The sts-116 mission includes the following experiments in the field of
bioastronautics.

http://www.nasa.gov/pdf/162182main_S..._Press_Kit.pdf
STS-116 press kit page 79 col 2 par 1
STS-116 Power up for science
EXPERIMENTS
SHORT-DURATION BIOASTRONAUTICS INVESTIGATION (SDBI) Short Duration
Bioastronautics Investigations (SDBIs) are shuttle based, life science
payloads, experiments and technology demonstrations.

SDBI 1503S Test of Midodrine as a Countermeasure against Postflight
Orthostatic Hypotension Presently, there are no medications or
treatment to eliminate orthostatic hypotension, a condition that often
affects astronauts following spaceflight. Orthostatic hypotension is a
sudden fall in blood pressure that occurs when a person assumes a
standing position. Symptoms, which generally occur after sudden
standing, include dizziness, lightheadedness, blurred vision and a
temporary loss of consciousness. Space alters cardiovascular function,
and orthostatic hypotension is one of the alterations that negatively
impacts crew safety. Susceptibility to orthostatic hypotension is
individual, with some astronauts experiencing severe symptoms, while
others are less affected.
This countermeasure evaluation proposal, sponsored by the
Countermeasures Evaluation
and Validation Project, is in its second phase of the evaluation of
midodrine. It is designed to give the greatest opportunity of measuring
the maximum efficacy of the drug.
This experiment will measure the effectiveness of midodrine in reducing
the incidence and, or, the severity of orthostatic hypotension in
returning astronauts. Its effectiveness will be evaluated with an
expanded tilt test.

SDBI 1493 Monitoring Latent Virus
Reactivation and Shedding in Astronauts The objective of this SDBI is
to determine the frequency of induced reactivation of latent viruses,
latent virus shedding and clinical disease after exposure to the
physical, physiological and psychological stressors associated with
spaceflight. Induced alterations in the immune response will become
increasingly important on long duration missions, with one focus being
the potential for reactivation and dissemination or shedding of latent
viruses. An example of a latent virus is herpes simplex type 1, which
infects 70 to 80 percent of adults. Its manifestation is classically
associated with the presence of cold sores, pharyngitis and
tonsillitis. It is usually acquired through contact with the saliva,
skin or mucous membranes of an infected individual. However, many
recurrences are asymptomatic, resulting in shedding of the virus.

SDBI 1634 Sleep-Wake Actigraphy and Light Exposure during Spaceflight
Subjects will don the Actilight watch as soon as possible upon entering
orbit and will wear it continuously throughout the mission on their non
dominant wrists outside of their clothing/sleeve. The Actilight watch
can be temporarily removed for activities such as
spacewalks. Subjects will also complete a short log within 15 minutes
of final awakening every morning in flight. The experiment examines the
effects of spaceflight on the sleep wake cycles of astronauts during
mission. This information could be vital in treating insomnia on Earth
and in space."

Tom


columbiaaccidentinvestigation wrote:
The foundation for the Bioastronautics Critical Path Road map (BCPR)
can be seen in the Bioastronautics data book 2nd ed 1973.

http://ntrs.nasa.gov/archive/nasa/ca...1973006364.pdf



Open sharing of information is crucial to improving everybody's
understanding of the universe around us.
Tom




columbiaaccidentinvestigation wrote:
Now moving past the hecklers seriously check out Dr. Cohen's
research, into understanding how the spinning artificial gravity
counter measure will effect humans during long term space travel. As
you can see by the below studies by Dr. Cohen, and the following are
questions are all valid when designing a manned interplanetary space
craft with the countermeasure of a 1g artificial gravity. There are
many more questions that must be asked and answered about the effects
of long term space travel on humans in order for us to safely and
successfully perform manned interplanetary missions, it just takes an
open objective mind to want to explore the possibilities.

What potential effects does long term exposure to a small radius spin
induced 1g environment have on the human equilibrium?
What specific effects does long term habitation in a in a small radius
spin induced 1g capsule have on the human body, and what human
physiological adaptations does the human body make to such an
environment?
And finally how does a small radius spin induced 1g capsule for long
term space flight compare to a human centrifuge?

