Bioastronautics

Bioastronautics
Bioastronautics, is study of biological adaptations the human body may
have during long term space travel, in order to make the best space
craft design for manned interplanetary missions. In the field of
bioastronautics the following are all valid questions to ask when
designing a manned interplanetary space craft with the countermeasure
of a capsule in a small radius 1g spin (i.e. human centrifuge).

How does a small radius spin induced 1g capsule for long term space
flight compare to a human centrifuge?
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?

The purpose of conducting the research into the Health and Human
Performance (*4) during interplanetary spaceflight, or specific
experiments such as the Artificial Gravity / Bed Rest Project - 41 Days
(*3) i.e. (the human centrifuge) experiment is to increase our
understanding of the human adaptations in a spinning environment on
earth, as part of the Bioastronautics Critical Path Road Map (BCPR)
(*1), Human Adaptation and Countermeasures Division (HACD)*2.

*1
BCPR) the Bioastronautics Critical Path Road Map
http://research.hq.nasa.gov/code_u/b...cpr_040204.pdf
Space and Life sciences directorate office of Bioastronautics: (BCPR)
the Bioastronautics Critical Path Road Map "An approach to risk
reduction and management for human space flight: Extending the
Boundaries" Page a. Executive summary: "Bioastronautics is the study
and management of biological effects of space flight on humans. It
establishes tolerances (operating bands) for humans exposed the effects
of space travel and develops countermeasures to overcome them.
Bioastronautics also develops technologies that make space flight safe
and productive."

Table 4-2 page 4-3
Discipline Teams and Crosscutting areas
"Discipline team:
muscle alterations & atrophy, neurovascular adaptation, cardiovascular
alterations, immunology, infection, & hematology, environmental
effects"
and there respective
"cross-cutting areas:
Human Health an countermeasures (HH&C): Focuses on understanding,
characterizing and counteracting the whole body's adaptation to
microgravity, enabling healthy astronauts to accomplish mission
objectives and return to normal life following a mission."...
"Discipline team:
psychological adaptation, sleep & circadian rhythm problems,
neurobehavioral problems, - cognitive abilities." and there
respective
"cross-cutting areas:
Behavioral Health and Performance (BH&P): Focuses on maintaining the
psychosocial and psycho-physiological functions of the crew throughout
space missions and providing optimal countermeasures"

Table 4-5 page 4-7
Countermeasure readiness level (CRL) technology readiness level (TRL)
System prototype Making a space craft for interplanetary travel require
the design to be first have to show (#1) "Validation with human
subjects in controlled laboratory simulating operational space
flight" Then show "Validation with human subjects in actual space
flight simulating operational space."

Table 5-2 page 5-4
Boundaries cross cutting area: Human health an countermeasure
(HH&C).....
17..Neuro.. Motion sickness frequently occur in crew members during
and after g-transitions...Current motion sickness drugs are only
partially effective. Though they appear to reduce symptoms, and delay
onset, they have significant side effects...While rotational AG
(artificial gravity) has great potential as a bone muscle,
cardiovascular and vestibular countermeasure, head movements out of
plane of rotation may lead to motion sickness. How proactive the AG
stimulus is a levels between 0g and 1g and how rapidly and completely
humans can adapt is largely un-known and cannot be determined on ground
laboratories."

*2
http://hacd.jsc.nasa.gov/
"Human Adaptation and Countermeasures Division (HACD)
The Human Adaptation and Countermeasures Division (HACD) is responsible
for the performance of biomedical research focused on: 1) understanding
the normal human response to space flight, and 2) developing, testing,
and delivering countermeasures to those untoward responses that may
affect crew health, safety, and/or performance during or after space
flight missions. The HACD is comprised of two branches.
Biomedical Research and Operations Laboratories Branch

