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At least 37 records · Page 2

Space Algae-2: Preflight Testing for A Long-Duration, Multi-Omics Analysis of Arthrospira Platensis

The cyanobacteria Arthrospira platensis NIES-39, commonly known as spirulina, could provide a fresh supply of nutrients for crew on long-duration spaceflight missions. Spirulina is a readily digestible food that is high in protein with all essential amino acids as well as significant levels of B vitamins, antioxidants, and anti-inflammatory metabolites. Spaceflight has multiple abiotic stressors such as increased ionizing radiation and microgravity, which causes a lack of convective mixing. These environmental conditions may impact productivity, nutritional composition, and in long-duration propagation, spaceflight stress may impact the genetic stability of spirulina cultures. We are developing an International Space Station experiment to continuously culture A. platensis for six months. Multi-omics profiling will be used to monitor for changes in the genome, transcriptome, proteome, and metabolome to determine if A. platensis is a suitable nutritional supplement on long-duration missions. During preflight testing we developed a protocol for inoculated liquid cultures to survive a 10-week storage period prior to photo-incubation. The bioreactor bag, temperature, and lighting conditions that support a 14-day growth cycle between passages were also determined. Media testing identified minimal salts supporting robust growth that can be stored in liquid or dry form. A simple filtration method was developed to dewater cultures and harvest biomass for frozen sample return. We optimized a cryopreservation method to enable return of live cells for isolation of individual A. platensis clones. The concept of operations for Space Algae-2 developed from these test results as well as progress on multi-omics analysis methods will be presented.

Algae↗

Infectious Disease risks associated with exposure to stressful environments

Multiple environmental factors asociated with space flight can increase the risk of infectious illness among crewmembers thereby adversely affecting crew health and mission success. Host defences can be impaired by multiple physiological and psychological stressors including: sleep deprivation, disrupted circadian rhythms, separation from family, perceived danger, radiation exposure, and possibly also by the direct and indirect effects of microgravity. Relevant human immunological data from isolated or stressful environments including spaceflight will be reviewed. Long-duration missions should include reliable hardware which supports sophisticated immunodiagnostic capabilities. Future advances in immunology and molecular biology will continue to provide therapeutic agents and biologic response modifiers which should effectively and selectively restore immune function which has been depressed by exposure to environmental stressors.

Meehan, Ichard T.↗

Compound High Temperature and Low Chlorophyll Extremes in the Ocean Over the Satellite Period

Ocean extreme events severely impact marine organisms and ecosystems. Of particular concern are compoundevents, i.e., when conditions are extreme for multiple potential ocean ecosystem stressors such as temperature and chlorophyll.Yet, little is known about the occurrence, intensity and duration of such compound high temperature (aka marine heatwaves -MHWs) and low chlorophyll (LChl) extreme events, whether their distributions have changed in the past decades and what thepotential drivers are. Here we use satellite-based sea surface temperature and chlorophyll concentration estimates to provide a5first assessment of such compound extreme events. We reveal hotspots of compound MHW and LChl events in the equatorialPacific, along the boundaries of the subtropical gyres, in the northern Indian Ocean, and around Antarctica. In these regions,compound events that typically last one week occur three to seven times more often than expected under the assumption ofindependence between MHWs and LChl events. The occurrence of compound MHW and LChl events varies on seasonalto interannual timescales. At the seasonal timescale, most compound events occur in summer in both hemispheres. At the10interannual timescale, the frequency of compound MHW and LChl events is strongly modulated by large-scale modes of naturalclimate variability such as the El Niño-Southern Oscillation, whose positive phase is associated with increased compoundevent occurrence in the eastern equatorial Pacific and in the Indian Ocean by a factor of up to four. Our results provide a firstunderstanding of where, when and why compound MHW and LChl events occur. Further studies are needed to identify theexact physical and biological drivers of these potentially harmful events in the ocean and their evolution under global warming.

