Risk Assessment and Mapping in a Space Analog Station: Collaborations to Ensure Safety and Minimize Failures

The development of Map Assessments, especially in analog space missions, plays a fundamental role in identifying, assessing, and mitigating potential threats and challenges that may arise during space operations in extraterrestrial environments. These missions are designed to simulate real space flight conditions, allowing space agencies and exploration teams to test and refine procedures, technologies, and protocols before implementing them in actual space missions. During the risk analysis, various factors are considered, including: i) Environmental Risks: the context in which the mission will occur, as extreme weather conditions; ii) Health and Safety Risks: health and safety of the team members, as exposure to radiation; iii) Operational Risks: associated with operational procedures, communications, resource management, team coordination, and decision-making during the mission; iv) Psychosocial Risks: interpersonal conflicts, and emotion management along with the crew. Based on the analysis of these risks, strategies and mitigation measures are developed to minimize the likelihood of adverse events and their potential consequences. This study aims to analyze occupation risks, divided into physical, chemical, ergonomic, biological, and mechanical, at the analog space station Habitat Marte, located in Rio Grande do Norte, Brazil. As a result, various sources of danger and vulnerabilities in analog space operations were identified, which include: a. identification of the biological risk group, which includes symptoms associated with transmitted diseases or infections, the possibilities of contamination and spread of transmissible diseases; b. identification of the chemical risk group, which includes the presence of harmful gases, such as carbon dioxide and methane, symptoms of exposure, such as breathing difficulties; c. Identification of the mechanical risk group, where insect bites, possible fires, structural collapses, d. Identification of the physical risk group, which includes exposure to extreme temperatures, dehydration, fatigue and falls, e. Identification of the ergonomic risk group, strongly present in issues such as work in confined spaces and repetitive movements, f. Identification of the psychological risk group, which ultimately encompasses stress due to confinement, lack of rest, and fear of incidents during the journey. By conducting this comprehensive and multidisciplinary risk analysis, space agencies and exploration teams can significantly increase the safety, efficacy, and success of their future missions in space. These results provide a solid foundation for the continuous development of risk management strategies and safety measures for long-duration space missions, contributing to the viability and success of future human expeditions to Mars and beyond.