The Development of an Emergency Response Plan for Medical Contingencies during Commercial Spaceflight at the Houston Spaceport

Commercial spaceflight has grown increasingly prominent over the last decade. Yet despite the obvious successes, commercial spaceflight is still in its relative infancy, and mishaps in the industry may be enough to lose the trust of consumers and shut down the market altogether. This is especially true in the event of a medical disaster. In order to protect the commercial spaceflight industry in the event of a medical catastrophe, should it occur, it is necessary to have the appropriate infrastructure in place to properly respond to an event and mitigate or minimize the harm to person and property that could occur as a result. Doing this will help to salvage the trust of consumers (and the public as a whole) in the utility of commercial spaceflight, and may help prevent the collapse of the industry before it has established itself. The purpose of this project is to aid the Houston Spaceport, a new spaceport located at Ellington Field in Houston, Texas, in developing a medical response plan for contingency scenarios during its mission operations. With appropriate infrastructure development, the Houston Spaceport could become a leader in the commercial spaceflight industry and act as a model for space safety.