*3
http://www.bedreststudy.com/Ag.aspx
"Artificial Gravity / Bed Rest Project - 41 Days The purpose of this
study is to begin to test how a force created by spinning the space
craft could be used to replace gravity during long space flights. This
so-called "artificial gravity" is the same force that causes you to
lean to the side when you go around a corner quickly in a car. For this
study, the artificial gravity will be created by spinning research
subjects on a human centrifuge.
If you are selected to participate in the study, you will be scheduled
to spend about 41 days living in the research unit called the General
Clinical Research Center (GCRC) at the University of Texas Medical
Branch in Galveston, TX. During the first 11 days of the study you will
be free to move around inside the bed rest facility and do normal
things. You will also take part in a number of tests to find out the
normal state of your bone, muscle, heart, circulation, and nervous
systems, as well as your nutrition and immune status. After the first
11-day period you will spend 21 days confined to strict bed rest,
(except for limited times for specific tests or treatments). You will
be in bed with your body tilted downward by six degrees (head down,
feet up). During this time you will also take part in a number of tests
to find out changes in the state of your bone, muscle, heart,
circulation, and nervous systems, as well as your nutrition and immune
status. If you are assigned to the treatment group, you will spin on
the human centrifuge for 1 hour/day during this period. If you are
assigned to the control group, you will be placed on the centrifuge for
1 hour/day but you will not have daily spins. During the final 9 days
of the study (called the recovery period), you will again be free to
move about within the facility, but you cannot leave. Because of the
de-conditioning that takes place during bed rest, you will slowly begin
normal everyday physical activity."

*4
http://exploration.nasa.gov/programs/human.html
"Human Health and Performance
Human Health and Performance delivers research and technology knowledge
and tools in five areas of life sciences that will enable human space
exploration:
Human health countermeasures, including exercise devices and
prescriptions, recommendations for artificial gravity use,
understanding and requirements for use of drugs and nutrition, as well
as countermeasures for individual body systems
Countermeasures and preventive tools to improve potential behavioral
health and performance problems such as poor crew psychosocial
interactions, individual psychiatric problems, and cognitive
capabilities in space exploration crews
Tools and techniques to improve medical care delivery to space
exploration crews. These include preventive medicine strategies, tools
and advanced instrumentation for autonomous medical care, monitoring,
diagnosis, and treatment, as well as a medical informatics databases
Biomedical knowledge and tools to reduce the uncertainty of estimation
of space radiation health risks to human crews of acute and life-long
carcinogenesis, brain and other tissue non-cancer damage, as well as
heredity, fertility and sterility, and to develop and test
effectiveness of existing and novel radiation shielding materials New
information in exploration biology, which will identify and define the
scope of problems which will face future human space explorers during
long periods of exposure to space."



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)

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:
Bioastronautics
Bioastronautics, is study of biological adaptations the human body may
have during long term space travel, in order to make the best space
craft design for manned interplanetary missions. In the field of
bioastronautics the following are all valid questions to ask when
designing a manned interplanetary space craft with the countermeasure
of a capsule in a small radius 1g spin (i.e. human centrifuge).

How does a small radius spin induced 1g capsule for long term space
flight compare to a human centrifuge?
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?

The purpose of conducting the research into the Health and Human
Performance (*4) during interplanetary spaceflight, or specific
experiments such as the Artificial Gravity / Bed Rest Project - 41 Days
(*3) i.e. (the human centrifuge) experiment is to increase our
understanding of the human adaptations in a spinning environment on
earth, as part of the Bioastronautics Critical Path Road Map (BCPR)
(*1), Human Adaptation and Countermeasures Division (HACD)*2.

*1
BCPR) the Bioastronautics Critical Path Road Map
http://research.hq.nasa.gov/code_u/b...cpr_040204.pdf
Space and Life sciences directorate office of Bioastronautics: (BCPR)
the Bioastronautics Critical Path Road Map "An approach to risk
reduction and management for human space flight: Extending the
Boundaries" Page a. Executive summary: "Bioastronautics is the study
and management of biological effects of space flight on humans. It
establishes tolerances (operating bands) for humans exposed the effects
of space travel and develops countermeasures to overcome them.
Bioastronautics also develops technologies that make space flight safe
and productive."

Table 4-2 page 4-3
Discipline Teams and Crosscutting areas
"Discipline team:
muscle alterations & atrophy, neurovascular adaptation, cardiovascular
alterations, immunology, infection, & hematology, environmental
effects"
and there respective
"cross-cutting areas:
Human Health an countermeasures (HH&C): Focuses on understanding,
characterizing and counteracting the whole body's adaptation to
microgravity, enabling healthy astronauts to accomplish mission
objectives and return to normal life following a mission."...
"Discipline team:
psychological adaptation, sleep & circadian rhythm problems,
neurobehavioral problems, - cognitive abilities." and there
respective
"cross-cutting areas:
Behavioral Health and Performance (BH&P): Focuses on maintaining the
psychosocial and psycho-physiological functions of the crew throughout
space missions and providing optimal countermeasures"

Table 4-5 page 4-7
Countermeasure readiness level (CRL) technology readiness level (TRL)
System prototype Making a space craft for interplanetary travel require
the design to be first have to show (#1) "Validation with human
subjects in controlled laboratory simulating operational space
flight" Then show "Validation with human subjects in actual space
flight simulating operational space."

