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NASA NTRS1997

Space Biosensor Systems: Implications for Technology Transfer

To meet the need for continuous, automated monitoring of animal subjects, including; humans, during space flight, NASA is developing advanced physiologic sensor and biotelemetry system technologies. The ability to continuously track basic physiological parameters, such as heart rate, blood pH, and body temperature, in untethered subjects in space is a challenging task. At NASA's Ames Research Center, where a key focus is gravitational biology research, engineers have teamed with life scientists to develop wireless sensor systems for automated physiologic monitoring of animal models as small as the rat. This technology is also being adapted, in collaboration with medical professionals, to meet human clinical monitoring needs both in space and on the ground. Thus, these advanced monitoring technologies have important dual-use functions; they meet space flight data collection requirements and constraints, while concurrently addressing a number of monitoring and data acquisition challenges on the ground in areas of clinical monitoring and biomedical research. Additional applications for these and related technologies are being sought and additional partnerships established that enhance development efforts, reduce costs and facilitate technology infusion between the public and private sectors. This paper describes technology transfer and co-development projects that have evolved out of NASA's miniaturized, implantable chemical sensor development efforts.

Hines, J. W.↗
NASA NTRS2001

NASA Tech Briefs, July 2001

Topics include: special coverage sections on Data Acquisition, and sections on electronic components and systems, software, mechanics, machinery/automation, biomedical and a special section of Photonics Tech Briefs.

Source record↗
NASA NTRS2016

Sensorimotor Results from the Joint NASA and Russian Pilot Field Test

Testing of crew responses following long-duration flights has not previously been possible until a minimum of 24 hours after landing. As a result, it has not been possible to estimate the nonlinear trend of the early (<24 hours) recovery process, nor has it been possible to accurately assess the full impact of the decrements associated with long-duration flight. To overcome these limitations, both the Russian and U.S. programs have implemented testing at the Soyuz landing site. This research effort has been identified as the Field Test (FT). For operational reasons the FT has been divided into two phases: the full FT and a preliminary pilot version (PFT) of the FT that is reduced in both length and scope. The PFT has now been completed with the landing of the crew of International Space Station Increment 42/43 (Soyuz expedition 41S). RESEARCH: The primary goal of this research was to determine functional abilities associated with long-duration space flight crews beginning as soon after landing as possible (< 2 hours) with an additional two follow-up measurement sessions within 24 hours after landing. This study goal has both sensorimotor and cardiovascular elements. The PFT represented a initial evaluation of the feasibility of testing in the field and was comprised of a jointly agreed upon subset of tests drawn from the full FT and relied heavily on Russia's Institute of Biomedical Problems Sensory-Motor and Countermeasures Department for content and implementation. Data from the PFT was collected following several ISS missions. Testing on the U.S. side has included: (1) a sit-to-stand test, (2) recovery from a fall stand test where the crewmember begins in the prone position on the ground and then stands for 3.5 minutes while cardiovascular performance and postural ataxia data are acquired, and (3) a tandem heel-to-toe walk test to determine changes in the central locomotor program. Video, cardiovascular parameters (heart rate and blood pressure), data from body-worn inertial sensors, and severity of postflight motion sickness were collected during each test session. In addition our Russian investigators have made measurements associated with: (a) obstacle avoidance, (b) muscle compliance, (c) postural adjustments to perturbations (pushes) applied to the subject's chest area and (d) center of mass measurements made across most test objectives with insoles inserted into the subjects' shoes. Data from 18 subjects have been obtained for a majority of the PFT objectives. SUMMARY: The increased level of functional deficit observed in the crewmembers tested with the PFT objectives has been typically greater than previously observed when measurements were collected after the 2 hr window. Significant improvement in crew performance was observed within 24 hours, but full recovery appears to require 6 to 16 days. Clearly measureable performance parameters such as ability to perform a seat egress, recovery from a fall or the ability to see clearly when walking, and related physiologic data (orthostatic responses) are required to provide an evidence base for characterizing programmatic risks and the variability among crewmembers for exploration missions where the crew will be unassisted after landing. Overall, these early functional and related physiologic measurements will allow the estimation of nonlinear sensorimotor and cardiovascular recovery trends that have not been previously captured.

