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NASA NTRS1999

Visual-vestibular integration motion perception reporting

Self-orientation and self/surround-motion perception derive from a multimodal sensory process that integrates information from the eyes, vestibular apparatus, proprioceptive and somatosensory receptors. Results from short and long duration spaceflight investigations indicate that: (1) perceptual and sensorimotor function was disrupted during the initial exposure to microgravity and gradually improved over hours to days (individuals adapt), (2) the presence and/or absence of information from different sensory modalities differentially affected the perception of orientation, self-motion and surround-motion, (3) perceptual and sensorimotor function was initially disrupted upon return to Earth-normal gravity and gradually recovered to preflight levels (individuals readapt), and (4) the longer the exposure to microgravity, the more complete the adaptation, the more profound the postflight disturbances, and the longer the recovery period to preflight levels. While much has been learned about perceptual and sensorimotor reactions and adaptation to microgravity, there is much remaining to be learned about the mechanisms underlying the adaptive changes, and about how intersensory interactions affect perceptual and sensorimotor function during voluntary movements. During space flight, SMS and perceptual disturbances have led to reductions in performance efficiency and sense of well-being. During entry and immediately after landing, such disturbances could have a serious impact on the ability of the commander to land the Orbiter and on the ability of all crew members to egress from the Orbiter, particularly in a non-nominal condition or following extended stays in microgravity. An understanding of spatial orientation and motion perception is essential for developing countermeasures for Space Motion Sickness (SMS) and perceptual disturbances during spaceflight and upon return to Earth. Countermeasures for optimal performance in flight and a successful return to Earth require the development of preflight and in-flight training to help astronauts acquire and maintain a dual adaptive state. Despite the considerable experience with, and use of, an extensive set of countermeasures in the Russian space program, SMS and perceptual disturbances remain an unresolved problem on long-term flights. Reliable, valid perceptual reports are required to develop and refine stimulus rearrangements presented in the PAT devices currently being developed as countermeasures for the prevention of motion sickness and perceptual disturbances during spaceflight, and to ensure a less hazardous return to Earth. Prior to STS-8, crew member descriptions of their perceptual experiences were, at best, anecdotal. Crew members were not schooled in the physiology or psychology of sensory perception, nor were they exposed to the appropriate professional vocabulary. However, beginning with the STS-8 Shuttle flight, a serious effort was initiated to teach astronauts a systematic method to classify and quantify their perceptual responses in space, during entry, and after flight. Understanding, categorizing, and characterizing perceptual responses to spaceflight has been greatly enhanced by implementation of that training system.

Harm, Deborah L.↗

NASA NTRSDate not supplied

Enabling Model Organism and Commercial Astronaut Data Access Through the NASA Open Science Data Repository