High Temperature↗

Human placenta-derived stromal cells mitigate select immune responses to simulated weightlessness

Space flight presents unique risks to human health. Microgravity and social isolation are important space flight stressors which have vast impact on multiple systems such as the musculoskeletal, immune and central nervous system (CNS). To explore candidate countermeasures against tissue decrements caused by spaceflight, we performed a pilot study with PLacental-eXpanded stromal (PLX) cells. PLX cells secrete factors that modulate the immune system, but do not trigger host immune responses, enabling treatment in subjects that have intact immune systems. These cells had previous success in treating critical limb ischemia and acute radiation syndrome in murine models. In this study, 4-month-old female mice underwent 30 days of hindlimb unloading (HU) in single housing conditions to simulate long-term weightlessness and isolation. HU and normally ambulating controls were administered with PLX cells or sham-injected with Plasmalyte. We hypothesized that administration of PLX cells will mitigate some of the effects caused by prolonged HU. We found that treatment with PLX cells was well tolerated as indicated by body weights, circulating corticosterone levels and immune organ response to injection of the cells. HU led to the expected decreases in soleus muscle weights and bone loss. We did not observe any protective properties of the PLX cells in the musculoskeletal system but found that the cell treatment partially protected from a subset of HU-induced immune and CNS changes. In the hippocampus, protein levels of 9 of 44 cytokines were downregulated by HU. PLX administration mitigated changes in expression of 8 of these cytokines, including IL-2, IL-6 and MCP-1. To our knowledge, this is the first report on the protective effects of PLX-PAD against HU-induced changes in the cytokine milieu of the CNS. Our findings warrant further studies, which includes testing in actual spaceflight.

Microgravity↗

Neurobiological Outcomes of Mice Exposed to Combined Spaceflight Stressors

As NASA plans for exploration beyond Low-Earth Orbit, it is imperative to understand how deep spaceflight stressors impact human physiology. Deep space exposes crew members to multiple NASA-defined risks, including altered gravity, ionizing radiation, and social isolation. While the effects of individual stressors have been studied, there are still gaps in our understanding of their combined effects. In this study, we utilized the simulated five-ion galactic cosmic radiation (GCR) and isolation to assess the combinatorial effects of space stressors on the central nervous system (CNS) in mice. Our study captures sexually dimorphic responses by quantifying CNS outcomes in crewage-matched male and female mice. We assessed CNS responses in mice exposed to four days of isolation, followed by three different dosage of acute radiation exposure (5 cGy, 15 cGy, and 50 cGy 5-ion GCRsim). Comprehensive hippocampal cytokine biomarker analyses were conducted in both males and females at two weeks post-irradiation (intermediate cohort) and 124 days post-irradiation (delayed cohort). Proteomics on hippocampal lysates were conducted in the delayed cohort. Our results provide evidence for sex-specific differentially regulated hippocampal cytokines and proteomic profiles. Immunohistochemical analysis of the mice brain from intermediate and delayed cohorts is currently underway for multiple protein markers, including microglial activation, astrocytes, and dopaminergic neuronal population, among others. This project closely aligns with NASA’s efforts to characterize sex-specific risks associated with deep space exploration. We anticipate the results from this project will aid in our understanding of spaceflight stressors to ensure crew health and performance.

spaceflight↗

Oculometric Analysis of Saccadic Compensation for Visual Motion Processing Impairment due to Alcohol and Sleep Disruption

The Visuomotor Control Laboratory at Ames Research Center has developed a 5-minute ocular tracking test that computes 21 largely independent metrics of visuomotor performance, reflecting neural signal processing along a number of distinct pathways through cortex, brainstem, and cerebellum. Human sensorimotor performance is resilient to the challenges and stressors of many operational environments, in part, because overall performance is achieved through multiple parallel systems. Our multidimensional oculometrics allow us to examine impacts on these sub-components separately. To illustrate this, we contrasted the effects of two mild neural stressors, acute sleep-deprivation and low-dose alcohol. We have previously shown that, in both cases, oculometric analysis is a highly sensitive indicator of impairment. Here we quantified not only the observed impact on the performance of one sub-system, smooth pursuit, which uses high-level cortical processing of visual motion to track a moving object, but also the observed (partial) compensation by an evolutionarily older mid-brain and brainstem subsystem, saccades, which generates jumps in eye position to catch up with the target when smooth pursuit is inadequate. Specifically, we examined the dose-response (effect size vs. dose size) of the ground lost (pursuit deficit) and the ground recouped (saccadic compensation) across three separate studies – acute low-dose alcohol administration (16 subjects), acute sleep loss (12 subjects), and acute sleep loss with caffeine intervention (9 subjects). We computed the dose-response slopes using linear regression. The figure below shows that, in the case of acute sleep deprivation, the resulting slopes for ground lost and ground recouped (mean ± SE across subjects) were significantly different (paired t-test, t(11) = 5.17, p < 0.001), indicating poor saccadic compensation. However, when sleep loss was coupled with caffeine ingestion, ground lost was decreased and ground recouped increased such that the slopes were no longer different (t(8) = -0.05, p = 0.965). With alcohol, the two slopes were large albeit not significantly different (t(15) = 0.96, p = 0.351), indicating significant pursuit impairment but effective saccadic compensation. Our findings show that sleep deprivation and alcohol affect oculomotor performance differently. Low-dose alcohol effects appear predominantly cortical, with effective brainstem compensation. Sleep loss and circadian disruption however appears to affect both cortical and brainstem pathways with caffeine providing an effective countermeasure to both effects. Beyond the mere detection of impairment, our oculometric assessment allows us to characterize the nature of the deficit, to provide insight into the neural substrate, and to assess the effectiveness of countermeasures.