Reschke, Millard↗
NASA NTRS2016

Advances in Rodent Research Missions on the International Space Station

A Research platform for rodent experiment on the ISS is an essential tool for advancing biomedical research in space. The Rodent Research allows for experiments of much longer duration that experiments on the Shuttle. NASA’s Rodent Research (RR)-1 mission was successfully completed, including post-flight analysis and achieved a number of objectives including validation of flight hardware, on-orbit operations, and science capabilities that were developed at the NASA Ames Research Center. Briefly, twenty C57BL/6J adult female mice were launched on the SpX4 Dragon vehicle, which thrived for up to 37 days in microgravity. Daily health checks of the mice were performed during the mission via downlinked video; all animals were healthy and displayed normal behavior without any significant signs of stress. Behavioral analysis demonstrated that Flight and Ground Control mice exhibited the same range of behaviors, including eating, drinking, exploratory behavior, self- and allo-grooming, and social interactions indicative of healthy animals. The animals were euthanized and select tissues were collected from some of the mice on orbit to assess the long-term sample storage capabilities of the ISS. The data obtained from the flight mice were comparable to those from the 3 groups of control mice (baseline, vivarium and ground controls), suggesting that the ISS has adequate capability to support long-duration rodent experimentations. We recovered over 35 tissues from 40 RR1 frozen carcasses, yielded over 3200 aliquots of tissues, and distributed to the scientific community, including NASA’s GeneLab and scientists in the U.S. through Biospecimen Sharing Program via Ames Life Science Data Archive. Tissues were also distributed to Russian research colleagues at the Institute for Biomedical Problems. The expression levels of select genes including albumin, catalase, GAPDH, HMGCoA Reductase, and IGF1 were determined using RNA isolated from the livers by qPCR and no significant differences by one factor ANOVA were found between flight and ground control groups. In addition, some of the liver samples were subject to transcriptomics, epigenomics and proteomics. The data are now available to the scientific community through GeneLab’s open science data website. Since the RR1 mission, another long duration mission (Rodent Research-2) was completed on the ISS in 2015 in which 20 female C57 BL/6J mice were successfully maintained on the ISS for varying time points, with the last group of 5 animals being on-orbit for 54 days. This second Rodent Research flight expanded the program’s capabilities with the introduction of new technologies including blood collection and separation and bone densitometry scanning. Furthermore, we have continued to expand the ISS’s capabilities by running a series of ground-based verification testing using male mice. Our next step is to fly male mice for Rodent Research-4 on SpaceX-10 to study the effects of microgravity on bone healing and regeneration. It will be the first long-duration mission using male mice using Rodent Hardware. In addition, the number of mice will increase from 20 mice (on RR-1 and RR-2) to 40 for RR-4. When samples return to Earth, a number of tissues will be dissected from the frozen carcasses and select tissue samples will become available to the scientific community via BSP. Altogether, we have continued to expand our capabilities for performing long-duration missions on the ISS as emphasized in the National Research Council’s Decadal Survey released in 2011 and to maximize science return from each mission.