http://exploration.nasa.gov/articles...nggravity.html
"February 7, 2003 : Want to know what 3-g feels like?
The Pull of Hypergravity
By spinning people in a giant centrifuge for 22 hours at a time, a NASA
researcher is learning more about the strange effects of artificial
gravity on humans...
During the past few summers, Cohen has been spinning research subjects
in something far more impressive than a carnival ride. He's been
studying engineers, mountain climbers, teachers and other paid
volunteers as they live for up to 22 hours in a giant, 58-foot diameter
centrifuge. His goal? To learn how humans adjust to changes in
gravity--particularly strong gravity.
NASA is interested because it's not just microgravity that astronauts
experience in space. They're exposed to hypergravity, too: up to 3.2-g
at launch, and about 1.4-g on reentry. "Under these conditions," Cohen
points out, "fluid weighs more." The heart has to change the way it
operates, pumping faster, and working harder to push the blood all the
way to the brain. This could cause astronauts to become dizzy or even,
in extreme cases, to pass out.
By spinning people in his centrifuge, Cohen hopes to learn whether the
heart's response can be conditioned. Perhaps if astronauts were exposed
to controlled doses of hypergravity before launch or reentry, then they
might be able to tolerate high g forces better than they otherwise
would have... The participants in Cohen's study have to be less than
5'8" tall--that's because the outer dimensions of the centrifuge cabin
are only 7'7" deep by 5'11" wide. "With its padded walls, the subjects
barely have enough room to lie down on the cabin's built-in cot," he
explains. The cramped cabin is outfitted with a toilet, a TV, and a
laptop loaded with computer games, tests and questionnaires. While
they're spinning, participants answer questions about stress, fatigue
and motion sickness; they perform complex reasoning tasks; and their
vital signs, head movements, and general activity are monitored by
sensors and cameras.
Artificial gravity is a potentially useful tool," notes Cohen, "but
it's not a universal panacea." Centrifugal force is not exactly the
same as gravity, he explains. If you have a small centrifuge--say, one
that might fit in a spaceship--you have to spin it pretty fast to
create g levels high enough to be effective. But there's a problem:
across the radius of a small centrifuge, g levels change rapidly.
"Suppose you're lying on a short-radius centrifuge, with your head near
the center, and your feet at the outside, and suppose you have 1-g at
your feet. Your head would feel only about 0.2-g, or even less." That's
not quite what you would experience in Earth's gravitational field!
Rapid spinning creates another concern: if you move your head too
quickly while you're inside a fast-moving centrifuge, you might feel
uncomfortably like you're tumbling head over heels. This can happen
when balance-sensing fluids in the semicircular canals of your inner
ear become "confused." Some experiments using centrifuges often include
devices that fix the subjects' heads in place, just to prevent that
illusion. Traveling through space, however, with your head fixed in
place is not practical.
Cohen ticks off ways to make centrifugal gravity feasible:
Perhaps engineers could develop a centrifuge with a radius of several
kilometers, large enough to generate high artificial gravity without
rotating fast enough to trigger the tumbling illusion. Rather than
using small onboard centrifuges, space travelers might slowly rotate
their entire spaceships instead.
Alternately, perhaps subjects could be taught to adapt to a rotating
environment. The brain is unaccountably good at interpreting strange
sensations after they're been around for a while. Witness the way
astronauts can be disoriented when they first arrive in space, but soon
learn to function in a weightless environment. If humans are spun for
long enough, says Cohen, the strange effects of rotation might become
familiar.
For now, though, Cohen is still trying to determine how different kinds
of activities done in hypergravity affect cardiovascular conditioning.
Cohen found that his centrifuge riders spent a lot of time lying down,
in part because it was more comfortable, and in part because spinning
made them drowsy--an effect called "the sopite syndrome." Cohen noted
that he was surprised at how strong it was. Going forward, he'd like to
examine what happens when they perform a range of predetermined
activities, such as standing, in which the g-force places more stress
on the heart.
Much more research remains to be done. "There are so many options for
how best to implement hypergravity most effectively," says Cohen. "Low
intensity for long durations, high intensity for short durations, short
radius centrifuges, rotating an entire spaceship." We know a lot, he
says, but there's much more to learn. It is, after all, a weighty
subject.""

Tom
"Maintaining optimal alertness and neurobehavioral functioning during
space operations is critical to enable the National Aeronautics and
Space Administration's (NASA's) vision and quota extend humanity's
reach to the Moon, Mars and beyond and quota to become a reality."
(Mallis, M. M.; DeRoshia, C. W)


Fred J. McCall wrote:
h (Rand Simberg) wrote:

:On 30 Oct 2006 13:18:05 -0800, in a place far, far away,
:"columbiaaccidentinvestigation"
made the phosphor on my
:monitor glow in such a way as to indicate that:
:
: [lunacy elided]
:
:
:Once again, it's irrelevant, because the discussion was not about
utting people in a short-radius centrifuge.
:
:When are you going to learn to read? And when are you going to learn
:to stop top posting?
:
:Never, one suspects.

That's the conclusion I came to a while back, which is why it's now in
the bottom of my bit bucket.

--
"Ignorance is preferable to error, and he is less remote from the
truth who believes nothing than he who believes what is wrong."
-- Thomas Jefferson