pursuit↗

Automating the Study of Microbial Adaptation Dynamics on and off the ISS

The International Space Station (ISS) not only serves as a unique environment for humans, but also the microorganisms that join alongside. Many microbes present on the spacecraft arrive via humans, and as they interact with different surfaces they begin to inhabit those locations. Much like how human health has shown to be impacted by these extreme environments, microbial viability and response to stress also changes. Experimental evolution (EE) can aid in studying how microbes’ growth and activity changes within the ISS environments by applying controlled stressors to microbial cultures and monitoring their response over generations. EE studies are commonly done manually in laboratories, but, with multiple environmental variables to measure and adjust, it becomes highly labor-intensive, prone to human error, and challenging to scale. A multipurpose automated EE system named the AADEC has been developed to address these problems. This system integrates multiple sensors into a single fluidic chamber using UV-C flux, temperature, and media composition as stressors. AADEC contains five sensors: oxidation-reduction potential, electrical conductivity, pH, dissolved oxygen, and optical density. On their own, each is able to provide certain information on growth rate or metabolism; together, they show in detail how stressors affect life. AADEC studies can be conducted on Earth and repeated aboard the ISS to see how behavior changes when exposed to space mission stressors such as microgravity and radiation. AADEC’s auxiliary systems include peristaltic pumps for media exchange, magnetic rods for agitation, and a Raspberry Pi microprocessor to monitor, store, and adjust stressor levels real-time. This allows researchers to gather information within rapid generations, data and accuracy which is challenging to achieve through manual studies. With further miniaturization and automation, such as a more robust single-piece fluidics card, AADEC has the potential to be developed as a spacecraft payload. Support: NASA Ames CIF Award

Automating↗

Development of an Autonomous, Dual Chamber Bioreactor for the Growth of 3-Dimensional Epithelial-Stromal Tissues in Microgravity

We are developing a novel, autonomous bioreactor that can provide for the growth and maintenance in microgravity of 3‐D organotypic epithelial‐stromal cultures that require an air‐liquid interface. These complex 3‐D tissue models accurately represent the morphological features, differentiation markers, and growth characteristics observed in normal human epithelial tissues, including the skin, esophagus, lung, breast, pancreas, and colon. However, because of their precise and complex culture requirements, including that of an air‐liquid interface, these 3‐D models have yet to be utilized for life sciences research aboard the International Space Station. The development of a bioreactor for these cultures will provide the capability to perform biological research on the ISS using these realistic, tissue‐like human epithelial‐stromal cell models and will contribute significantly to advances in fundamental space biology research on questions regarding microgravity effects on normal tissue development, aging, cancer, and other disease processes. It will also allow for the study of how combined stressors, such as microgravity with radiation and nutritional deficiencies, affect multiple biological processes and will provide a platform for conducting countermeasure investigations on the ISS without the use of animal models. The technology will be autonomous and consist of a cell culture chamber that provides for air‐liquid, liquid‐liquid, and liquid‐air exchanges within the chambers while maintaining the growth and development of the biological samples. The bioreactor will support multiple tissue types and its modular design will provide for incorporation of add‐on capabilities such as microfluidics drug delivery, media sampling, and in situ biomarker analysis. Preliminary flight testing of the hardware will be conducted on a parabolic platform through NASA's Flight Opportunities Program.