Choi, S.↗
NASA NTRS2016

Advances in Rodent Research Missions on the International Space Station

A research platform for rodent experiment on the ISS is a valuable tool for advancing biomedical research in space. Capabilities offered by the Rodent Research project developed at NASA Ames Research Center can support experiments of much longer duration on the ISS than previous experiments performed on the Space Shuttle. NASAs Rodent Research (RR)-1 mission was completed successfully and achieved a number of objectives, including validation of flight hardware, on-orbit operations, and science capabilities as well as support of a CASIS-sponsored experiment (Novartis) on muscle atrophy. Twenty C57BL6J adult female mice were launched on the Space-X (SpX) 4 Dragon vehicle, and thrived for up to 37 days in microgravity. Daily health checks of the mice were performed during the mission via downlinked video; all flight animals were healthy and displayed normal behavior, and higher levels of physical activity compared to ground controls. Behavioral analysis demonstrated that Flight and Ground Control mice exhibited the same range of behaviors, including eating, drinking, exploratory behavior, self- and allo-grooming, and social interactions indicative of healthy animals. The animals were euthanized on-orbit and select tissues were collected from some of the mice on orbit to assess the long-term sample storage capabilities of the ISS. In general, the data obtained from the flight mice were comparable to those from the three groups of control mice (baseline, vivarium and ground controls, which were housed in flight hardware), showing that the ISS has adequate capability to support long-duration rodent experiments. The team recovered 35 tissues from 40 RR-1 frozen carcasses, yielding 3300 aliquots of tissues to distribute to the scientific community in the U.S., including NASAs GeneLab project and scientists via Space Biology's Biospecimen Sharing Program Ames Life Science Data Archive. Tissues also were distributed to Russian research colleagues at the Institute for Biomedical Problems. The expression levels of select genes including albumin, catalase, GAPDH, HMGCoA Reductase, and IGF1 were determined using RNA isolated from the livers by qPCR and no significant differences by one factor ANOVA were found between flight and ground control groups. In addition, some of the liver samples were analyzed for transcriptomic, epigenomic and proteomic profiles; some of the data sets are now available to the scientific community through GeneLabs open science data website. A second long duration mission, Rodent Research-2 (RR-2) was completed on the ISS in 2015; 20 female C57BL6J mice were successfully maintained on the ISS for various durations, with the last group of 5 animals living on-orbit for 54 days. Furthermore, we continue to expand the ISSs capabilities by introducing new on-orbit technologies including blood collection and separation, bone densitometry scanning, muscle grip strength and anesthesia with recovery. In addition, series of ground-based verification testing to fly male mice and increase the total number of mice on-orbit from 20 to 40. Subsequent missions will provide the capability to return live mice from the ISS animals to evaluate recovery on Earth, further expanding operational and science capabilities of the RR project on the ISS.

Choi, S. Y.↗
NASA NTRS2002

NASA Tech Briefs, March 2002

Topics include: a special section on data acquisition, software, electronic components and systems, materials, computer programs, mechanics, machinery/automation, manufacturing, biomedical, physical sciences, book and reports, and a special section of Photonics Tech Briefs.

Source record↗
NASA NTRS2012

Biomedical Simulation Models of Human Auditory Processes

Detailed acoustic engineering models that explore noise propagation mechanisms associated with noise attenuation and transmission paths created when using hearing protectors such as earplugs and headsets in high noise environments. Biomedical finite element (FE) models are developed based on volume Computed Tomography scan data which provides explicit external ear, ear canal, middle ear ossicular bones and cochlea geometry. Results from these studies have enabled a greater understanding of hearing protector to flesh dynamics as well as prioritizing noise propagation mechanisms. Prioritization of noise mechanisms can form an essential framework for exploration of new design principles and methods in both earplug and earcup applications. These models are currently being used in development of a novel hearing protection evaluation system that can provide experimentally correlated psychoacoustic noise attenuation. Moreover, these FE models can be used to simulate the effects of blast related impulse noise on human auditory mechanisms and brain tissue.

Bicak, Mehmet M. A.↗
NASA NTRS1988

Transport of cosmic ray nuclei in various materials

Cosmic-ray heavy ions have become a concern in space radiation effects analyses. Heavy ions rapidly deposit energy and create dense ionization trails as they traverse materials. Collection of the free charge disrupts the operation of microelectronic circuits. This effect, called the single-event upset, can cause a loss of digital data. Passage of high linear energy transfer particles through the eyes has been observed by Apollo astronauts. These heavy ions have great radiobiological effectiveness and are the primary risk factor for leukemia induction on a manned Mars mission. Models of the transport of heavy cosmic-ray nuclei through materials depend heavily on our understanding of the cosmic-ray environment, nuclear spallation cross sections, and computer transport codes. Our group has initiated and pursued the development of a full capability for modeling these transport processes. A recent review of this ongoing effort is presented in Ref. 5. In this paper, we discuss transport methods and present new results comparing the attenuation of cosmic rays in various materials.

