Male and female characteristics in vestibular testing: a step toward the selection of the best participants for space flight

Vestibular disturbances in connection with space flight were reported by a majority of participating astronauts and cosmonauts. These include motion sickness symptoms in the first few days of the space flight, as well as standing, gait and orientation disturbances after the return to Earth. The Aerospace Medical Community has been trying to select those people that are particularly adapted to the above stresses or that can be further adapted through training programs. As the circle of selectees extends to women, the problem arises as to whether differences between men and women exist under the conditions of space flight. In seeking answers to this question we studied a group of 42 women and 44 men, who were further subdivided according to their subjective motion sickness sensitivity, as determined by a questionnaire. Using this material, 26 men and 22 women were designated as motion sickness resistant, and 18 men and 20 women were designated as nonresistant. The vestibular test battery given these test subjects consisted of caloric, rotatory, optokinetic, vestibulo-spinal and vestibulo-vegetative testing. Because of the mixed orthostatic and vestibular problems seen after space flights, we also studied the response of the vestibular apparatus during peripheral blood pooling as induced by lower body negative pressure. The collected historical and test data are analyzed in this paper with emphasis on the relationship to motion sickness tendency.     

The explorer's complex

It is time to think about the rationales of space exploration, more than 50 years after the beginning of human space flight. Between J.F. Kennedy words (“landing a man on the Moon and returning him safely to Earth”) and the Mars One, what means today the dangers of exploration, or the concept of “representative of mankind” applied to the astronauts? Beyond the financial, technical and human risks, exploration, and today space exploration, belongs always to the human identity, the way to confront human nature (especially imagination) to the reality of time and space.     

Astronautics and psychology: recommendations for the psychological training of astronauts

The methods presently applied in the psychological training of astronauts are based on the principle of ensuring maximum performance of astronauts during missions. The shortcomings are obvious since those undergoing training provide nothing but the best ability to cope with Earth problem situations and add simply an experience of space problem situations as they are presently conceived. Earth attitudes and Earth behaviour remain and are simply modified. Through the utilization of interdisciplinary space knowledge a much higher degree of problem anticipation could be achieved and the astronaut be psychologically transformed into a space-being. This would at the same time stimulate interdisciplinary space research. The interdisciplinary space knowledge already available suggests that space requires not only physical and mental adjustments, but a profoundly new relationship with life.     

多模式柔索驱动航天员训练机器人力控制

为解决长期在失重环境下生活和工作的航天员的康复训练问题,针对现有的航天员训练设备功能单一、训练效果不理想的现状,研制了多模式柔索驱动航天员训练机器人。基于模块化、可重构的机器人构型,通过机器人模拟重力环境的负载特征,把相应的载荷施加到人体上,实现航天员在失重环境下进行跑步、卧推和负重深蹲等体育训练,帮助航天员减轻或者克服空间适应综合征带来的不利影响;在此基础上提出一种机器人双闭环力控制策略,人机跑步训练实验结果表明,本文研制的多模式航天员训练机器人构型合理,控制策略有效,可以辅助在失重环境下生活和工作的航天员开展体育训练。     

Optimization of radiation exposures during extravehicular activity using the effect of the West-East asymmetry of the fluxes of trapped protons

To estimate the protective properties of a space suit against cosmic radiation the dose rates were calculated for extravehicular activity in the ISS orbit for a number of representative points of critical organs of the human body. The screening functions of the Orlan-M space suit obtained by the authors earlier are used in the calculations. In addition, the effect of East-West asymmetry of the fluxes of high-energy protons trapped by the geomagnetic field is taken into account. It is shown that during passages through the South Atlantic Anomaly, choosing the optimal orientation of astronauts in relation to the cardinal directions, one can achieve for the most critical body organs a dose rate reduction by a factor of ∼1.5–1.8 (in the maximum of solar activity) and by a factor of ∼2–2.5 (in the solar activity minimum). The obtained results can serve for obtaining more accurate estimation of radiation risk for astronauts working in the Orlan-M space suit in the near-terrestrial orbits and for elaborating practical recommendations to reduce their radiation exposures.     

Space flight visual simulation.

In this paper, based on the scenes of stars seen by astronauts in their orbital flights, we have studied the mathematical model which must be constructed for CGI system to realize the space flight visual simulation. Considering such factors as the revolution and rotation of the Earth, exact date, time and site of orbital injection of the spacecraft, as well as its orbital flight and attitude motion, etc., we first defined all the instantaneous lines of sight and visual fields of astronauts in space. Then, through a series of coordinate transforms, the pictures of the scenes of stars changing with time-space were photographed one by one mathematically. In the procedure, we have designed a method of three-times "mathematical cutting." Finally, we obtained each instantaneous picture of the scenes of stars observed by astronauts through the window of the cockpit. Also, the dynamic conditions shaded by the Earth in the varying pictures of scenes of stars could be displayed.     