Patel, Zarana S.↗

Reanalysis of Rodent Data from Spacelab Life Sciences-1

The space bioscience field has long been plagued by the challenge of spaceflight with effects of radiation and microgravity. Having multiple and repeated spaceflight experiments for model organisms to solve these space stressors is costly and time consuming. Therefore, reusing and reanalyzing legacy experiments is one way that scientists can draw new conclusions in a timely manner and without using too many resources. Moreover, advances in general biological knowledge allows legacy experiments to be placed into more complete context.Here we aim to analyze all data and metadata taken from rats flown on the SLS-1 mission to create a comprehensive biological model that can be supplemented with current data to allow new discoveries in how space flown organisms adapt to the space environment. Our approach begins with the identification of all the data and metadata, including graphs and tables, for SLS-1 in NASA archives and other sources. Then, each piece of data and metadata will be digitized, reformatted and analyzed. Lastly, a previously developed astronaut model will be used to create the data framework and a comprehensive biological rodent model. The datasets we are using is from the 1991 SpaceLab Life Science 1 (SLS-1) NASA Mission. This was the first designated spacelab mission flown. All 29 rodents were tested for nine days in two different habitats: Research Animal Holding Facility (RAHF) and Animal Enclosure Module (AEM). The rodents were prepared for a live return and compared to a ground control. A total of 30 rodent experiments were accepted as flight studies on the mission. By digitization and reorganizing SLS-1 rat data we will both directly generate new insights and indirectly enable other scientists to by providing the data and metadata in a digitized form.

Space Biology↗

Reanalysis of Rodent Data from Spacelab Life Science-1

The space bioscience field has long been plagued by the challenge of spaceflight with effects of radiation and microgravity. Having multiple and repeated spaceflight experiments for model organisms to solve these space stressors is costly and time consuming. Therefore, reusing and reanalyzing legacy experiments is one way that scientists can draw new conclusions in a timely manner and without using too many resources. Moreover, advances in general biological knowledge allows legacy experiments to be placed into more complete context.Here we aim to analyze all data and metadata taken from rats flown on the SLS-1 mission to create a comprehensive biological model that can be supplemented with current data to allow new discoveries in how space flown organisms adapt to the space environment. Our approach begins with the identification of all the data and metadata, including graphs and tables, for SLS-1 in NASA archives and other sources. Then, each piece of data and metadata will be digitized, reformatted and analyzed. Lastly, a previously developed astronaut model will be used to create the data framework and a comprehensive biological rodent model. The datasets we are using is from the 1991 SpaceLab Life Science 1 (SLS-1) NASA Mission. This was the first designated spacelab mission flown. All 29 rodents were tested for nine days in two different habitats: Research Animal Holding Facility (RAHF) and Animal Enclosure Module (AEM). The rodents were prepared for a live return and compared to a ground control. A total of 30 rodent experiments were accepted as flight studies on the mission. By digitization and reorganizing SLS-1 rat data we will both directly generate new insights and indirectly enable other scientists to by providing the data and metadata in a digitized form.

Space Biology↗

Inhibition of murine splenic T lymphocyte proliferation by 2-deoxy-D-glucose-induced metabolic stress

Female Swiss-Webster mice were injected with the glucose analogue 2-deoxy-D-glucose (2-DG), which when administered to rodents induces acute periods of metabolic stress. A single or multiple injections of 2-DG invoked a stress response, as evidenced by increases in serum corticosterone levels. The influence of this metabolic stressor on the blastogenic potential of splenic T lymphocytes was then examined. It was found that one, two, or three injections of 2-DG resulted in depressed T cell proliferative responses, with an attenuation of the effect occurring by the fifth injection. The 2-DG-induced inhibition of T cell proliferation was not attributable to 2-DG-induced cytolysis, as in vitro incubation of naive T cells with varying concentrations of 2-DG did not result in a reduction in cell number or viability, and flow cytometric analysis demonstrated that percentages of CD3, CD4, and CD8 splenic T cells were not altered as a result of 2-DG-induced stress. Incubating naive T cells in varying concentrations of 2-DG resulted in a dose-dependent inhibition of T cell blastogenic potential. Following in vivo exposure to 2-DG, T cell proliferation did not return to normal levels until 3 days after the cessation of 2-DG injections. Administering the beta-adrenergic receptor antagonist propranolol did not reverse the inhibited lymphoproliferation in 2-DG-treated mice. The inhibition in T cell proliferation was not observed, however, in mice that had been adrenalectomized or hypophysectomized and injected with 2-DG.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS).

