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NASA NTRS1989

Future prospects for space life sciences from a NASA perspective

Plans for future NASA research programs in the life sciences are reviewed. Consideration is given to international cooperation in space life science research, the NASA approach to funding life science research, and research opportunities using the Space Shuttle, the Space Station, and Biological Satellites. Several specific programs are described, including the Centrifuge Project to provide a controlled acceleration environment for microgravity studies, the Rhesus Project to conduct biomedical research using rhesus monkeys, and the LifeSat international biosatellite project. Also, the Space Biology Initiative to design and develop life sciences laboratory facilities for the Space Shuttle and the Space Station and the Extended Duration Crew Operations program to study crew adaptation needs are discussed.

White, Ronald J.↗
NASA NTRS1990

Radiation experiments on Cosmos 2044: K-7-41, parts A, B, C, D, E

The Cosmos 2044 biosatellite mission offered the opportunity for radiation measurements under conditions which are seldom available (an inclination of 82.3 deg and attitude of 294 x 216 km). Measurements were made on the outside of the spacecraft under near-zero shielding conditions. Also, this mission was the first in which active temperature recorders (the ATR-4) were flown to record the temperature profiles of detector stacks. Measurements made on this mission provide a comparison and test for modeling of depth doses and LET spectra for orbital parameters previously unavailable. Tissue absorbed doses from 3480 rad (252 rad/d) down to 0.115 rad (8.33 mrad/d) were measured at different depths (0.0146 and 3.20 g/sq cm, respectively) with averaged TLD readings. The LET spectra yielded maximum and minimum values of integral flux of 27.3 x 10(exp -4) and 3.05 x 10(exp -4)/sq cm/s/sr, of dose rate of 7.01 and 1.20 mrad/d, and of dose equivalent rate of 53.8 and 11.6 mrem/d, for LET(sub infinity)-H2O is greater than or equal to 4 keV/micron. Neutron measurements yielded 0.018 mrem/d in the thermal region, 0.25 mrem/d in the resonance region and 3.3 mrem/d in the high energy region. The TLD depth dose and LET spectra were compared with calculations from the modeling codes. The agreement is good but some further refinements are in order. In comparing measurements on Cosmos 2044 with those from previous Cosmos missions (orbital inclinations of 62.8 deg) there is a greater spread (maximum to minimum) in depth doses and an increased contribution from GCRs, and higher LET particles, in the heavy particle fluxes.

Frank, A. L.↗
NASA NTRS1991

Man in space - The use of animal models

The use of animal surrogates as experimental subjects in order to provide essential missing information on the effects of long-term spaceflights, to validate countermeasures, and to test medical treatment techniques is discussed. Research needs also include the definition of biomedical adaptations to flight, and the developments of standards for safe space missions to assure human health and productivity during and following flight. NASA research plans in this area are outlined. Over the next 40 years, NASA plans to concentrate on the use of rodents and nonhuman primates as the models of choice for various physiological responses observed in humans during extended stays in space. This research will include flights on the Space Shuttle, unmanned biosatellites, and the Space Station Freedom.

Ballard, Rodney W.↗
NASA NTRS1991

Facilities for animal research in space

The animal facilities used aboard or designed for various spacecraft research missions are described. Consideration is given to the configurations used in Cosmos-1514 (1983) and Cosmos-1887 (1987) missions; the reusable Biosatellite capsule flown three times by NASA between 1966 and 1969; the NASA's Lifesat spacecraft that is being currently designed; the Animal Enclosure Module flown on Shuttle missions in 1983 and 1984; the Research Animal Holding Facility developed for Shuttle-Spacelab missions; the Rhesus Research Facility developed for a Spacelab mission; and the Japanese Animal Holding Facility for the Space Station Freedom. Special attention is given to the designs of NASA's animal facilities developed for Space Station Freedom and the details of various subsystems of these facilities. The main characteristics of the rodent and the primate habitats provided by these various facilities are discussed.