NASA’s Open Science Data Repository (OSDR) brings together omics data from NASA’s GeneLab project and non-omics data, including physiological, phenotypic, imaging, and behavioral data from NASA’s Ames Life Sciences Data Archive (ALSDA) collected from decades of space biology research, providing open and FAIR (findable, accessible, interoperable, and reusable) access of these precious data to scientists world-wide. This rich source of meticulously curated metadata and data from spaceflight and analog studies has been mined by the scientific community resulting in dozens of high impact scientific publications that reveals a complex network of molecular and physiological effects of spaceflight across living systems, from microbes to plants, to mammals. Understanding how these effects translate to the human condition is critical as we move deeper into the era of commercial space travel. However, the integration of data, specifically omics data, from astronauts is particularly challenging due to their sensitive nature. OSDR has risen to this challenge by developing a mechanism to control access to identifiable levels of omics data, such as raw sequence data, while enabling public access to processed, unidentifiable, data and associated metadata that will allow the scientific community to interrogate human astronaut data alongside data from model organisms to begin answering these critical questions. The 2021 SpaceX Inspiration4 (I4) mission collected a comprehensive atlas of biological measurements from four civilian astronauts, providing a wealth of data to characterize the effects of spaceflight on the human body. These data include both non-omics and omics assays such as direct RNA sequencing (RNA-seq), single nuclei ATAC-seq and RNA-seq, metagenomics, proteomics, and comprehensive metabolic and cytokine panels, all of which have been integrated into the OSDR system across no less than 9 studies. Each study has been carefully curated using community-backed OSDR standards for sample and assay level metadata ensuring these data are findable and accessible. In addition to hosting both raw and processed data from the principal investigator team for each assay type, the GeneLab team plans to re-process the I4 omics data using GeneLab’s standard processing pipelines. The GeneLab processed data outputs will allow for comparisons across studies on OSDR and enable visualization of these data through the OSDR data visualization platform thereby enabling data reusability and interoperability. Here we describe the robust privacy and security protocols implemented by OSDR to safeguard sensitive health data from astronauts while facilitating metadata and processed data sharing for research purposes. We further provide a road map for navigating the vast amount of data provided for each I4 study on the OSDR, including experimental design, associated experiments, payloads, and missions, data generation and analysis protocols, and associated scientific articles. Additionally, we illustrate how to interrogate the standardized metadata provided in the sample and assay tables as well as various means to download and access the data including programmatically through the GeneLab Open API (GLOpenAPI). The open access of datasets in NASA’s OSDR provides a unique opportunity for the scientific community, as well as citizen scientists and students, to continue using OSDR resources to further unlock profound insights into the consequences of space travel on the human body. Through implementation of security measures to protect sensitive human data, the OSDR seeks to strengthen the science exchange between the Biological and Physical Sciences Program and the Human Research Program, per recommendation 4-1 of the 2023-2032 Decadal Survey, and encourage further sharing and dissemination of astronaut data to provide the scientific community with the resources needed to lay the groundwork for developing targeted mitigation strategies to help withstand the rigors of long-duration spaceflight.

Amanda Marie Saravia-butler↗

NASA NTRS2019

Overexpression of Catalase in Mitochondria Mitigates the Effects of Simulated Microgravity and Social Isolation on Cytokine Expression in Mouse Hippocampus

Space flight missions are becoming longer and more common and evidence points to the physiological toll the missions have on the human body. Aging, sedentary lifestyle, and spaceflight have similar degenerative effects on almost every part of our body; both exposure to the space environment and aging result in cardiovascular deconditioning, bone loss, muscle atrophy, brain changes, and immune response impairment. We hypothesize that exposure to the space environment generates excessive Reactive Oxygen Species (ROS), which results in neuroinflammation and aging-like degenerative symptoms in the brain. We used the hindlimb unloading (HU) model to mimic microgravity with either paired or single housed animals (social isolation). Responses to 30d (30 days) of HU were compared in wildtype or transgenic MCAT (Mitochondrial-targeted CATalase) mice, in which mitochondrial ROS is quenched by over-expression of human catalase. Expression of 4-Hydroxynonenal (4HNE) and Park7 (redox-sensitive chaperone and sensor of oxidative stress) were measured by ELISA (Enzyme-Linked ImmunoSorbent Assay), a protein array quantified from the hippocampal cytokines and 8-hydroxy-2'-deoxyguanosine in serum was measured by ELISA to assess oxidative DNA damage. Preliminary analysis of cage behavior patterns from video collected at the end of the study showed that MCAT HU mice (socially housed) were more active and conducted more exploratory activities compared to NL (Normally Loaded). Our biochemical results showed simulated microgravity and/or social isolation caused changes in levels of cytokines related to immune responses. Two-way ANOVA (Analysis of Variance) revealed significant interaction effects of HU and genotype in expression levels of five cytokines (out of 35) in socially-housed animals. Elevation of these generally pro-inflammatory cytokines by HU in WT (Wild Type) mice was mitigated in MCAT mice, suggesting a role for mitochondrial ROS signaling in inflammatory CNS (Central Nervous System) responses to microgravity. Interestingly, some of these cytokines in the hippocampus displayed strong correlations to the 4HNE levels. We also found substantive cytokine responses to social isolation in the hippocampus; housing and genotype interaction effects were significant (by 2-Factor ANOVA) for 15 cytokines, most of which were mitigated in MCAT mice.Taken together, our results showed that both simulated microgravity and social isolation influenced cytokine levels in the hippocampus and MCAT mice were at least partially protected from these changes. These findings implicate a potentially important role for mitochondrial ROS in CNS responses to the challenges posed by long duration spaceflight.