Non-NASA Center↗

Expanding Ketamine Application for Treatment of Acute Suicidality in Long-Duration Spaceflight

Introduction. The transition to exploration missions places a heightened risk on behavioral health in spaceflight. Although serious psychiatric emergencies during spaceflight have been rare, longer duration missions increase the possibility of emergence in latent mental health disorders due to genetic predisposition, increased autonomy, isolation, helplessness, loss of family member, or catastrophic events. Complicated grief and bereavement have the highest rate of suicidal ideation. Recently, ketamine has been used as an emergent intervention for acute suicidality, promoting its stability, ease of administration, favorable safety profile, and outcomes for reduction of suicidal intent. The goal of this study was to review current literature and collate the understanding of ketamine as a safe, effective pharmacological adjunct for acute suicidality in spaceflight. Methods. This literature review was conducted to collate data on ketamine use for acute suicidality and inform on stability, limitations and utilization of ketamine within extreme environments. Results. 122 publications were reviewed for relevance including 23 randomized-control trials for ketamine use in behavioral emergencies. Discussion. Ketamine is a diverse pharmaceutical with multiple advantageous indications, including acute suicidality, pain, and sedation. Terrestrial use of ketamine suggests a rapidly efficacious medication for reduction in acute suicidality. As behavioral stressors expand related to extended missions, contingencies for behavioral emergencies become increasingly important. Although this review is not intended to re-develop current International Space Station (ISS) protocols, it is the first to discuss the benefits of ketamine in spaceflight as a potential safe, effective multifaceted tool for future exploration missions and treatment for acute suicidal ideation.

Ketamine, Suicidality, Spaceflight↗

An Approach to Quantitative Risk Assessment for Combined Spaceflight Hazards: Evaluating the Impact of Short Sleep Durations on Space Crew Cardiovascular Health

Astronauts embarking on long-duration missions will be exposed to multiple spaceflight hazards including radiation, isolation and confinement, distance from Earth, hostile closed environments, and altered gravity. These hazards pose health risks to the crew in-mission and postflight, including risks to cardiovascular health. For radiation, quantitative risk models have been developed that are based on large-scale epidemiological evidence from exposed terrestrial populations, which are extrapolated to account for the difference in radiological effectiveness between ground-based and in-flight exposures. •Cardiovascular diseases (CVD) are multifactorial, therefore multiple risk factors can influence disease risk estimates. •Astronauts with spaceflight experience is a very small population. •To overcome limitations of cohort, population data from presumed equivalent stressors on Earth can be used to quantitatively assess possible risks. •Sleep disruption and short sleep duration are known consequences of spaceflight and are also established risk factors for cardiovascular disease on earth (Pateletal.,2020). •Coronary Heart Disease (CHD), Myocardial Infarction (MI), and stroke are negative health effects due to short sleep durations and sleep disruptions (Yinetal.,2017); (Cappuccio et al., 2010). •A combined CVD risk model including spaceflight stressor such as sleep, stress, radiation, etc.) will provide more precise estimate of risks.

Spaceflight Hazards↗

Augmentation of Seed Film Technology With Probiotics in Support of Space Crop Production

This project set out to establish a method for introducing Plant Growth Promoting Microbes to seed film for use in a flight-based crop production system. The inoculation method, demonstrated in this paper, succeeded in this introduction while simultaneously avoiding disrupting the integrity of the seed film material. Future research should continue to explore the idea of growth production and crop protection via intentional introduction of an exophytic microbiome including the verification of effects of varying inoculum concentrations on mature plants. Positive effects are more likely to be noted when multiple organisms are introduced simultaneously. Additional benefit is likely to be seen on an experimental basis when crops are challenged via the introduction of both biotic and abiotic stressors.