Table 5-2 page 5-4
Boundaries cross cutting area: Human health an countermeasure
(HH&C).....
17..Neuro.. Motion sickness frequently occur in crew members during
and after g-transitions...Current motion sickness drugs are only
partially effective. Though they appear to reduce symptoms, and delay
onset, they have significant side effects...While rotational AG
(artificial gravity) has great potential as a bone muscle,
cardiovascular and vestibular countermeasure, head movements out of
plane of rotation may lead to motion sickness. How proactive the AG
stimulus is a levels between 0g and 1g and how rapidly and completely
humans can adapt is largely un-known and cannot be determined on ground
laboratories."

*2
http://hacd.jsc.nasa.gov/
"Human Adaptation and Countermeasures Division (HACD)
The Human Adaptation and Countermeasures Division (HACD) is responsible
for the performance of biomedical research focused on: 1) understanding
the normal human response to space flight, and 2) developing, testing,
and delivering countermeasures to those untoward responses that may
affect crew health, safety, and/or performance during or after space
flight missions. The HACD is comprised of two branches.
Biomedical Research and Operations Laboratories Branch

*3
http://www.bedreststudy.com/Ag.aspx
"Artificial Gravity / Bed Rest Project - 41 Days The purpose of this
study is to begin to test how a force created by spinning the space
craft could be used to replace gravity during long space flights. This
so-called "artificial gravity" is the same force that causes you to
lean to the side when you go around a corner quickly in a car. For this
study, the artificial gravity will be created by spinning research
subjects on a human centrifuge.
If you are selected to participate in the study, you will be scheduled
to spend about 41 days living in the research unit called the General
Clinical Research Center (GCRC) at the University of Texas Medical
Branch in Galveston, TX. During the first 11 days of the study you will
be free to move around inside the bed rest facility and do normal
things. You will also take part in a number of tests to find out the
normal state of your bone, muscle, heart, circulation, and nervous
systems, as well as your nutrition and immune status. After the first
11-day period you will spend 21 days confined to strict bed rest,
(except for limited times for specific tests or treatments). You will
be in bed with your body tilted downward by six degrees (head down,
feet up). During this time you will also take part in a number of tests
to find out changes in the state of your bone, muscle, heart,
circulation, and nervous systems, as well as your nutrition and immune
status. If you are assigned to the treatment group, you will spin on
the human centrifuge for 1 hour/day during this period. If you are
assigned to the control group, you will be placed on the centrifuge for
1 hour/day but you will not have daily spins. During the final 9 days
of the study (called the recovery period), you will again be free to
move about within the facility, but you cannot leave. Because of the
de-conditioning that takes place during bed rest, you will slowly begin
normal everyday physical activity."

*4
http://exploration.nasa.gov/programs/human.html
"Human Health and Performance
Human Health and Performance delivers research and technology knowledge
and tools in five areas of life sciences that will enable human space
exploration:
Human health countermeasures, including exercise devices and
prescriptions, recommendations for artificial gravity use,
understanding and requirements for use of drugs and nutrition, as well
as countermeasures for individual body systems
Countermeasures and preventive tools to improve potential behavioral
health and performance problems such as poor crew psychosocial
interactions, individual psychiatric problems, and cognitive
capabilities in space exploration crews
Tools and techniques to improve medical care delivery to space
exploration crews. These include preventive medicine strategies, tools
and advanced instrumentation for autonomous medical care, monitoring,
diagnosis, and treatment, as well as a medical informatics databases
Biomedical knowledge and tools to reduce the uncertainty of estimation
of space radiation health risks to human crews of acute and life-long
carcinogenesis, brain and other tissue non-cancer damage, as well as
heredity, fertility and sterility, and to develop and test
effectiveness of existing and novel radiation shielding materials New
information in exploration biology, which will identify and define the
scope of problems which will face future human space explorers during
long periods of exposure to space."



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)