MCAT↗

NASA NTRS2011

Comparison of Ocular Outcomes in Two 14-Day Bed Rest Studies

Reports of astronauts visual changes raised concern about ocular health during long-duration spaceflight. Some of these findings included hyperopic shifts, choroidal folds, optic disc edema, retinal nerve fiber layer (RNFL) thickening, and cotton wool spots. While the etiology remains unknown, hypotheses speculate that hypertension in the brain caused by cephalad fluid shifts during spaceflight is a possible mechanism for these ocular changes. Head-down tilt (HDT) bed rest is a spaceflight analog that induces cephalad fluid shifts. In addition, previous studies of the HDT position demonstrated body fluid shifts associated with changes in intraocular pressure (IOP). For these reasons, vision monitoring of HDT bed rest subjects was implemented for NASA bed rest studies. Subjects selected for these studies were healthy adults (14 males and 5 females). Average age was 37.5 plus or minus 9.1 years, weight was 77.4 plus or minus 11.3 Kg, and height was 173.4 plus or minus 7.2 14 cm. Controlled conditions followed for all NASA bed rest studies were implemented. These conditions included factors such as eating a standardized diet, maintaining a strict sleep wake cycle, and remaining in bed for 24 hours each day. In one study, subjects maintained a horizontal (0 degree) position while in bed and were exercised six days per week with an integrated resistance and aerobic training (iRAT) program. In the other study, subjects were placed at 6 degrees HDT while in bed and did not engage in exercise. All subjects underwent pre- and post bed rest vision testing. While the battery of vision tests for each study was not identical, measures common to both studies will be presented. These measures included IOP and measures that provided an indication of optic disc swelling as derived from optical coherence tomography (OCT) testing: average retinal nerve fiber layer (RNFL) thickness (millimeters), disc area (square millimeters), rim area (square millimters), and average cup to disc (C/D) ratio. For all measures, there was no significant difference between subject groups for pre-bed rest testing. Post bed rest values also remained similar between groups. Comparison of pre- to post bed rest testing within each group did not demonstrate any statistical differences. These preliminary results from 14-day bed rest studies suggest that the combination of exercise and horizontal bed rest as compared to 6 degrees HDT bed rest did not produce differences in the ocular response with regard to IOP and optic disc parameters. The ocular measures reported here only included pre- and post bed rest time points. Further investigation is needed to examine both the acute response and long term adaptation of structural and functional ocular parameters in the bed rest platform and determine its usefulness for studying spaceflight phenomena. From a clinical perspective, the ability to study ocular responses in the controlled environment of the bed rest platform can provide valuable information for the care of patients restricted to bed rest.

Cromwell, R. L.↗

NASA NTRS1980

Nutritional criteria for closed-loop space food systems

The nutritional requirements for Skylab crews are summarized as a data base for long duration spaceflight nutrient requirements. Statistically significant increases in energy consumption were detected after three months, along with CO2/O2 exhalation during exercise and thyroxine level increases. Linoleic acid amounting to 3-4 g/day was found to fulfill all fat requirements, and carbohydrate and protein (amino acid) necessities are discussed, noting that vigorous exercise programs avoid deconditioning which enhances nitrogen loss. Urinary calcium losses continued at a rate 100% above a baseline figure, a condition which ingestion of vitamin D2 did not correct. Projections are given that spaceflights lasting more than eight years will necessitate recycling of human waste for nutrient growth, which can be processed into highly efficient space food with a variety of tastes.