Bonting, Sjoerd L.↗
NASA NTRS1991

Cellular immunity and lymphokine production during spaceflights

Results are presented on changes in cellular immunity and in the production of lymphokine in spacecrews during spaceflights. Measurements were carried out on blood samples collected from 50 cosmonauts before and after spaceflights of different duration, on board Salyut-6, Salyut-7, or Mir. Additional data were obtained from rats flown on board the Cosmos-1667 and Cosmos-1887 biosatellites. The parameters measured included the PHA responsiveness of T lymphocytes, the activity of T-helper cells and of nonspecific T suppressors, the activity of the so-called natural killer lymphocytes, the production of gamma-interferon, and the cell-surface markers. Results showed that the frequency and the extent of changes in the immunologic resistance of subjects depended on the duration of the flight. However, even after the most prolonged (365 days) spaceflight, the changes observed were mostly of a functional character with subsequent rapid return to normal.

Konstantinova, I. V.↗
NASA NTRS1992

Adaptations of young adult rat cortical bone to 14 days of spaceflight

To determine whether mature humeral cortical bone would be modified significantly by an acute exposure to weightlessness, adult rats (110 days old) were subjected to 14 days of microgravity on the COSMOS 2044 biosatellite. There were no significant changes in peak force, stiffness, energy to failure, and displacement at failure in the flight rats compared with ground-based controls. Concentrations and contents of hydroxyproline, calcium, and mature stable hydroxylysylpyridinoline and lysylpyridinoline collagen cross-links remained unchanged after spaceflight. Bone lengths, cortical and endosteal areas, and regionl thicknesses showed no significant differences between flight animals and ground controls. The findings suggest that responsiveness of cortical bone to microgravity is less pronounced in adult rats than in previous spaceflight experiments in which young growing animals were used. It is hypothesized that 14 days of spaceflight may not be sufficient to impact the biochemical and biomechanical properties of cortical bone in the mature rat skeleton.

Vailas, A. C.↗
NASA NTRS1992

Morphological studies of bone and tendon

The Soviet biosatellite Cosmos 2044 carried adult rats on a spaceflight that lasted 13.8 days and was intended to repeat animal studies carrier out on Cosmos 1887. Skeletal tissue and tendon from animals flown on Cosmos 2044 were studied by light and electron microscopy, histochemistry, and morphometric techniques. Studies were confined to the bone cells and vasculature from the weight-bearing tibias. Results indicated that vascular changes at the periosteal and subperiosteal region of the tibia were not apparent by light microscopy or histochemistry. However, electron microscopy indicated that vascular influsions were present in bone samples from the flight animals. A unique combination of microscopy and histochemical techniques indicated that the endosteal osteoblasts from this same middiaphyseal region demonstrated a slight (but not statisticallly significant) reduction in bone cell activity. Electron-microscopic studies of the tendons from metatarsal bones showed a collagen fibril disorganization as a result of spaceflight. Thus changes described for Cosmos 1887 were present in Cosmos 2044, but the changes ascribed to spaceflight were not as evident.

Doty, Stephen B.↗
NASA NTRS1992

Spaceflight and age affect tibial epiphyseal growth plate histomorphometry

Growth plate histomorphometry of rats flown aboard the Soviet biosatellite Cosmos 2044, a 14-day spaceflight, was compared with that of control groups. In growth plates of flight animals, there was a significant increase in cell number per column and height of the proliferative zone and a reduction in height and cell number in the hypertrophy/calcification zone. No significant differences were found in matrix organization at the ultrastructural level of flight animals, indicating that although spacefligfht continues to affect bone growth of 15-wk-old rats, extracellular matrix is not altered in the same manner as seen previously in younger animals. All groups showed growth plate characteristics attributed to aging: lack of calcification zone, reduced hypertrophy zone, and unraveling of collagen fibrils. Tail-suspended controls did not differ from other controls in any of the parameters measured. The results suggest that growth plates of older rats are less responsive to unloading by spaceflight or suspension than those of younger rats and provide new evidence about the modifying effect of spaceflight on the growth plate.

Montufar-Solis, Dina↗
NASA NTRS1992

Changes in monkey horizontal semicircular canal afferent responses after spaceflight

Extracellular responses from single horizontal semicircular canal afferents in two rhesus monkeys were studied after recovery from a 14-day biosatellite (Cosmos 2044) orbital spaceflight. On the 1st postflight day, the mean gain for 9 different horizontal canal afferents, tested using one or several different passive yaw rotation waveforms, was nearly twice that for 20 horizontal canal afferents similarly tested during preflight and postflight control studies. Adaptation of the afferent response to passive yaw rotation on the 1st postflight day was also greater. These results suggest that at least one component of the vestibular end organ (the semicircular canals) is transiently modified after exposure to 14 days of microgravity. It is unclear whether the changes are secondary to other effects of microgravity, such as calcium loss, or an adaptive response. If the response is adaptive, then this report is the first evidence that the response of the vestibular end organ may be modified (presumably by the central nervous system via efferent connections) after prolonged unusual vestibular stimulation. If this is the case, the sites of plasticity of vestibular responses may not be exclusively within central nervous system vestibular structures, as previously believed.