Aubrie E Orourke↗

Self-reported coping behavior in health and disease: assessment with a card sort game

The authors tested the hypothesis that individuals with a variety of severe chronic illnesses and the healthy elderly exhibit a loss of flexibility in their response to a variety of stressors, compared with healthy adults. A card sort game designed to assess self-reported coping behavior under different stressful life situations was used to compare healthy adults with individuals with multiple sclerosis, rheumatoid arthritis, systemic lupus erythematosus, and the elderly. The healthy adults were found to exhibit more variability than any of the illness groups or the elderly. Healthy function is marked by a complex type of variability.

Non-NASA Center↗

Assessments of Physiology and Cognition in Hybrid-Reality Environments (APACHE)

NASA is planning to return to the Moon in the mid-2020s as a stepping stone to Mars missions in the 2030s. Spacewalks, or extravehicular activities (EVAs), performed on the Moon and Mars will differ in a variety of ways from those that have been performed in decades past. NASA has identified multiple risks to human health and performance associated with a crewed mission to Mars, especially those associated with exploration EVAs which are expected to be a primary mission activity. Crew may be expected to conduct up to 24 hours of EVA per person per week, where the likelihood of injury and/or mental mistakes are increased compared to ground-based training or current microgravity EVAs and the consequences of which can be catastrophic. Current test environments for exploration EVA research and technology development are large, costly facilities that are limited in their availability or capabilities. Spacesuit testing in a reduced gravity environment such as NASA’s Neutral Buoyancy Laboratory, while a good representation of the crew’s physical workload during exploration EVAs, typically has small datasets and is difficult to integrate physiological sensors or other types of crew performance measures. Meanwhile, scientific field-based testing such as NASA’s Desert Research and Technology Studies offers an operationally relevant environment for exploration EVAs, particularly for cognitive workload, but is also limited by small datasets, lack of a pressurized spacesuit, and obtrusive measures. The limitations of current analogs for exploration EVAs identify a need for a new test environment that can approximate both the physical and cognitive demands associated with exploration EVAs to enable rapid, controlled, and repeatable evaluations of human health and performance risks of exploration missions. In response, the Human Physiology, Performance, Protection, and Operations Laboratory (H-3PO) at NASA Johnson Space Center has developed a hybrid reality exploration EVA analog named the Assessments of Physiology And Cognition in Hybrid-reality Environments (APACHE) to address these limitations using a combination of virtual, physical, and hybrid reality techniques. The APACHE facility resides at NASA Johnson Space Center and serves as a large “sandbox” for EVA research and simulation. At its center is a roughly 15x20ft space surrounded by a 14” tall sandbox partially filled with lunar regolith simulant to emulate the physical feeling of walking on a planetary surface and to allow for simulated geology operations. Nearby, a curved passive treadmill (Skillmill Connect, Technogym, Fairfield, NJ) and an omnidirectional treadmill (Infinadeck, Infinadeck, Rocklin, CA) are included to enable exploration of these large virtual environments while also imposing the physical demands, representative timelines, and cognitive burdens required to navigate and traverse these distances during exploration EVA. A 6DOF motion platform is used to simulate rover operations and supports various human performance evaluations and associated risks. Lastly, APACHE can support two extravehicular (EV) crewmembers working in tandem. A computer workstation is located nearby and also supports an intravehicular (IV) crewmember as part of a full mission simulation. The IV crewmember has direct video and audio communication with the EV crew in VR to provide operational and procedural support. The software used in APACHE was created by the JSC Engineering Directorate, in partnership with Buendea, powered by a custom Unreal Engine 5 (UE5.3, Epic Games) project. APACHE currently utilizes the HTC Vive Pro Eye in a wireless configuration for VR simulations. There are two virtual environments that subjects can explore within APACHE, a Lunar and Martian surface. The virtual Lunar surface was created from LIDAR data of the Lunar South Pole to create roughly 16 sq km of explorable terrain. The virtual Martian surface contains roughly 400 sq km of explorable terrain derived from Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter LIDAR data of the Jezero Crater. The immersion and related cognitive burdens of conducting a planetary EVA is simulated through a series of EVA-relevant tasks performed in the VR environment, using these high-fidelity visual representations. Additionally, APACHE includes biosensor driven informatics, such as real-time heart rate monitoring and/or derived values from model simulations, for active monitoring by the EV crew and added cognitive demand. A “Wizard of Oz” control panel enables test operators to activate contingency events such as simulated spacesuit malfunctions, loss of communications, and/or limited visibility. Embedded performance measures such as accuracy, completeness, and execution time have been developed for various exploration tasks to objectively quantify crew performance during an EVA and compare impacts to performance when different environmental stressors, both physical and cognitive, are added to or removed from the simulation. Additionally, validated cognitive and operational performance measures such as the Digit Symbol Substitution Task have been recreated and embedded in VR for direct and relatively unobtrusive measurement of motor perception. The APACHE environment currently supports multiple research studies at NASA. Examples include the CHAPEA project, a series of simulated year-long missions on Mars by a 4-person crew; and the CO2 Contingency Walk Back Study, an investigation of elevated CO2 exposure on crew performance during a contingency EVA scenario. APACHE also provides a test environment to support the development of the Crew State and Risk Model, which is a collection of individualized, mathematical models of crew physical and cognitive state; and the Personalized EVA Informatics and Decision Support system, an operational tool for flight controllers, and eventually a self-reliant Martian crew, to make biomedically-informed decisions in real-time to optimize the EVA planning and execution with respect to crew health and performance. Some technical challenges associated with developing the APACHE environment, as well as current limitations, include VR limitless natural walking with a hybrid spacesuit simulator, optimizing performance for wireless PC VR streaming while maintaining a high degree of visual fidelity, and the integration of various physiological (metabolic masks) and psychometric (eye tracking) sensors with the VR headset.

