasis on the problems facing humans in the space environment. The Space Medicine Association accomplishes these goals by:

· stimulating investigation and study,
· disseminating pertinent knowledge and information,
· establishing and maintaining cooperation between the biological and other sciences concerned with space medicine.

The SMA is a constituent organization of the AsMA. Currently there are 155 members (May 2008). The association has an Executive Committee meeting and its annual business meeting during the annual scientific meeting of AsMA.

 
"Space travel is inherently risky. Space beyond Earth orbit is an extreme and isolated unique environment. Currently, not enough is known of the risks of prolonged travel in deep space to enable humans to venture there for prolonged periods safely." Safe Passage, 2001
 
 
 
©2005 Space Medicine Association
Updated: July 7, 2008