Correia, M. J.↗
NASA NTRS1992

Effects of spaceflight on hypothalamic peptide systems controlling pituitary growth hormone dynamics

Possible effects of reduced gravity on central hypophysiotropic systems controlling growth hormone (GH) secretion were investigated in rats flown on Cosmos 1887 and 2044 biosatellites. Immunohistochemical (IHC)staining for the growth hormone-releasing factor (GRF), somatostatin (SS), and other hypothalamic hormones was performed on hypothalami obtained from rats. IHC analysis was complemented by quantitative in situ assessments of mRNAs encoding the precursors for these hormones. Data obtained suggest that exposure to microgravity causes a preferential reduction in GRF peptide and mRNA levels in hypophysiotropic neurons, which may contribute to impared GH secretion in animals subjected to spaceflight. Effects of weightlessness are not mimicked by hindlimb suspension in this system.

Sawchenko, P. E.↗
NASA NTRS1992

The space life sciences strategy for the 21st century

In the 21st century, NASA's long-term strategy for the exploration of the solar system will combine the assurance of human health and performance for long periods in space with investigations aimed at searching for traces of life on other planets and acquiring fundamental scientific knowledge of life processes. Implementation of this strategy will involve a variety of disciplines including radiation health, life support, human factors, space physiology and countermeasures, medical care, environmental health, and exobiology. It will use both ground-based and flight research opportunities such as those found in current ongoing programs, on Spacelab and unmanned biosatellite flights, and during Space Station Freedom missions.

Nicogossian, Arnauld E.↗
NASA NTRS1992

Thermoregulatory responses of rhesus monkeys during spaceflight

This study examines the activity, axillary temperature (T(ax)), and ankle skin temperature (Tsk) of two male Rhesus monkeys exposed to microgravity in space. The animals were flown on a Soviet biosatellite mission (COSMOS 1514). Measurements on the flight animals, as well as synchronous flight controls, were performed in the Soviet Union. Additional control studies were performed in the United States to examine the possible role of metabolic heat production in the T(ax) response observed during the spaceflight. All monkeys were exposed to a 24-h light-dark cycle (LD 16:8) throughout these studies. During weightlessness, T(ax) in both flight animals was lower than on earth. The largest difference (0.75 degree C) occurred during the night. There was a reduction in mean heart rate and Tsk during flight. This suggests a reduction in both heat loss and metabolic rate during spaceflight. Although the circadian rhythms in all variables were present during flight, some differences were noted. For example, the amplitude of the rhythms in Tsk and activity were attenuated. Furthermore, the T(ax) and activity rhythms did not have precise 24.0 hour periods and may have been externally desynchronized from the 24-h LD cycle. These data suggest a weakening of the coupling between the internal circadian pacemaker and the external LD synchronizer.

Sulzman, F. M.↗
NASA NTRS1967

1967 Aeronautics and Space Report

This document includes Surveyor, Lunar Orbiter, Apollo 4, Biosatellite, Orbiting Geophysical Observatory, Orbiting Solar Observatory, Explorers, Applications Technology satellites, operational satellites, Mariner to Venus, San Marco, sounding rockets, and aeronautical research.

Source record↗
NASA NTRS1993

Ontogenesis of mammals in microgravity

This report is an English translation of a Russian report prepared by a group of authors from the USSR, Bulgaria, Hungary, the GDR, Poland, Czechoslovakia, France, and the USA. It presents results of the first microgravity experiment on mammalian embryology performed during the flight of the biosatellite Cosmos-1514 and in ground-based simulation studies. An overview is provided of the data available about the role of gravity in animal growth and development, and future studies into this problem are discussed. A new introduction has been provided for the English version.

