The Automated Primate Research Laboratory (APRL)
A description is given of a self-contained automated primate research laboratory to study the effects of weightlessness on subhuman primates. Physiological parameters such as hemodynamics, respiration, blood constituents, waste, and diet and nutrition are analyzed for abnormalities in the simulated space environment. The Southeast Asian pig-tailed monkey (Macaca nemistrina) was selected for the experiments owing to its relative intelligence and learning capacity. The objective of the program is to demonstrate the feasibility of a man-tended primate space flight experiment.