Human Performance↗

Enabling Experimental Evolution: Multi-Parameter Sensor System Integration into a Culture/Stressor Biofluidics System

Experimental evolution (EE) exposes microbial communities to ecological stressors, simulating dynamics up to near-extinction events. Combined with comparative sequencing and other molecular tools, such data can inform the genetic and other biological mechanisms underlying extremophile adaptation, and other observed effects. Automating this type of experiment using biofluidics can mitigate many traditional obstacles, including delays in assay results and environment adjustment and the need for many replicates. A first-generation device for automating EE procedures, the Automated Adaptive Directed Evolution Chamber (AADEC), was developed at NASA Ames. UV-C radiation was the stressor, an LED-photodiode array measured optical density, magnetic agitation and peristaltic pump systems ensured nutrient availability, and Arduino microcontrollers provided control. Escherichia coli in LB kanamycin media was used for testing and performance verification. A manual laboratory procedure with timed exposure to UV-C was performed to typify tolerance acquisition. Approximately a 106 factor increase in survival ratio was recorded over multiple iterations. Currently, a second-generation device is being developed integrating more real-time sensors: redox potential (ORP), indicating available/consumed metabolic energy; dissolved oxygen (DO), indicating aerobic/anaerobic growth; pH, indicating metabolic products; and electrical conductivity (EC), another indicator of metabolic products. The EC sensor system was constructed and calibrated in-house and matched commercial sensors in the required range. A Raspberry Pi computer automated the electrical system, allowing real-time data acquisition. The fluidics card was made of CNC-milled polycarbonate for biocompatibility. Each sensor parameter can also be used as a selection pressure alone or in combination with others to create extreme microbial environments. As a proof of concept, this work demonstrated sensor operation in one pair of growth-sensor chambers. It can be expanded to a multi-chamber system to enable inter-culture comparisons and multi-population studies. The prior Arduino system will be ported to the RPi system. Future stressors to be added include thermal, reactive oxygen species, and varying nutrient availability.

Govinda Raj, Chinmayee↗

Evaluation of Performance, Fatigue and Workload during Real-time, Reactive Telerobotic Mission Control Operations

Telerobotic operations involve a user operating a robot from a different location from where the activity is taking place. It can be difficult for humans to maintain performance when faced with physiological stressors, such as fatigue or illness. Operations require vigilance for extended periods, raising safety concerns surrounding operator’s fatigue and workload. Every hour of wakefulness increases the drive to sleep, causing decreased reaction time (RT), increased lapses in attention (RT > 500 ms), and decreased memory capability. The NASA Task Load Index (NASA-TLX) was created to evaluate the multiple attributes surrounding workload (e.g., mental and physical demands). The upcoming Volatiles Investigating Polar Exploration Rover (VIPER) mission involves remotely controlling a lunar vehicle from an Earth-based mission control station. The goal of VIPER is to excavate the moon for volatiles (water) deep in the surface near the South Pole for a 100-day, continuous operation.

Fatigue↗