NASA Discipline Radiation Health↗
NASA NTRSDate not supplied

Standard measures in Analogs of Spaceflight

Standard measures are defined as research measures (physiological, performance, or otherwise) that quantify the subject’s health and performance before, during, and after a spaceflight or a spaceflight analog mission. The Standard Measures Cross-Cutting Project (SMCCP) collects and analyzes standard measures that support assessment and quantification of health risks and efficacy of countermeasures and technologies required to prevent or mitigate adverse outcomes from exposure to the spaceflight environment. SMCCP uses the following spaceflight analogs: - Human Exploration Research Analog (HERA) in Houston, TX: 4-person isolation/confinement; nominal mission duration of 45 days; run by the Human Research Program (HRP). SMCCP uses weekly questionnaires to gather data on the crewmembers’ emotional and mental state and collects blood samples biweekly to measure crewmembers’ serum cortisol levels at the start, middle, and end of the mission. - Institute for Biomedical Problems (IBMP) Ground-Based Experimental Complex, called NEK, in Moscow, Russia: 6-person isolation/confinement; duration of 8 months; run by IBMP. Standard measures data collected during NEK are the same as for HERA above. - :envihab in Cologne, Germany: 12-person bed rest facility; closed environment; 30 to 60-day campaigns; run by the German Aerospace Center (DLR). For bedrest studies, SMCCP uses the international standard measures as documented in the International Academy of Astronautics publication titled Guidelines for Standardization of Bed Rest Studies in the Spaceflight Context (June 2014). These international standard measures evaluate potential changes in bone, muscle, cardiovascular, and visual systems, as well as changes in psychology and nutrition. The international standard measures complement those collected during studies by individual investigators and allow comparison of responses across different bed rest and countermeasures durations. In this presentation, we will review available SMCCP data collected during the recent isolation studies in HERA (C6) and NEK (SIRIUS-21), and during the SANS (SM1, SM2) bed rest studies in :envihab. These standard measures datasets are made available to concurrent investigators in the given mission or campaign via data sharing agreements and/or data sharing plans and to other investigators that have been granted retrospective access to the data (researchers with IRB approved protocols, risk custodians) to advance understanding of physiological and behavioral risks associated with these spaceflight analogs.

Standard Measures↗
NASA NTRS1979

Skylab medical data evaluation program (SMEDEP)

A day-by-day summary of selected data collected during the experiment is presented. The clinical and environmental data are presented in a mission-day format along with a tabulation of biomedical measurements whose values exceed three standard deviations from the preflight measurements.

Hoffler, G. W.↗
NASA NTRSDate not supplied

Spaceflight Biospecimen and Data Sharing in Support of Science Discovery and Exploration

For decades, NASA and international partners have conducted biological experiments in space to understand effects of spaceflight and address potential hazards. To enable spaceflight back to the Moon, and then to Mars and beyond, it is imperative to further understand basic science and health risks associated with spaceflight, along with developing countermeasures. The sending of experiments and organisms into space is a costly endeavor. To maximize scientific return, sharing with the scientific community both space-flown biospecimens and data from completed experiments is essential. New fundamental, applied, and bioinformatic science insights can be gained from specimen and data sharing efforts. Data reuse enables spaceflight health risk modeling, analyzing adverse outcomes across spaceflight hazards, and deep space autonomous support for the flight medical officer. Space-flown biospecimens not required by mission Principal Investigators are regularly archived and made available for scientific request. The largest biorepository of these samples are found within NASA’s Institutional Scientific Collection at Ames Research Center (ISC-ARC), which stores over 32,000 specimens mostly from Shuttle and International Space Station (ISS) missions, but also some ground-based analog samples. The Ames Life Sciences Data Archive manages the ISC-ARC. Tissues are predominantly from mice and rats, though samples are also available from bacteria and quail. Only a handful of other similar collections exist worldwide. Rodent biospecimens exposed to simulated space radiation at Brookhaven National Laboratory are archived under the purview of NASA HRP Space Radiation Element. Microbial collection and analyses from 20 years of routine environmental monitoring of air, surfaces, and water systems of the ISS were performed to ensure a safe environment for astronauts. Samples from the ISC-ARC, space radiation and microbial collections are searchable and requestable through the NASA Life Sciences Data Archive (LSDA). Decades of planetary protection microbial isolates derived from spacecraft bioburden are archived in JPL’s microbial collection. Rodent biospecimens from spaceflight investigations conducted by the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) are archived and available at the JAXA Biorepository at Tsukuba Space Center. The Russian Institute of Biomedical Problems also has a collection of animal, microbial, cellular, and fungi available for research from ground analog experiments. Several data repositories exist for scientists to utilize. The LSDA is the primary NASA source of life sciences research data and information. It contains decades of spaceflight and ground-analog research involving human, microbial, cellular, plant, and animal subjects. Data is collected from NASA-funded investigations through the Human Research Program and the Space Biology Program. The NASA Lifetime Surveillance of Astronaut Health collects and grants access to clinical and occupational health monitoring data from astronauts, with a list and description of data collected available for request through the LSDA. NASA GeneLab at ARC collects genomic, transcriptomic, proteomic, and metabolomic data from any species. It is a repository and platform for collaborative open-science bioinformatic approaches. JAXA is establishing an ‘omics-based repository in collaboration with the Tohoku Medical Megabank (ToMMo), called the JAXA-ToMMo Integrated Biobank for Space Life Science. Overall, the sharing of these biospecimen and data resources can assist researchers worldwide in understanding spaceflight effects on biology, along with enabling next generation data science applications for space exploration platforms. Websites: https://lsda.jsc.nasa.gov/ ; https://www.nasa.gov/ames/research/space-biosciences/isc-bsp ; https://www.nasa.gov/ames/research/space-biosciences/alsda

