NASA'S ASTRONAUT FAMILY SUPPORT OFFICE

METHODS: To that end, in January 2001 the first Family Services Coordinator was hired by the Behavioral Health and Performance group at NASA ISC and matrixed from Medical Operations into the Astronaut Office's organizational structure.The initial roles and responsibilities were driven by critical needs, including facilitating family communication during training deployments, providing mission-specific and other relevant trainings for spouses, serving as liaison for families with NASA organizations such as Medical Operations, NASA management and Astronaut Office, and providing assistance to ensure success of an Astronaut Spouses Group. The role of the Family Support Office (FSO) has modified as the ISS Program matured and the needs of families changed. The FSO is currently an integral part of Astronaut Office's ISS Operations Branch. It still serves the critical function of providing information to families, as well as being primary contact for US and international partner families with resources at ISC. Since crews launch and return on Russian vehicles, the FSO has the added responsibility for coordinating with Flight Crew Operations, the families, and their guests for Soyuz launches, landings, and the return to Houston postflight. DISCUSSION: This presentation will provide a summary of the family support services provided for astronauts, and how they have changed with the Program and families the FSO serves. Considerations for future FSO services will be discussed briefly as NASA proposes one year missions and beyond ISS missions.