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32 records · Page 2

Welding in Space: Past, Present, and Future

It has been over fifty years since the first welds were made in space by Soviet cosmonauts on Soyuz-6 in October of 1969. The United States performed bead-on-plate welding, brazing, and metal melting experiments onboard the Skylab orbital space station several years later in 1973. Finally, Soviet cosmonauts departed their Salyut-7 capsule and made the first (and last) welds in open space in 1984. Progress on further demonstrations of welding in space stagnated, and subsequent microgravity welding research work shifted to lower-cost earth-based experiments that include drop towers and parabolic flights. With the advent of the International Space Station, relevant microgravity research was undertaken in the field of metal solidification science, and limited studies of brazing and soldering were undertaken; however, no welds have ever been on the Space Station. Therefore, it has been almost 40 years since a weld was made in space. Much like terrestrial construction and manufacturing industries, welding, joining, and allied processes will be enabling technologies for In-space Assembly and Manufacturing (ISAM) in the nascent “Space Economy”, a sector that is expected to approach a value of 10^12 USD within the next decade. It is critical that the welding and joining research community, along with the welding industry, engages the space industry to advance the understanding of those critical manufacturing processes which must be evaluated and matured in the extreme environments of space. Such environments include variable gravity (microgravity in low earth orbit, 0.17 gravity on the lunar surface, and 0.38 gravity on the martian surface), reduced pressure (extreme vacuum in space and the lunar surface to a predominantly CO2 atmosphere on Mars), and extreme temperatures (between 40 and 400 K). Past experiments and analyses are reviewed to suggest requirements that the welding and joining community should target to make strides on closing the current space welding gaps. Efforts to continue welding in space are currently underway at NASA in conjunction with academia and industry. Those are explored along with future agency goals which are seen as opportunities to engage the welding community on this historic effort.

in-space assembly and manufacturing↗

Contemporary achievements in astronautics: Salyut-7, the Vega Project and Spacelab

The latest achievements in Soviet aeronautics are described; the new stage in the space program to study Venus using Soviet automated space probes, and the next space mission by cosmonauts to the Salyut-7 station. Information is also presented on the flight of the Spacelab orbiting laboratory created by Western European specialists.

Kubasov, V. N.↗

Orbital debris and near-Earth environmental management: A chronology

This chronology covers the 32-year history of orbital debris and near-Earth environmental concerns. It tracks near-Earth environmental hazard creation, research, observation, experimentation, management, mitigation, protection, and policy-making, with emphasis on the orbital debris problem. Included are the Project West Ford experiments; Soviet ASAT tests and U.S. Delta upper stage explosions; the Ariane V16 explosion, U.N. treaties pertinent to near-Earth environmental problems, the PARCS tests; space nuclear power issues, the SPS/orbital debris link; Space Shuttle and space station orbital debris issues; the Solwind ASAT test; milestones in theory and modeling the Cosmos 954, Salyut 7, and Skylab reentries; the orbital debris/meteoroid research link; detection system development; orbital debris shielding development; popular culture and orbital debris; Solar Max results; LDEF results; orbital debris issues peculiar to geosynchronous orbit, including reboost policies and the stable plane; seminal papers, reports, and studies; the increasing effects of space activities on astronomy; and growing international awareness of the near-Earth environment.

Portree, David S. F.↗

The prevention of adverse physiological change in Space Station crewmembers

Various physiological countermeasures, consisting primarily of isotonic and isometric exercises but also including prescribed nutrient intake, have been used in all manned spaceflights exceeding about one month in duration. So consistent has been this practice that the effects of weightlessness on the human, unconfounded by the use of countermeasures, are difficult to discern. Equally elusive, in the absence of control studies conducted in weightlessness, is an accurate assessment of the efficacy of the countermeasures themselves. Changes in body composition occurring during and following flights from Gemini through Shuttle, when compared with changes during and following bedrest, demonstrate certain mitigating effects that may be attributable to countermeasures and which provide some rationale for the choice of countermeasures in the Space Station.

Skylab Project↗

Ultrastructure of the root cap of Arabidopsis Thaliana L. Heynh under spaceflight conditions

Peculiarities of the ultrastructural organization of Arabidopsis root cap cells grown from the stage of two cotyledonous leaves in the Svetoblok-1 apparatus aboard the Salyut 6 research orbital station and in the laboratory are assessed. It is established that under conditions of real space flight vacuolization of the root cap cells increses considerably compared to the control variant. Changes in the topography and ulstrastructure of amyloplasts as well as lysis of cell walls are observed in the material under study. An assumption is advanced on analogous cell responses observed at the ultrastructural level to weightlessness and clinostatic conditions.

