HERO Appendix C: Topics in Human Health Countermeasures, Behavioral Performance, and Space Radiation | 80JSC019N0001 HHCBPSR

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NASA Johnson Space Center, through NASA's Human Research Program (HRP), issued Appendix C of the broader Human Exploration Research Opportunities (HERO) NASA Research Announcement (NRA). This specific appendix is titled "Topics in Human Health Countermeasures, Behavioral Performance, and Space Radiation" and is aimed at applied research that directly supports HRP goals and operational needs for human space exploration. In practical terms, NASA is looking for research that can reduce health and performance risks for astronauts during missions and especially during key transitions like returning to Earth gravity, while also improving understanding of spaceflight-related physiological and psychological effects.

The solicitation highlights three main clusters of interest. First, it seeks countermeasures for sensorimotor problems that occur after unloading from weightlessness, with head-down bed rest identified as a common ground-based analog for simulating spaceflight effects. This area generally relates to balance, coordination, orientation, and movement control issues that can impair astronaut function when they re-enter a gravity environment. Closely related, NASA is also requesting work on mitigating motion sickness during and immediately after g-transitions, particularly the challenging period when crews return from space to Earth and experience rapid changes in gravity and vestibular inputs.

Second, NASA is soliciting research on longer-term neurological and ocular outcomes of spaceflight. This includes proposals focused on long-term structural and functional changes in the eye and brain associated with space missions. The intent is to better characterize what persists after flight, what might accumulate over multiple missions, and what may threaten crew health or mission readiness for exploration-class missions where medical support and return options are limited.

Third, the opportunity includes several behavioral health and performance topics that focus on maintaining effective crew functioning during long-duration exploration. NASA is looking for exploration mission "on-board" psychological interventions, with emphasis on identification, verification, and validation, suggesting interest in tools or protocols that can be deployed during missions and shown to work under operational constraints. Additional behavioral areas include maintaining team performance and functioning, as well as understanding and improving team dynamics and interpersonal relationships. These topics reflect the reality that long-duration missions place sustained demands on individuals and crews, and that performance risks can be driven by stress, isolation, conflict, fatigue, communication patterns, and group cohesion.

A major technical area in the appendix is space radiation and its biological consequences. NASA calls out work on radiation exposure and tissue homeostasis, signaling interest in how radiation perturbs the body's ability to maintain normal tissue function and repair over time. The solicitation also specifically mentions research on clonal hematopoiesis of indeterminate potential (CHIP) and how it may interact with space radiation exposure to affect risks of leukemia and cardiovascular disease, along with impacts on hematopoietic and immune system functional endpoints. This points to a focus on understanding individual susceptibility and mechanistic pathways linking radiation exposure to blood, immune, and cardiovascular outcomes, with an applied goal of improving risk prediction and potential countermeasure development.

From an administrative standpoint, this is a discretionary funding opportunity under the HERO umbrella (Funding Opportunity Number 80JSC019N0001 HHCBPSR). NASA indicates awards may be made through cooperative agreements, grants, or procurement contracts. The listing references CFDA 43.003. The award ceiling is stated as $1,800,000, and NASA anticipated roughly 10 awards under this appendix.

The submission process follows a two-step approach. A virtual pre-proposers conference was scheduled for December 10, 2019. Step-1 proposals were due January 3, 2020, and organizations invited to proceed were required to submit Step-2 proposals by April 6, 2020. The full Appendix C documentation and instructions were made available through the HERO appendix link and via NASA's research opportunities portal, with proposal submission and related updates handled through NSPIRES.

Eligibility is broadly open to all categories of U.S. institutions, meaning universities, nonprofits, companies, and government-related laboratories can apply. Principal Investigators are allowed to collaborate across universities, federal laboratories, private sector partners, and state or local government labs, but the proposing organization remains responsible for project administration and execution as described in the management plan. NASA also notes that collaboration with non-U.S. organizations can occur on a cooperative basis with no exchange of funds, consistent with NASA policy.

• The National Aeronautics and Space Administration, NASA Johnson Space Center in the science and technology and other research and development sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "HERO Appendix C: Topics in Human Health Countermeasures, Behavioral Performance, and Space Radiation" and is now available to receive applicants.
• Interested and eligible applicants and submit their applications by referencing the CFDA number(s): 43.003.
• This funding opportunity was created on Nov 27, 2019.
• Applicants must submit their applications by Jan 03, 2020. (Agency may still review applications by suitable applicants for the remaining/unused allocated funding in 2026.)
• Each selected applicant is eligible to receive up to $1,800,000.00 in funding.
• The number of recipients for this funding is limited to 10 candidate(s).
• Eligible applicants include: Unrestricted (i.e., open to any type of entity above), subject to any clarification in text field entitled Additional Information on Eligibility.

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