Ryan T. Scott↗
NASA NTRS2015

Comparison of Venous Return Characteristics with Right Ventricular Mechanics During Cephalic Fluid Shift

For my summer internship project, I organized a pilot study to analyze the effects of a cephalic fluid shift on venous return and right ventricular mechanics to increase right ventricular and venous knowledge. To accomplish this pilot study, I wrote a testing protocol, obtained Institutional Review Board (IRB) approval, completed subject payment forms, lead testing sessions, and analyzed the data. This experiment used -20deg head down tilt (20 HDT) as the ground based simulation for the fluid shift that occurs during spaceflight and compared it to data obtained from the seated and supine positions. Using echocardiography, data was collected for the right ventricle, hepatic vein, internal jugular vein, external jugular vein, and inferior vena cava. Additionally, non-invasive venous pressure measurements, similar to those soon to be done in-orbit, were collected. It was determined that the venous return from below the heard is increased during 20 HDT, which was supported by increased hepatic vein velocities, increased right ventricular inflow, and increased right ventricular strain at 20 HDT relative to seated values. Jugular veins in the neck undergo an increase in pressure and area, but no significant increase in flow, relative to seated values when a subject is tilted 20 HDT. Contrary to the initial expectations based on this jugular flow, there was no significant increase in central venous pressure, as evidenced by no change in Doppler indices for right arterial pressure or inferior vena cava diameter. It is suspected that these differences in pressure are due to the hydrostatic pressure indifference point shifting during tilt; there is a potential for a similar phenomenon with microgravity. This data will hopefully lead to a more in-depth understanding of the response of the body to microgravity and how those relate to the previously mentioned cardiovascular risk of fluid shift that is associated with spaceflight. These results were presented in greater detail to the Cardiovascular Laboratory and the Space Life Science Summer Institute, which helped me prepare for future graduate school research presentations. This internship allowed me to apply and expand the anatomy, physiology, and mechanics information I learned during my undergraduate degree in Biomedical Engineering to the cardiovascular system with the unique zero gravity perspective. Additionally, I was able to develop skills with data analysis techniques involving speckle tracking for ventricular strain and Doppler waveforms for blood velocities. Additionally, I was able to expand upon my previous work in the Cardiovascular Laboratory by writing a literature review on a data analysis project I completed last summer. Ultimately, this internship and venous relationship comparison project provided me with a significant learning experience and additional skill sets, which are applicable to my goals of attaining a Ph.D. in biomedical engineering with a focus on tissue engineering and the cardiovascular system.

Elliott, Morgan↗
NASA NTRS2001

A semi-automatic method for left ventricle volume estimate: an in vivo validation study

This study aims to the validation of the left ventricular (LV) volume estimates obtained by processing volumetric data utilizing a segmentation model based on level set technique. The validation has been performed by comparing real-time volumetric echo data (RT3DE) and magnetic resonance (MRI) data. A validation protocol has been defined. The validation protocol was applied to twenty-four estimates (range 61-467 ml) obtained from normal and pathologic subjects, which underwent both RT3DE and MRI. A statistical analysis was performed on each estimate and on clinical parameters as stroke volume (SV) and ejection fraction (EF). Assuming MRI estimates (x) as a reference, an excellent correlation was found with volume measured by utilizing the segmentation procedure (y) (y=0.89x + 13.78, r=0.98). The mean error on SV was 8 ml and the mean error on EF was 2%. This study demonstrated that the segmentation technique is reliably applicable on human hearts in clinical practice.