Source record↗

Summary and recommendations for initial exercise prescription

The recommendations summarized herein constitute a basis on which an initial exercise prescription can be formulated. It is noteworthy that any exercise program designed currently would be an approximation. Examination of the existing space-flight data reveals a scarcity of in-flight data on which to rigorously design an exercise program. The relevant experience within the U.S. space program (with regard to long-duration space flight) is limited to the Skylab Program. Lessons learned from Skylab are relevant to the design of a Space Station exercise program, especially with regard to the total length of exercise time required, cardiovascular (CV) deconditioning/reconditioning, and bone loss. Certain observations of the U.S.S.R. exercise activities can also contribute to the formulation of an exercise prescription of Space Station. Reportedly, the U.S.S.R. uses both a bicycle ergometer and a treadmill device on long-duration missions with some degree of success. Using the third crew of Salyut 6, which was a 175-day stay, as a representative mission, the typical time dedicated to exercise varies from 2 to 3 hours per day. In addition, the cosmonauts wear an elasticized suit, called a penquin suit, for time periods ranging from 12 to 16 hours per day. This device provides a load across the axial skeleton against which the wearer must exert himself. Despite these extensive countermeasures, the effects of adaptation are not totally prevented.

Stewart, Donald F.↗

Space flight and the immune system

Depression of lymphocyte response to mitogens in cosmonauts after space flight was reported for the first time in the early 1970s by Soviet immunologists. Today we know that depression of lymphocyte function affects at least 50% of space crew members. Investigations on the ground on subjects undergoing physical and psychological stress indicate that stress is a major factor in immune depression of astronauts. This is despite the fact that weightlessness per se has a strong inhibitory effect on lymphocyte activation in vitro. Although the changes observed never harmed the health of astronauts, immunological changes must be seriously investigated and understood in view of long-duration flight on space stations in an Earth orbit, to other planets such as Mars and to the Moon.

NASA Discipline Regulatory Physiology↗

Peculiarities in formation of Arabidopsis Thaliana (L.) Heynh, generative organs under space flight conditions

Peculiarities in the formation of the andrecium and gynecium elements are described for Arabidopsis plants grown from the stages of two cotyledonous leaves in the Svitoblok-1 device on board the Salyut 6 orbital research station and in the laboratory. It is established that flower buds and flowers, normally formed in habitus, contain sterile elements of andrecium and gynecium whose degeneration occurs at different developmental stages of the Arabidopsis plants in the experiment under conditions of weightlessness.

Kordyum, Y. L.↗

Hungarian cosmonaut in space

The selection and training of cosmonauts and the preparation of the first Hungarian for flight on Salyut 36 and its linking with Soyuz 6 are described. Biographical sketches of the crew members, the reasons for different types of wearing different types of spacesuits during flight in the space station, and the experiments conducted are discussed. Photographs are included.

Source record↗

Human response to vibroacoustic environments of space vehicles

To insure efficient utilization of the system, space station design and operations will require special habitability considerations for the occupants and crew because of the relatively long duration missions. Of particular concern is the environment in which the personnel will live and work, and how it affects both the performance and comfort of the occupants. Current criteria do not consider possible effects of reduced gravity, long duration, and confinement. Preliminary to developing space station vibroacoustic habitability criteria, the adequacy of criteria for other space vehicles has been reviewed. In this paper, responses to the noise and vibration environments of both Skylab and Shuttle are discussed. Some astronauts have reported sleep interference, communication interference, distraction, and general annoyance as noise related complaints. In addition, information from the Russian Salyut missions, as well as similar based situtations (e.g., submarines), is reviewed.

Willshire, K. F.↗

Salyut-6--Soyuz-29: Our commentary, the crew and the station

A newspaper article written by an assistant flight director which stresses the importance of cosmonaut training is presented. The preliminary stage of training is discussed, and the training of a crewmaker on a real spacecraft is briefly covered. The success in training foreign cosmonauts by Soviets is also discussed. The author feels that training is even more important today than it was seven or eight years ago because of the increased complexity of the experiments and the length of time a cosmonaut spends in space now.