舱内失压下航天员热舒适度和散热量仿真

针对载人登月舱内失压应急返回过程中,不同条件下航天员穿着舱外航天服维持生存时的热舒适度问题,基于Matlab建立了人-航天服热模型。其中人体热模型基于Fiala模型建立,航天服热模型使用集总参数法建立。经过不同工况的对比,仿真结果与文献数据基本吻合,验证了模型的正确性。在此基础上,基于DTS热舒适度计算方法对不同失压紧急情况下的人体热舒适度进行了分析,得到了舱内不同环境下人体热舒适度、航天服所需散热量和通风气体湿度的变化规律,并提出了系统优化方案,为我国应急舱内压力防护系统的设计和生保方案制定提供了参考。     

A glimpse from the inside of a space suit: What is it really like to train for an EVA?

The beauty of the view from the office of a spacewalking astronaut gives the impression of simplicity, but few beyond the astronauts, and those who train them, know what it really takes to get there. Extravehicular Activity (EVA) training is an intense process that utilizes NASA’s Neutral Buoyancy Laboratory (NBL) to develop a very specific skill set needed to safely construct and maintain the orbiting International Space Station. To qualify for flight assignments, astronauts must demonstrate the ability to work safely and efficiently in the physically demanding environment of the space suit, possess an acute ability to resolve unforeseen problems, and implement proper tool protocols to ensure no tools will be lost in space. Through the insights and the lessons learned by actual EVA astronauts and EVA instructors, this paper will take you on a journey through an astronaut’s earliest experiences working in the space suit, termed the Extravehicular Mobility Unit (EMU), in the underwater training environment of the NBL. This work details an actual Suit Qualification NBL training event, outlines the numerous challenges the astronauts face throughout their initial training, and the various ways they adapt their own abilities to overcome them. The goal of this paper is to give everyone a small glimpse into what it is really like to work in a space suit.     

Relationships between orientation, movement and posture in weightlessness: preliminary ethological observations

Weightlessness in man induces changes in astronaut orientations and consequently in his patterns of movements and postures. An ethological method has been used to describe the "overall" spontaneous behaviour of astronauts as seen from video recordings made during Space Flights. The work has consisted in analysing the relationships between orientation, movement and posture as an indication of a motor adaptative reorganization in such a situation. The results obtained lead us to consider three different aspects: (1) Orientation references. The astronaut orientates himself with reference to the Space Shuttle's internal structure; the increase of visual activity confirms the choice of the retinal vertical as frame of reference. (2) Motor coordination. The main data reveals a decrease in motor stereotypes by the diversity of motor acts observed and the importance of the link between orientation and posture described as follows: slightly inclined forward position, with legs flexed at about 135 degrees. (3) Cognitive references. There appears to be a new organization of the cognitive image of the body scheme, the missing vestibular information being supplied by peripheral vision instead which could play a role in the astronaut's perception of his own movement.     

载人航天器密封舱内生物剂量三维仿真技术

对载人航天器密封舱内航天员遭受的生物剂量进行研究分析,可为乘员辐射防护设计和工程实施提供依据。文章将基于一维深度-剂量计算、结合扇区射线法的三维辐射仿真技术运用于载人航天器总体设计中,以某中期驻留载人航天器为例,构建生物剂量仿真分析模型。计算实例分析表明,三维剂量仿真结果可有效指导乘员辐射防护优化设计,对后续长期载人飞行中的航天员辐射安全设计具有较强的实用性。     

Multiple-task performance on a computer-simulated life support system during a space mission simulation

This paper presents an experiment which examined the effects of isolation and confinement during a simulation of a short-term space mission. During the 7-day spaceflight simulation, four Canadian astronauts were tested daily on a 30-min performance task. The task, CAMS (Cabin Air Management System), represents a computer-based simulation of a generic life support system. As a multiple-task environment, it allows the measurement of a wide range of task management variables such as primary and secondary task performance, and system control activities. Measures of subjective state variables were also taken. The results did not show any evidence of serious performance decrements for any crew member. The analysis revealed different adjustment patterns with which crew members responded as a function of mission duration and variations in workload. Among the secondary tasks employed, prospective memory was found to be more sensitive than reaction time to increases in workload. The paper concludes with a discussion of the utility of spaceflight simulations and computer-based simulations of space work.     

