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Search indexed NASA NTRS and DOE OSTI research on propulsion, heat transfer, battery materials and energy systems. Follow report and document links to the original sources.

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At least 73 records · Page 4
All sourcesNASA NTRSDOE OSTI
NASA NTRS1994

The US Navy/Canadian DCIEM research initiative on pressure breathing physiology

Development of improved positive pressure breathing garments for altitude and acceleration protection has occurred without collection of sufficient physiological data to understand the mechanisms of the improvement. Furthermore, modeling of the predicted response of future enhanced garments is greatly hampered by this lack of information. A joint, international effort is under way between Canada's Defense and Civil Institute for Environmental Medicine (DCIEM) and the US Navy's Naval Air Warfare Center Aircraft Division, Warminster (NAWCACDIVWAR). Using a Canadian subject pool, experiments at both the DCIEM altitude facility and the NAWCADIVWAR Dynamic Flight Simulator have been conducted to determine the cardiovascular and respiratory consequences of high levels of positive pressure breathing for altitude and positive pressure breathing for acceleration protection. Various improved pressure breathing garments were used to collect comparative physiological and performance data. New pressure breathing level and durahon capabilities have been encountered. Further studies will address further improvements in pressure suit design and correlation of altitude and acceleration data.

Whitley, Phillip E.↗
NASA NTRS1997

Cycle-Powered Short Radius (1.9 m) Centrifuge: Effect of Exercise Versus Passive Acceleration on Heart Rate in Humans

In addition to extensive use of lower extremity physical exercise training as a countermeasure for the work capacity component of spaceflight deconditioning, some form of additional head-to-foot (+Gz) gravitational (orthostatic) stress may be required to further attenuate or prevent the signs and symptoms (nausea, vertigo, instability, fatigue) of the general reentry syndrome (GRS) that can reduce astronaut performance during landing. Orthostatic (head-to-foot) stress can be induced by standing, by lower body negative pressure, and by +Gz acceleration. One important question is whether acceleration training alone or with concurrent leg exercise would provide sufficient additive stimulation to attenuate the GRS. Use of a new human-powered centrifuge may be the answer. Thus, the purpose for this study was to compare heart rate (HR), i.e., a stress response during human-powered acceleration, in four men (35-62 yr) and two women (30-31 yr) during exercise acceleration versus passive acceleration (by an off-board operator) at 100% (maximal acceleration = A(max)), and at 25%, 50%, and 75% of A(max). Mean (+/-SE) A(max) was 43.7 +/- 1.3 rpm (+3.9 +/- 0.2Gz). Mean HR at exercise A(max) was 189 +/- 13 b/min (50-70 sec run time), and 142 +/- 22 b/min at passive A(max) (40-70 sec run time). Regression of mean HR on the various +Gz levels indicated explained variance (correlations squared) of r(exp 2) = 0.88 (exercise) and r(exp 2) = 0.96 (passive): exercise HR of 107 +/- 4 (25%) to 189 +/- 13 (100%) b/min were 43-50 b/min higher (p less than 0.05) than comparable passive HR of 64 +/- 2 to 142 +/- 22 b/min. Thus, exercise adds significant physiological stress during +Gz acceleration. Inflight use of this combined exercise and acceleration countermeasure may maintain work capacity as well as normalize acceleration and orthostatic tolerances which could attenuate or perhaps eliminate the GRS.

Greenleaf, J. E.↗
NASA NTRS1997

Acceleration Tolerance: Effect of Exercise, Acceleration Training; Bed Rest and Weightlessness Deconditioning. A Compendium of Research (1950-1996)

This compendium includes abstracts and annotations of clinical observations and of more basic studies involving physiological mechanisms concerning interaction of acceleration, training and deconditioning. If the author's abstract or summary was appropriate, it was included. In other cases a more detailed annotation of the paper was prepared under the subheadings Purpose, Methods, Results, and Conclusions. Author and keyword indices are provided, plus an additional selected bibliography of related work and of those papers received after the volume was prepared for publication. This volume includes material published from 1950-1996.

Chou, J. L.↗
NASA NTRS1991

Macular bioaccelerometers on earth and in space

Spaceflight offers the unique opportunity to study linear bioaccelerometers (vestibular maculas) in the virtual absence of a primary stimulus, gravitational acceleration. Combined morphological-physiological studies of maculas fixed in space and following flight should reveal macular adaptive responses to microgravity, and their time-course. Ground-based research, already begun, using computer-assisted, three-dimensional reconstructions of macular terminal fields will lead to development of computer models of functioning maculas. This research should continue in conjunction with physiological studies, including work with multichannel electrodes.

Ross, M. D.↗
NASA NTRS1992

Comparisons of three anti-G suit configurations during long duration, low onset, +Gz