Kravets, V.↗

Space research in the era of the space station

The historical development of U.S. space technology is examined as a basis for future programs planned in the field of astrophysics, meteorological and land sciences, and planetary exploration. The background of the NASA space station project is described, as well as other current programs: Voyager II for Uranus and Neptune exploration, Galileo mission for sending probes into the Jovian atmosphere, Venus Radar Mapper, Mars Geochemistry and Climatology Orbiter, and the International Solar Polar mission. Recent advances in in-orbit assembly, refurbishment and repairs are discussed through the example of the Solar Maximum mission spacecraft repair in 1984 and the use of the RMS tool. The U.S. space observatory project with a 20-meter reflector telescope, currently in the early definition stage, is also discussed. Finally, the Soviet Salyut and Soyuz missions, together with the Soviet Union's study of long term flight conditions are mentioned as possible comparison with the NASA work.

Frost, K. J.↗

Hearing loss in space

BACKGROUND: Temporary and, in some cases, permanent hearing loss has been documented after long-duration spaceflights. METHODS: We examined all existing published data on hearing loss after space missions to characterize the losses. RESULTS: Data from Russian missions suggest that the hearing loss, when it occurs, affects mainly mid to high frequencies and that using hearing protection often might prevent the loss. Several significant questions remain about hearing loss in space. While the hearing loss has been presumed to be noise-induced, no clear link has been established between noise exposure and hearing loss during spaceflight. In one documented case of temporary hearing loss from the Shuttle-Mir program, the pattern of loss was atypical for a noise-induced loss. Continuous noise levels that have been measured on the Mir and previous space stations, while above engineering standards, are not at levels usually associated with hearing loss in ground-based studies (which have usually been limited to 8-10 h exposure periods). Attempts to measure hearing in space using threshold-based audiograms have been unsuccessful in both the American and Russian programs due to noise interference with the measurements. CONCLUSIONS: The existing data highlight the need for reliable monitoring of both hearing and noise in long-duration spaceflight.

manned↗

Regulation of body fluid volume and electrolyte concentrations in spaceflight

Despite a number of difficulties in performing experiments during weightlessness, a great deal of information has been obtained concerning the effects of spaceflight on the regulation of body fluid and electrolytes. Many paradoxes and questions remain, however. Although body mass, extracellular fluid volume, and plasma volume are reduced during spaceflight and remain so at landing, the changes in total body water are comparatively small. Serum or plasma sodium and osmolality have generally been unchanged or reduced during the spaceflight, and fluid intake is substantially reduced, especially during the first of flight. The diuresis that was predicted to be caused by weightlessness, has only rarely been observed as an increased urine volume. What has been well established by now, is the occurrence of a relative diuresis, where fluid intake decreases more than urine volume does. Urinary excretion of electrolytes has been variable during spaceflight, but retention of fluid and electrolytes at landing has been consistently observed. The glomerular filtration rate was significantly elevated during the SLS missions, and water and electrolyte loading tests have indicated that renal function is altered during readaptation to Earth's gravity. Endocrine control of fluid volumes and electrolyte concentrations may be altered during weightlessness, but levels of hormones in body fluids do not conform to predictions based on early hypotheses. Antidiuretic hormone is not suppressed, though its level is highly variable and its secretion may be affected by space motion sickness and environmental factors. Plasma renin activity and aldosterone are generally elevated at landing, consistent with sodium retention, but inflight levels have been variable. Salt intake may be an important factor influencing the levels of these hormones. The circadian rhythm of cortisol has undoubtedly contributed to its variability, and little is known yet about the influence of spaceflight on circadian rhythms. Atrial natriuretic peptide does not seem to play an important role in the control of natriuresis during spaceflight. Inflight activity of the sympathetic nervous system, assessed by measuring catecholamines and their metabolites and precursors in body fluids, generally seems to be no greater than on Earth, but this system is usually activated at landing. Collaborative experiments on the Mir and the International Space Station should provide more of the data needed from long-term flights, and perhaps help to resolve some of the discrepancies between U.S. and Russian data. The use of alternative methods that are easier to execute during spaceflight, such as collection of saliva instead of blood and urine, should permit more thorough study of circadian rhythms and rapid hormone changes in weightlessness. More investigations of dietary intake of fluid and electrolytes must be performed to understand regulatory processes. Additional hormones that may participate in these processes, such as other natriuretic hormones, should be determined during and after spaceflight. Alterations in body fluid volume and blood electrolyte concentrations during spaceflight have important consequences for readaptation to the 1-G environment. The current assessment of fluid and electrolyte status during weightlessness and at landing and our still incomplete understanding of the processes of adaptation to weightlessness and readaptation to Earth's gravity have resulted in the development of countermeasures that are only partly successful in reducing the postflight orthostatic intolerance experienced by astronauts and cosmonauts. More complete knowledge of these processes can be expected to produce countermeasures that are even more successful, as well as expand our comprehension of the range of adaptability of human physiologic processes.

NASA Discipline Number 18-10↗