The purpose of the International Space Medicine Summit is to bring together the leading physicians and space biomedical scientists from the space-faring nations for high-level discussions of the medical and biomedical challenges astronauts and cosmonauts experience in long-duration flight. Invitations to the Summit will be extended to nations that have an interest in or have flown humans and/or conducted biomedical research in space. The primary aims of the Summit are to foster increased communication, cooperation, and collaboration among the world's top physicians and scientists in the space life sciences in order to facilitate successful human space exploration by promoting solutions that protect the health and well-being of the flight crews before, during, and after long duration missions in space; and, to enhance life on earth by applying the resultant advances in human knowledge and technology acquired through living and working in space.