Little physiologic data exist on the effects of long duration, low onset, hypergravity (+G). Space shuttle crewmembers are subjected to low +G forces (less than +3G) for upwards of 30 minutes during reentry. A similar reentry profile is predicted for the National Aerospace Plane (NASP). The physiologic effects of this acceleration stress are compounded by the loss of body water experienced during microgravity. Currently, a standard 5 bladder anti-G suit is being used during shuttle reentry. There have been complaints of discomfort using this suit, mainly due to the abdominal bladder. This study compared the effectiveness of three anti-G suit configurations in volume depleted subjects during a simulated space shuttle reentry profile. Methods: Seven male subjects were given intravenous Lasix in a dose from 20-40 mg to induce a total body weight loss of 3 plus or minus 1.5 percent. Approximately six hours after the injection, the subjects donned one of three anti-G suits - a standard 5 bladder anti-G suit, an extended coverage anti-G suit (the advanced technology anti-G suit or ATAGS), or an extended coverage anti-G suit without an abdominal bladder (the reentry anti-G suit or REAGS). All subjects were exposed to a simulated space shuttle reentry profile. Non-invasive eye-level blood pressure (ELBP) was monitored throughout the +G exposure. When systolic ELBP dropped below 70 mmHg, the anti-G suit was inflated in 0.5 psig increments to the pressure required to maintain 70 mmHg ELBP. Each subject rode with all three suits. Comparisons were made between the final pressure required in each suit to maintain ELBP and subjective reports of comfort. Results: The mean final suit pressure required to maintain ELBP was 1.1 psi, in both the ATAGS and REAGS versus 1.8 psi in the standard suit. In addition, the subjects rated the REAGS suit highest on the comfort scale, citing the absence of the abdominal bladder as the main reason. Conclusions: Overall, the REAGS suit was the superior anti-G suit during long duration, low onset +G. This is based on its ability to maintain ELBP and still remain comfortable when inflated for prolonged periods of time.

Stegmann, B. J.↗
NASA NTRS2004

Lessons learned about spaceflight and cell biology experiments

Conducting cell biology experiments in microgravity can be among the most technically challenging events in a biologist's life. Conflicting events of spaceflight include waiting to get manifested, delays in manifest schedules, training astronauts to not shake your cultures and to add reagents slowly, as shaking or quick injection can activate signaling cascades and give you erroneous results. It is important to select good hardware that is reliable. Possible conflicting environments in flight include g-force and vibration of launch, exposure of cells to microgravity for extended periods until hardware is turned on, changes in cabin gases and cosmic radiation. One should have an on-board 1-g control centrifuge in order to eliminate environmental differences. Other obstacles include getting your funding in a timely manner (it is not uncommon for two to three years to pass between notification of grant approval for funding and actually getting funded). That said, it is important to note that microgravity research is worthwhile since all terrestrial life evolved in a gravity field and secrets of biological function may only be answered by removing the constant of gravity. Finally, spaceflight experiments are rewarding and worth your effort and patience.

manned↗
NASA NTRS1975

Principles of Gravitational Biology

Physical principles of gravitation are enumerated, including gravitational and inertial forces, weight and mass, weightlessness, size and scale effects, scale limits of gravitational effects, and gravity as biogenic factor. Statocysts, otolithic organs of vertebrates, gravity reception in plants, and clinostat studies for gravitation orientation are reviewed. Chronic acceleration is also studied, as well as physiology of hyper and hypodynamic fields. Responses of animals to a decreased acceleration field are examined, considering postural changes, work capacity, growth, and physiologic deadaptation.

Arthur H Smith↗
NASA NTRS2015

Contribution of Phenological and Physiological Variations on Northern Vegetation Productivity Changes over Last Three Decades

Plant phenology and maximum photosynthetic state determine spatiotemporal variability of gross primary productivity (GPP) of vegetation. Recent warming induced impacts accelerate shifts of phenology and physiological status over Northern vegetated land. Thus, understanding and quantifying these changes are very important. Here, we investigate 1) how vegetation phenology and physiological status (maximum photosynthesis) are evolved over last three decades and 2) how such components (phenology and physiological status) contribute on inter-annual variation of the GPP during the last three decades. We utilized both long-term remotely sensed (GIMMS (Global Inventory Modeling and Mapping Studies), NDVI3g (Normalized Difference Vegetation Index 3rd generation) and MODIS (Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer)) to extract larger scale phenology metrics (growing season start, end and duration); and productivity (i.e., growing season integrated vegetation index, GSIVI) to answer these questions. For evaluation purpose, we also introduced field-measured phenology and productivity datasets (e.g., FLUXNET) and possible remotely-sensed and modeled metrics at continental and regional scales. From this investigation, we found that onset of the growing season has advanced by 1.61 days per decade and the growing season end has delayed by 0.67 days per decade over the circumpolar region. This asymmetric extension of growing season results in a longer growing-season trend (2.96 days per decade) and widespread increasing vegetation-productivity trend (2.96 GSIVI per decade) over Northern land. However, the regionally-diverged phenology shift and maximum photosynthetic state contribute differently characterized productivity, inter-annual variability and trend. We quantified that about 50 percent, 13 percent and 6.5 percent of Northern land's inter-annual variability are dominantly controlled by the onset of the growing season, the end of the growing season and the maximum photosynthetic state, respectively. Productivity characterization over the other approximately 30 percent region has been driven by these co-dominant drivers. Our study clearly shows that regionally different contribution of phenological and physiological components on characterizing vegetation production over the last three decades.

productivity↗
NASA NTRS1977

Some effects of acceleration in man and chimpanzees

Early physiologic experiments using dogs and humans in centrifuges are reviewed. Because of the close similarity between the shape and dimensions of the thoraces of chimpanzees and humans, the former were used to obtain roentgenograms and photokymographic recordings of multiple physiologic variables before and during exposure to +5.8 Gy to study the effects of changes in the gravitational-inertial force environment on the cardiovascular and pulmonary systems during long duration space flight. A computer-controlled sciscanning system was used to obtain a two dimensional map of the amount of radiation emanating from the dorsal and ventricle surfaces after insertion of radioactive microspheres in the right ventricle. By using four different batches of microspheres tagged with isotopes of different energies, the spatial distribution of pulmonary blood flow under four conditions was determined.

Wood, E. H.↗