Rambaut, P. C.↗

NASA NTRS1982

Astronomy and astrophysics for the 1980's, volume 1

The programs recommended address the most significant questions that confront contemporary astronomy and fall into three general categories: prerequisites for research initiatives, including instrumentation and detectors, theory and data analysis, computational facilities, laboratory astrophysics, and technical support at ground-based observatories; programs including an Advanced X-ray Astrophysics Facility, a Very-Long Baseline Array, a Technology Telescope and a Large Deployable Reflector; and programs for study and development, including X-ray observatories in space, instruments for the detection of gravitational waves from astronomical objects, and long duration spaceflights of infrared telescopes. Estimated costs of these programs are provided.

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NASA NTRS1984

Space environment effects (M0006)

The effects of long term exposure to the near Earth space environment on advanced electrooptical and radiation sensor components were examined. The effect of long duration spaceflight on the germination rate of selected terrestrial plant seeds is observed in exobiological experiments.

Angelo, J. A., Jr.↗

NASA NTRS1985

Earth based approaches to enhancing the health and safety of space operations

This paper provides an overview of the current state of our earth based knowledge of space safety hazards; identification of several key areas of concern for space operations; and proposed approaches to providing technology enhancement and information needed to improve the health and safety to those conducting space operations. Included are a review of the identified hazards for space oeprations by hazard classification; a summarization of the information currently available on space experiences and an assessment of potential hazards for long duration spaceflight; a discussion of potential failure modes and their significance for Space Station work: and an assessment of current work which indicates additional research and experimentation which can only be accomplished in actual space missions.

Koller, A. M., Jr.↗

NASA NTRS1987

Hemolysis in runners as evidenced by low serum haptoglobin: Implications for preflight monitoring of astronauts

Hematological parameters and serum haptoglobin were examined in 21 male employees of the Kennedy Space Center who were at 3 levels of physical activity: 7 subjects regularly ran more than 40 km (25 miles) per week (Group I); 7 ran 13 to 24 km (8 to 15 miles) per week (II), and 7 were sedentary (III). Blood was drawn on a different day of the week for five weeks. Differences between day of the week, visit number, and activity level were examined. No differences were observed for day of week or visit number; thus mean values for each variable were calculated for each subject. Variables did not differ among groups. However, trends with level of training were observed in some critical variables. Hemoglobin (Hb) and hematocrit (Hct) conformed to a staircase effect with Group I (14.5 gm/dl and 41.3 percent) lower than Group III (15.1 gm/dl and 42.9 percent). Reticulocyte count was higher and haptoglobin levels lower in Group I (1.35% and 75.7 gm/dl) than Group III (.99 percent and 132.9 gm/dl), with haptoglobin for the high mileage Group I in the clinically abnormal range. Since haptoglobin binds free Hb following RBC destruction, these results suggest that intravascular hemolysis occurs in trained male runners. These results may have special meaning for astronauts training before long-duration spaceflights, since the further reduction in red blood cells which is reported to occur during spaceflight could become detrimental to their health and performance.

Owens, Joyce↗

NASA NTRS1988

Crew productivity issues in long-duration space flight

Considerable evidence suggests the importance of teamwork, coordination, and conflict resolution to the performance and survival of isolated, confined groups in high-technology environments. With the advent of long-duration space flight, group-related issues of crew functioning will take on added significance. This paper discusses the influence of crew roles, status, leadership, and norms on the performance of small, confined groups, and offers guidelines and suggestions regarding organizational design, crew selection, training, and team building for crew productivity and social well-being in long-duration spaceflight.