NASA Discipline Cardiopulmonary↗
NASA NTRS1987

Spacelab Life Sciences 1 and 2 scientific research objectives

The pressurized Spacelab module was designed and built to allow investigators to conduct research in space in an environment approximating that of a ground-based laboratory. It is configured to allow multiple investigations employing both human and nonhuman subjects. This flexability is exemplified by the SLS-1, SLS-2, and SLS-3 experiment complement. A total of 21 experiments are scheduled for these missions; the areas to be investigated are renal/endocrine function, cardiovascular/cardiopulmonary function, hematology, immunology, metabolic activity of muscle, Ca metabolism, the vestibular system, and general biology. A plan for integration of measurements will allow each investigator to use data from other experiments. The experiments make up a scientifically balanced payload that addresses fundamental biomedical problems associated with space flight and provides the first opportunity to study the acute effects of weightlessness in a comprehensive, interrelated fashion.

Leach, Carolyn S.↗
NASA NTRS1994

Hemodynamic Responses to Head and Neck Cooling

Personal thermoregulatory systems which provide head and neck cooling are used in the industrial and aerospace environments to alleviate thermal stress. However, little information is available regarding the physiologic and circulatory changes produced by routine operation of these systems. The objective of this study was to measure the scalp temperature and circulatory responses during use of one commercially available thermal control system. The Life Support Systems, Inc. Mark VII portable cooling system and a liquid cooling helmet were used in this study. Two EEG electrodes and one skin temperature transducer were placed on the anterior midline of the scalp to measure the scalp blood and temperature. Blood flow was measured using a bipolar impedance rheograph. Ten subjects, seated in an upright position at normal room temperature, were tested at high, medium, moderate, moderate-low and low coolant temperatures. Scalp blood flow was recorded continuously using a computer data acquisition system with a sampling frequency of 200 Hz. Scalp temperature and cooling helmet Inlet temperature was logged periodically during the test period. This study quantifies the effect of head cooling upon scalp temperature and blood flow. These data may also be used to select operational specifications of the head cooling system for biomedical applications such as the treatment of migraine headaches, scalp cooling during chemotherapy, and cooling of multiple sclerosis patients.

Ku, Yu-Tsuan E.↗
NASA NTRS2018

Miniature Exercise Device-2 (MED-2): Preliminary ISS Evaluation Results for a Compact Motorized Resistive and Aerobic Rowing Exercise Device

