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Nasa's Astronaut Health Care System—Results of an Independent Review NASA’S ASTRONAUT HEALTH CARE SYSTEM—RESULTS OF AN INDEPENDENT REVIEW HEARING BEFORE THE SUBCOMMITTEE ON SPACE AND AERONAUTICS COMMITTEE ON SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES ONE HUNDRED TENTH CONGRESS FIRST SESSION SEPTEMBER 6, 2007 Serial No. 110–52 Printed for the use of the Committee on Science and Technology ( Available via the World Wide Web: http://www.house.gov/science U.S. GOVERNMENT PRINTING OFFICE 37–640PS WASHINGTON : 2008 For sale by the Superintendent of Documents, U.S. Government Printing Office Internet: bookstore.gpo.gov Phone: toll free (866) 512–1800; DC area (202) 512–1800 Fax: (202) 512–2104 Mail: Stop IDCC, Washington, DC 20402–0001 VerDate 11-MAY-2000 15:32 Jan 11, 2008 Jkt 037640 PO 00000 Frm 00001 Fmt 5011 Sfmt 5011 C:\WORKD\SA07\090607\37640 SCIENCE1 PsN: SCIENCE1 COMMITTEE ON SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY HON. BART GORDON, Tennessee, Chairman JERRY F. COSTELLO, Illinois RALPH M. HALL, Texas EDDIE BERNICE JOHNSON, Texas F. JAMES SENSENBRENNER JR., LYNN C. WOOLSEY, California Wisconsin MARK UDALL, Colorado LAMAR S. SMITH, Texas DAVID WU, Oregon DANA ROHRABACHER, California BRIAN BAIRD, Washington ROSCOE G. BARTLETT, Maryland BRAD MILLER, North Carolina VERNON J. EHLERS, Michigan DANIEL LIPINSKI, Illinois FRANK D. LUCAS, Oklahoma NICK LAMPSON, Texas JUDY BIGGERT, Illinois GABRIELLE GIFFORDS, Arizona W. TODD AKIN, Missouri JERRY MCNERNEY, California JO BONNER, Alabama PAUL KANJORSKI, Pennsylvania TOM FEENEY, Florida DARLENE HOOLEY, Oregon RANDY NEUGEBAUER, Texas STEVEN R. ROTHMAN, New Jersey BOB INGLIS, South Carolina MICHAEL M. HONDA, California DAVID G. REICHERT, Washington JIM MATHESON, Utah MICHAEL T. MCCAUL, Texas MIKE ROSS, Arkansas MARIO DIAZ-BALART, Florida BEN CHANDLER, Kentucky PHIL GINGREY, Georgia RUSS CARNAHAN, Missouri BRIAN P. BILBRAY, California CHARLIE MELANCON, Louisiana ADRIAN SMITH, Nebraska BARON P. HILL, Indiana PAUL C. BROUN, Georgia HARRY E. MITCHELL, Arizona CHARLES A. WILSON, Ohio SUBCOMMITTEE ON SPACE AND AERONAUTICS HON. MARK UDALL, Colorado, Chairman DAVID WU, Oregon TOM FEENEY, Florida NICK LAMPSON, Texas DANA ROHRABACHER, California STEVEN R. ROTHMAN, New Jersey FRANK D. LUCAS, Oklahoma MIKE ROSS, Arizona JO BONNER, Alabama BEN CHANDLER, Kentucky MICHAEL MCCAUL, Texas CHARLIE MELANCON, Louisiana BART GORDON, Tennessee RALPH M. HALL, Texas RICHARD OBERMANN Subcommittee Staff Director PAM WHITNEY Democratic Professional Staff Member KEN MONROE Republican Professional Staff Member ED FEDDEMAN Republican Professional Staff Member DEVIN BRYANT Research Assistant (II) VerDate 11-MAY-2000 15:32 Jan 11, 2008 Jkt 037640 PO 00000 Frm 00002 Fmt 5904 Sfmt 5904 C:\WORKD\SA07\090607\37640 SCIENCE1 PsN: SCIENCE1 C O N T E N T S September 6, 2007 Page Witness List ............................................................................................................. 2 Hearing Charter ...................................................................................................... 3 Opening Statements Statement by Representative Bart Gordon, Chairman, Committee on Science and Technology, U.S. House of Representatives ............................................... 19 Written Statement ............................................................................................ 19 Statement by Representative Ralph M. Hall, Ranking Minority Member, Committee on Science and Technology, U.S. House of Representatives ......... 20 Statement by Representative Mark Udall, Chairman, Subcommittee on Space and Aeronautics, Committee on Science and Technology, U.S. House of Representatives .................................................................................................... 14 Written Statement ............................................................................................ 15 Statement by Representative Tom Feeney, Ranking Minority Member, Sub- committee on Space and Aeronautics, Committee on Science and Tech- nology, U.S. House of Representatives ............................................................... 16 Written Statement ............................................................................................ 18 Panel 1: Colonel Richard E. Bachmann, Jr., Chair, NASA Astronaut Health Care System Review Committee; Commander and Dean of the U.S. Air Force School of Aerospace Medicine Oral Statement ................................................................................................. 21 Written Statement ............................................................................................ 23 Biography .......................................................................................................... 26 Dr. Richard S. Williams, Chief Health and Medical Officer, National Aero- nautics and Space Administration Oral Statement ................................................................................................. 