Nicholas, John M.↗

NASA NTRS1989

Current status and future direction of NASA's Space Life Sciences Program

The elements of the NASA Life Sciences Program that are related to manned space flight and biological scientific studies in space are reviewed. Projects included in the current program are outlined and the future direction of the program is discussed. Consideration is given to issues such as long-duration spaceflight, medical support in space, readaptation to the gravity field of earth, considerations for the Space Station, radiation hazards, environmental standards for space habitation, and human operator interaction with computers, robots, and telepresence systems.

White, Ronald J.↗

NASA NTRS1992

Whole body cleaning agent containing N-acyltaurate

The subject invention relates to a human cleansing agent particularly suitable for use in long duration spaceflight and to a method of bathing with the agent. The agent of the subject invention is in the form of a paste having a pH of 5.0 to 7.9 which comprises an acyltaurate, a skin conditioner, a hair conditioner, and a preservative. More specifically, it includes sodium N-coconut acid-N-methyl taurate, in combination with soybean lecithin, polyquaternium 16, and formalin. This particular combination satisfies the following objectives: (1) that it be usable with a minimum amount of water per shower (approximately 1 gallon); (2) that it be easily separated from the water for purposes of water reclamation; (3) that it be pH compatible with skin and hair; (4) that it rinse well in deionized water; (5) that it be mild to skin and eyes; (6) that it effectively clean both skin and hair; (7) that it be suitable for use in zero gravity; and (8) that it provide ease of combing of wet and dry hair. The method of the invention includes the steps of wetting the skin and hair with a small quantity of water, lathering the skin with the paste, rinsing the lather from the skin and hair with a small quantity of water to produce a rinse water containing the cleansing agent, defoaming the rinse water, and supplying the defoamed rinse water to a water reclamation unit for recycling the water. The novelty of the invention appears to lie in the particular formulation of the cleansing agent and its method of use which provide optimal results under the given constraints and objectives.

Lentsch, Steven E.↗

NASA NTRS1992

Microbiological challenges of space habitation

The effects of space flight on the growth and pathogenicity of microorganisms and on the human immune response are reviewed giving attention to the implications for spacecraft design. The major sources of microbes within space habitats on long-duration missions are listed including food, crewmembers, and payloads. Many of the microorganisms are shown to be airborne suggesting that effective air-filtration techniques are required for the designs of the Space Station and other vehicles. It is shown that microbial growth rates generally increase during space flight, and space flight is thought to attenuate the human immune response. Some beneficial roles for microbes are identified demonstrating the need for careful control, application, and monitoring of microorganisms in the long-duration spaceflight environment.

Pierson, D. L.↗

NASA NTRS1994

Galactic cosmic ray composition and energy spectra

Galactic cosmic ray nuclei represent a significant risk to long-duration spaceflight outside the magnetosphere. We review briefly existing measurements of the composition and energy spectra of heavy cosmic ray nuclei, pointing out which species and energy ranges are most critical to assessing cosmic ray risks for spaceflight. Key data sets are identified and a table of cosmic ray abundances is presented for elements from H to Ni (Z = 1 to 28). Because of the 22-year nature of the solar modulation cycle, data from the approaching 1998 solar minimum is especially important to reducing uncertainties in the cosmic ray radiation hazard. It is recommended that efforts to model this hazard take advantage of approaches that have been developed to model the astrophysical aspects of cosmic rays.