Gazenko, O. G.↗
NASA NTRS1993

Reduction of ocular counter-rolling by adaptation to space

We studied the three-dimensional vestibulo-ocular reflex (VOR) of rhesus monkeys before and after the COSMOS Biosatellite 2229 Mission of 1992-1993. This included tests of ocular counter-rolling (OCR), the gain of the vestibulo-ocular reflex (VOR), and spatial orientation of velocity storage. A four-axis vestibular and oculomotor stimulator was transported to the Institute of Biomedical Problems in Moscow for the pre- and postflight ground-based testing. Twelve normal juvenile male rhesus monkey were implanted surgically with eye coils and tested 60-90 days before spaceflight. Two monkey (7906 and 6151), selected from the twelve as flight animals, flew from 12/29/92 to 1/10/93. Upon recovery, they were tested for 11 days postflight along with three control animals. Compensatory ocular torsion was produced in two ways: (1) Lateral head tilts evoked OCR through otolith-ocular reflexes. OCR was also measured dynamically during off-vertical axis rotation (OVAR). (2) Rotation about a naso-occipital axis that was either vertical of horizontal elicited torsional nystagmus through semicircular canal-ocular reflexes (roll VOR). OCR from the otoliths was substantially reduced (70 percent) for 11 days after reentry on both modes of testing. The gain of the roll VOR was also decreased, but less than OCR. These data demonstrate that there was a long-lasting depression of torsional or roll eye movements after adaptation to microgravity in these monkeys, especially those movements produced by the otolith organs.

Dai, Mingjia↗
NASA NTRS1994

Adaptation of skeletal muscle to spaceflight: Cosmos rhesus project. Cosmos 2044 and 2229

The proposed experiments were designed to determine the effects of the absence of weight support on hindlimb muscles of the monkey: an ankle flexor (tibialis anterior, TA), two ankle extensors (medial gastrocnemius, MG and soleus, SOL), and a knee extensor (vastus lateralis, VL). These effects were assessed by examining the biochemical and morphological properties of muscle fibers obtained from biopsies in young Rhesus monkeys (3-4 Kg). Biopsies taken from ground base experiments were analyzed to determine: (1) the effects of chair restraint at 1 G on muscle properties and (2) the growth rate of flexor and extensor muscles in the Rhesus. In addition, two sets of biopsies were taken from monkeys which were in the flight pool and the four monkeys that flew on the Cosmos 2044 and 2229 biosatellite missions. Based on data collected in rats it is generally assumed that extensors atrophy to a greater extent than flexors in response to spaceflight or hindlimb suspension. Consequently, the finding that fibers in the TA (a fast flexor) of the flight monkeys atrophied, whereas fibers in the Sol (a predominantly slow extensor) and MG (a fast extensor) grew after a 14-day spaceflight (Cosmos 2044) and 12-day spaceflight (Cosmos 2229) was unexpected. In Cosmos 2044, the TA in both flight monkeys had a 21 percent decrease in fiber size, whereas the Sol and MG both had a 79 percent increase in fiber size. In Cosmos 2229, the TA in both flight monkeys showed significant atrophy, whereas the Sol and MG showed slight growth in one monkey (906) and slight atrophy in the other monkey (151).

Bodine-Fowler, Sue↗
NASA NTRS1995

Linear Energy Transfer (LET) spectra of cosmic radiation in low Earth orbit

Integral linear energy transfer (LET) spectra of cosmic radiation (CR) particles were measured on five Cosmos series spacecraft in low Earth orbit (LEO). Particular emphasis is placed on results of the Cosmos 1887 biosatellite which carried a set of joint U.S.S.R.-U.S.A. radiation experiments involving passive detectors that included thermoluminescent detectors (TLD's), plastic nuclear track detectors (PNTD's), fission foils, nuclear photo-emulsions, etc. which were located both inside and outside the spacecraft. Measured LET spectra are compared with those theoretically calculated. Results show that there is some dependence of LET spectra on orbital parameters. The results are used to estimate the CR quality factor (QF) for the COSMOS 1887 mission.

Parnell, T. A.↗
NASA NTRS1995

Cosmic ray particles with different LET values under various thicknesses of shielding in low altitude orbits: Calculations and Cosmos-2044 measurements

Fluxes of cosmic ray particles with different LET values were measured on board the COSMOS-2044 biosatellite under various thicknesses of shielding by stacks of CR-39 and nitrocellulose plastic nuclear track detectors (mounted outside the satellite). The component composition of the particles detected under shieldings of 0.1-2.5 g cm(exp -2) is verified by comparing experimental data with the results of model simulations of the fluxes of galactic cosmic ray particles and of radiation belt protons.

Benton, E. V.↗