Intoxicated Astronauts Pose Safety Risk for Space Flight

A story broadly reported on July 26 and 27 originates in a news report put out by Aviation Week & Space Technology online magazine that says that astronauts were allowed to board spacecraft when they were so intoxicated as to pose a safety risk.

This very important news came to light during a panel investigation of astronaut health issues that was called for in response to the behavior and arrest of astronaut Linda Nowak for which she was charged with attempted murder (a charge subsequently dropped) and attempted kidnapping in Orlando Florida on February 5, 2007.

The panel, which is chaired by U. S. Air Force Col. Richard Bachmann who is dean of the Air Force School of Aerospace Medicine, is composed of military and civilian experts in such fields as psychiatry, medicine, safety, and law. The Bachmann panel was established by NASA Chief Medical Officer Dr. Richard S. Williams at the direction of Administrator Michael Griffin, with the mission of reviewing astronaut medical and psychological screening.

The panel was precipitated by the specific event relevant to Linda Nowak. It is concerned with a review of intake and on-going psychological screening and with determining whether "leading determiners," as Deputy Administrator Shana Dale expressed it to Aviation Week, were overlooked that might have given indications of Nowak's psychological state in days leading up to February 5.

In the midst of their investigation of medical and psychological screening of astronauts, the Bachmann panel discovered misconduct related to intoxication. The initial July 26 Aviation Week report stated that the panel found that at least twice astronauts were "allowed to fly" after they had been warned by flight surgeons and other astronauts that their intoxication levels "posed a flight-safety risk." The panel also noted in their report, which is expected to be published in August, that there had been ""heavy use of alcohol" by astronauts before launch, within the standard 12-hour "bottle-to-throttle" rule applied to NASA flight crew members."

More specific details came out in the July 27 report also by Aviation Week & Space Technology. One of the two incidents mentioned in the Bachmann panel report involved an astronaut reporting for a shuttle launch that was ultimately scrubbed due to mechanical reasons. The astronaut who was deemed too drunk to fly was allowed to board a T-38 trainer jet to return to Houston.

The second incident involved an intoxicated astronaut who was "allowed to board a Russian Soyuz vehicle and fly in it to the International Space Station," as stated by Col. Bachmann to Aviation Week. Bachmann discussed the as yet unpublished report at a press conference held July 27.

NASA Deputy Administrator Shana Dale stressed that the accounts of astronaut intoxication are anecdotal and unverified at this point, and further said that NASA considers the situation "a safety-related issue, and we're not going to be satisfied until we get the truth," as reported by Aviation Week. Dale went on to describe that anonymous surveys will be completed by the astronauts and their flight surgeons in order to uncover more about the incidents the Bachmann report cites. This is the initial step toward addressing the Bachmann panel findings and recommendations.

One point found by the panel is that there are astronaut related cultural and structural problems. These problematic areas are of long standing duration with some that "have existed since the earliest days of the astronaut program." The panel also found that astronauts are not given information on key aspects of operations such as astronaut selection criteria, and that they do not have assignment to one regular flight surgeon but are passed from one to the next. This results in inconsistent oversight of their "physical condition or coordinated evaluation of behavior issues," as reported by Aviation Week.

One further panel finding stated in the report is: "There is no routine behavioral assessment for commonly occurring issues such as depression, anxiety, relationship stress, substance use or the cumulative effects of normal life events, all of which can lead to a decrement in performance."

Some newly implement responsive measures are that a 30-minute "behavioral medicine assessment" will be given to each astronaut; the upcoming STS-118 mission scheduled for launch in August will be evaluated as part of a broader "internal safety review" in connection with the alcohol-use charges; Dale has issued a memo reminding astronauts the the unwritten policy referred to as a "bottle-to-throttle" ban that prohibits alcohol use within 12 hours of flight applies equally to aircraft and spacecraft flight. Dale also stated: "We will examine the structure of the Astronaut Office, as the [Bachmann] review committee report recommends...."

Frank Morring, Jr, "Panel Finds Astronauts Flew While Intoxicated" and "NASA Sets Probe After Alcohol Charges." Aviation Week & Space Technology. URL: http://www.aviationweek.com/aw/search/autosuggest.jsp?docid=257251&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.aviationnow.com%2Favnow%2Fnews%2Fchannel_space_story.jsp%3Fview%3Dstory%26id%3Dnews%2Fdrunk072607.xml and http://www.aviationweek.com/aw/generic/story.jsp?id=news/shuttle072707.xml&headline=NASA%20Sets%20Probe%20After%20Alcohol%20Charges&channel=space