Mewaldt, R. A.↗

NASA NTRS1998

Exercise Countermeasures Demonstration Project During the Lunar-Mars Life Support Test Project Phase 2A

This demonstration project assessed the crew members' compliance to a portion of the exercise countermeasures planned for use onboard the International Space Station (ISS) and the outcomes of their performing these countermeasures. Although these countermeasures have been used separately in other projects and investigations, this was the first time they'd been used together for an extended period (60 days) in an investigation of this nature. Crew members exercised every day for six days, alternating every other day between aerobic and resistive exercise, and rested on the seventh day. On the aerobic exercise days, subjects exercised on an electronically braked cycle ergometer using a protocol that has been previously shown to maintain aerobic capacity in subjects exposed to a space flight analogue. On the resistive exercise days, crew members performed five major multijoint resistive exercises in a concentric mode, targeting those muscle groups and bones we believe are most severely affected by space flight. The subjects favorably tolerated both exercise protocols, with a 98% compliance to aerobic exercise prescription and a 91% adherence to the resistive exercise protocol. After 60 days, the crew members improved their peak aerobic capacity by an average 7%, and strength gains were noted in all subjects. These results suggest that these exercise protocols can be performed during ISS, lunar, and Mars missions, although we anticipate more frequent bouts with both protocols for long-duration spaceflight. Future projects should investigate the impact of increased exercise duration and frequency on subject compliance, and the efficacy of such exercise prescriptions.

Lee, Stuart M. C.↗

NASA NTRS1999

Monitoring and Correcting Autonomic Function Aboard Mir: NASA Technology Used in Space and on Earth to Facilitate Adaptation

The broad objective of the research was to study individual characteristics of human adaptation to long duration spaceflight and possibilities of their correction using autonomic conditioning. The changes in autonomic state during adaptation to microgravity can have profound effects on the operational efficiency of crewmembers and may result in debilitating biomedical symptoms. Ground-based and inflight experiment results showed that certain responses of autonomic nervous system were correlated with, or consistently preceded, reports of performance decrements or the symptoms. Autogenic-Feedback-Training Exercise (AFTE) is a physiological conditioning method that has been used to train people to voluntary control several of their own physiological responses. The specific objectives were: 1) To study human autonomic nervous system (ANS) responses to sustained exposure to microgravity; 2) To study human behavior/performance changes related to physiology; 3) To evaluate the effectiveness of preflight autonomic conditioning (AFTE) for facilitating adaptation to space and readaptation to Earth; and 4) To archive these data for the NASA Life Sciences Data Archive and thereby make this information available to the international scientific community.

Cowings, P.↗

NASA NTRS1997

Development of Insect Habitat System for Studying Long Duration Circadian Rhythm Changes on Mir Space Station

A habitat for housing up to 32 black body beetles (Trigonoscelis gigas) has been developed at Ames Research Center for conducting studies to evaluate the effects of long duration spaceflight upon insect circadian timing systems. This habitat, identified as the Beetle Kit Assembly, provides an automatically controlled lighting system and activity and temperature recording devices, as well as individual beetle enclosures. Each of the 32 enclosures allows for ad lib movement of the beetle, as well as providing a simple food source and allowing ventilation of the beetle volume via an externally operated hand pump. The Beetle Kit Assemblies will be launched on STS-84 (Shuttle-Mir Mission-06) in May, 1997 and will be transferred to the Priroda module of the Russian Mir space station. he beetles will remain on Mir for approximately 125 days, and will be returned to earth on STS-86 in September, 1997.

Savage, P. D.↗

NASA NTRS2003

Expedition 8 Crew Interviews: C. Michael Foale - CDR

C. Michael Foale, Commander of the Expedition 8 crew to the International Space Station (ISS), answers interview questions in this video. The questions cover: 1) The goals of the Expedition; 2) How his Mir experience prepared him for long-duration spaceflight; 3) The reaction the Columbia accident where he was training in Star City, Russia; 4) Why the rewards of spaceflight are worth the risks; 5) Why he wanted to become an astronaut; 6) His career path; 7) His influences; 8) His path of study; 9) His responsibilities on a mission; 10) What a Soyuz capsule is like; 11) What the oncoming and offgoing ISS crews will do together; 12) How the ISS science mission will be advanced during his stay; 13) Training and plans for extravehicular activity (EVA); 14) Return to Flight of Shuttle; 15) What is needed to make his mission a success; 16) The most valuable contribution of the ISS.

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