28 Written Statement ............................................................................................ 30 Dr. Ellen Ochoa, Director, Flight Crew Operations, NASA Johnson Space Center Oral Statement ................................................................................................. 32 Written Statement ............................................................................................ 34 Mr. Bryan D. O’Connor, Chief, Safety and Mission Assurance, National Aero- nautics and Space Administration Oral Statement ................................................................................................. 38 Written Statement ............................................................................................ 39 Discussion Contrasting Views and Findings From the Astronaut Health Care System Review Committee ............................................................................................ 43 Risks of Pre-flight Alcohol Consumption ........................................................... 45 Differences and Methods of the Reviews ............................................................ 46 Scope of Investigation .......................................................................................... 49 Anonymity of Survey ........................................................................................... 49 Alleged Instances of Alcohol Abuse .................................................................... 50 Policies to Insure Employee Openness ............................................................... 51 Extent of Alleged Alcohol Abuse ......................................................................... 52 Openness of Safety Reporting/Recommendations and Future Programs ........ 53 (III) VerDate 11-MAY-2000 15:32 Jan 11, 2008 Jkt 037640 PO 00000 Frm 00003 Fmt 5904 Sfmt 5904 C:\WORKD\SA07\090607\37640 SCIENCE1 PsN: SCIENCE1 IV Page Panel 2: Dr. Michael D. Griffin, Administrator, National Aeronautics and Space Ad- ministration Oral Statement ................................................................................................. 57 Written Statement ............................................................................................ 59 Discussion Implementation of Recommendations ................................................................ 61 NASA Safety Culture ........................................................................................... 64 Anonymity and Authenticity of Reported Incidents .......................................... 67 Charter of the NASA Astronaut Health Care System Review Committee ..... 68 Appendix: Answers to Post-Hearing Questions Colonel Richard E. Bachmann, Jr., Chair, NASA Astronaut Health Care System Review Committee; Commander and Dean of the U.S. Air Force School of Aerospace Medicine .............................................................................. 72 Dr. Richard S. Williams, Chief Health and Medical Officer, National Aero- nautics and Space Administration ...................................................................... 80 Dr. Ellen Ochoa, Director, Flight Crew Operations, NASA Johnson Space Center .................................................................................................................... 85 Mr. Bryan D. O’Connor, Chief, Safety and Mission Assurance, National Aero- nautics and Space Administration ...................................................................... 87 Dr. Michael D. Griffin, Administrator, National Aeronautics and Space Ad- ministration .......................................................................................................... 90 VerDate 11-MAY-2000 15:32 Jan 11, 2008 Jkt 037640 PO 00000 Frm 00004 Fmt 5904 Sfmt 5904 C:\WORKD\SA07\090607\37640 SCIENCE1 PsN: SCIENCE1 NASA’S ASTRONAUT HEALTH CARE SYSTEM— RESULTS OF AN INDEPENDENT REVIEW THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 6, 2007 HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES, SUBCOMMITTEE ON SPACE AND AERONAUTICS, COMMITTEE ON SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY, Washington, DC. The Subcommittee met, pursuant to call, at 10:05 a.m., in Room 2318 of the Rayburn House Office Building, Hon. Mark Udall [Chairman of the Subcommittee] presiding. (1) VerDate 11-MAY-2000 15:32 Jan 11, 2008 Jkt 037640 PO 00000 Frm 00005 Fmt 6633 Sfmt 6633 C:\WORKD\SA07\090607\37640 SCIENCE1 PsN: SCIENCE1 2 VerDate 11-MAY-2000 15:32 Jan 11, 2008 Jkt 037640 PO 00000 Frm 00006 Fmt 6633 Sfmt 6602 C:\WORKD\SA07\090607\37640 SCIENCE1 PsN: SCIENCE1 3 HEARING CHARTER SUBCOMMITTEE ON SPACE AND AERONAUTICS COMMITTEE ON SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY U.S. HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES NASA’s Astronaut Health Care System—Results of an Independent
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