Future human missions beyond Low Earth Orbit (LEO) will require onboard equipment to provide exercise capabilities for the crew to counter the adverse physiological effects of long-duration microgravity. To accomplish this within the physical constraints of a space vehicle or transit module, a single miniature device that provides both resistive and aerobic exercise modalities is required. To meet this need, Johnson Space Center’s (JSC) Software, Robotics, and Simulation Division (ER) developed the Miniature Exercise Device-2 (MED-2). MED-2 integrates a torque-controlled servomotor and a series-elastic actuator to provide highly-controllable load profiles and a large magnitude output performance in a very small package. This innovative technology is derived from years of JSC/ER design, development and operational experience with cutting-edge robotics, motor controllers, software and actuator/sensor miniaturization, including Robonaut 2 and MED-1. MED-2 was presented at the 2016 ISS R&D Conference. This is an update now that the last of six crewmembers will have completed planned MED-2 sessions on the International Space Station (ISS) in May 2018.Current state-of-the-art ISS exercise equipment consists of two treadmills, a resistive exercise device and two cycle ergometers with a total mass of several thousand pounds and a total volume of several cubic yards. This equipment has proven vital to mitigate the musculoskeletal and cardiovascular degradation effects of microgravity. However, due to the large operational volume and mass of these ISS devices, tailoring them for smaller vehicles, such as Orion, is not possible. In addition, each of the current ISS devices targets a single specific modality. Compared to the existing spaceflight (and even terrestrial) exercise equipment, MED-2 is a new archetype altogether. The combined features of compact size, multi-modality and high-performance is attributable to its innovative series elastic actuator and motor controller. Following its arrival on ISS in 2016, MED-2 was evaluated in two parts. The first and shorter evaluation was an engineering functional checkout of the hardware. As this was a novel exercise device previously never used on ISS, the initial checkout assessed the operation of the hardware and ensured the motion and dynamic range of the crew did not present any collision or other hazards. The second portion of the study collected the heart rates, kinematics and utilized operational volumes of six astronauts to determine the quality of both the resistive and aerobic exercise modalities as delivered by MED-2. Investigators from JSC Biomedical Research and Environmental Science Division (SK) and Glenn Research Center are currently evaluating the data and preparing preliminary results. For the resistive exercise modality, MED-2 demonstrated a range of constant resistive loads from 10-150 lbf. With a displacement range of 84 inches, the MED-2 accommodates users from 5th percentile Japanese female through 95th percentile American male for all of its certified exercises. The displacement measurement accuracy has also been verified within 2.5 percent full range. The crew was able to successfully perform all prescribed resistive exercises, except Goblet Squats which were not feasible with a constant load profile. For the aerobic exercise modality, MED-2 simulated a rowing motion with prescribed and user-selected resistance levels. It has demonstrated rates up to 60 strokes per minute on the ground. MED-2 loads and displacements performance are the same as those cited for the resistive modality. Although each of the crew was able to perform the prescribed aerobic rowing sets, there was considerable variability in the rowing motion among different crewmembers. Also, as expected, the crew was unable to get the full benefits of a typical terrestrial rowing stroke because the current configuration does not allow the user to reach past their feet. These observations have already informed the requirements for other microgravity rowing devices currently in development. One of the unique features of the MED-2 device is the intuitive touch-screen control system. This One Portal graphical user interface (GUI) was developed based on JSC/ER’s heritage knowledge and experience of developing and sustaining the current ISS exercise equipment. Through this interface, the crew easily performed prepared prescriptions as well as had the ability to adjust exercise modality, load and other exercise details such as number of repetitions and number of sets. This touch-screen and GUI fulfilled the MED-2 project goal to simplify the interaction between the user and the device. Furthermore, the extent to which MED-2 utilizes a touchscreen and GUI to control exercise equipment is unmatched among the existing ISS exercise devices. As a motorized device, MED-2 technology can provide a customizable force profile that can be varied as a function of strap displacement, strap velocity or a combination of these and other variables. During 2017, JSC/ER developed and flight-certified a resistive exercise algorithm that mimics the 1-G inertial effects of free-weights and enables adjustable eccentric-to-concentric loading ratios. Subsequent development will explore varying the load profiles and incorporating additional exercises beyond the current list of certified movements.

Exercise↗
NASA NTRS1995

Gravity Sensors and the Role of 3-D Visualization and Simulation in Biomedical Research

Ross 3.0 software was developed in the Biocomputation Center for semi-automated reconstruction of objects from serial thin sections. Data are captured directly from a transmission electron microscope via a video camera to a graphics workstation where the sections are mosaicked and contours are traced, registered and displayed by semi-automated methods. For the first time, macular type II cells are described completely for their innervation patterns. The purposes are to learn more about the fundamental circuitry of the macula and to demonstrate whether the terminals are altered morphologically by space flight. Current examples, from the medial part of the macula, are from maculas collected in-flight on the Space Life Sciences-2 mission, 4.5 hrs post-flight, and from a ground control. Results show that the typical type 11 cell receives processes from up to six nearby calyces or afferents. Nearly all the processes are elongated; some have bouton-like swellings and numerous vesicles. Multiple (2 to 4) processes from a single calyx to a type II cell are common, and approx. 1/3 of the processes innervate 2 type II cells of a neighboring cluster of 3 cells. About 2% of type II cells resemble type I cells morphologically and are surrounded by demicalyces. Differences in size or shape of the terminals under flight conditions could not be determined because the sample size is still too small; but it is clear that reconstruction methods provide insights into macular circuitry not obtainable by other techniques. The results demonstrate a morphological basis for interactions between adjacent receptive fields, through feedback-feedforward connections, during preprocessing of linear acceleratory information by the maculas. While the methods are currently being tested using vestibular maculas as the model system, it is clear that the technology is applicable to any tissue that can be physically or optically sectioned. ROSS software has already been implemented for reconstructing objects from tissues studied by confocal and by transmitted light microscopy, and research into magnetic resonance imaging-computational tomography combined visualization are underway.

Ross, Muriel D.↗