深空探测重力模拟飞行器方案设想

为解决失重环境对航天员生理健康的影响,在调研国内外重力飞行器研究现状的基础上,结合重力模拟飞行器的原理及人造重力舒适度影响因素,提出了一种通过自旋产生人造重力的深空探测飞行器方案设想。最后给出了重力模拟飞行器建设的实施规划、总体方案、在轨组装流程及技术难点。深空探测重力模拟飞行器稳定运转可为空间工作生活的航天员提供与地面无异的重力环境,将为执行深空探测任务提供必要的环境保障。     

航天器舱内中子辐射探测技术

航天器舱内中子对于舱内电子设备和人员安全都存在潜在的巨大威胁,中子探测对于改进航天器防护层的设计,保护设备与人员安全都具有重要的意义。然而舱内中子辐射环境复杂,中子探测会受到带电粒子的干扰。文章主要调研了国外中子辐射环境及其效应探测载荷技术的发展现状,并对国外典型的中子辐射环境探测器的技术特点进行了总结。结合国外中子探测技术发展动态和我国的技术状况,对我国进一步发展载人航天器舱内中子辐射环境探测技术提出了建议。     

Overview of physiological principles to support thermal balance and comfort of astronauts in open space and on planetary surfaces

Although specialists have attempted to improve the space suit to provide better protection in open space or on planetary surfaces, there has been a relative lack of attention to features of human thermoregulatory processes that influence comfort and therefore have an impact on the effectiveness of protective equipment. Our findings showed that different body tissues transfer heat in/out of the body in a different manner. There are also individual differences in thermal transfer through body areas with different proportions of tissues; therefore, data on the thermal profile of each astronaut needs to be used to estimate the optimal body areas for heat/cold transfer in and out of the body in an individually tailored cooling/warming garment. Principles for supporting thermal comfort in space were formulated based on a series of studies to evaluate the human body's response to uniform/nonuniform thermal conditions on the body surface. We conclude that future space suit design and comfort support of astronauts can be easier and more effective if these principles are incorporated.     

Effects of Microgravity on Human Physiology and Ground-Based Models for Space Physiological Studies

With the development of manned spaceflight, more and more researches are involved in the area of gravitation physiology. When astronauts are exposed to microgravity, a series of special physiological or pathological changes will occur, which will start self-regulation mechanisms to reduce abnormalities and help the organism to better adapt to microgravity. However, these adaptive changes may also induce degradation or damage to physiological functions. This paper summarizes the physiological effects of microgravity on the human body from the aspects of skeletal and mineral metabolism, muscle structure and function, vestibular functions, cardiovascular function and pulmonary function, as well as expounds some commonly used ground-based space analogies. The paper will provide a reference for further study on the physiological effects of microgravity.     

A 6 D.O.F. opto-inertial tracker for virtual reality experiments in microgravity.

Gravity plays a role in many different levels of human motor behavior. It dictates the laws of motion of our body and limbs, as well as of the objects in the external world with which we wish to interact. The dynamic interaction of our body with the world is molded within gravity's constraints. The role played by gravity in the perception of visual stimuli and the elaboration of human movement is an active research theme in the field of Neurophysiology. Conditions of microgravity, coupled with techniques from the world of virtual reality, provide a unique opportunity to address these questions concerning the function of the human sensorimotor system. The ability to measure movements of the head and to update in real time the visual scene presented to the subject based on these measurements is a key element in producing a realistic virtual environment. A variety of head-tracking hardware exists on the market today, but none seem particularly well suited to the constraints of working with a space station environment. Nor can any of the existing commercial systems meet the more stringent requirements for physiological experimentation (high accuracy, high resolution, low jitter, low lag) in a wireless configuration. To this end, we have developed and tested a hybrid opto-inertial 6 degree-of-freedom tracker based on existing inertial technology. To confirm that the inertial components and algorithms will function properly, this system was tested in the microgravity conditions of parabolic flight. Here we present the design goals of this tracker, the system configuration and the results of 0g and 1g testing.     

The European Astronaut Centre prepares for International Space Station operations

The European Space Agency (ESA) contribution to the International Space Station (ISS) goes much beyond the delivery of hardware like the Columbus Laboratory, its payloads and the Automated Transfer Vehicles. ESA Astronauts will be members of the ISS crew. ESA, according to its commitments as ISS international partner, will be responsible to provide training on its elements and payloads to all ISS crewmembers and medical support for ESA astronauts. The European Astronaut Centre (EAC) in Cologne has developed over more than a decade into the centre of expertise for manned space activities within ESA by contributing to a number of important co-operative spaceflight missions. This role will be significantly extended for ISS manned operations. Apart from its support to ESA astronauts and their onboard operations, EAC will have a key role in training all ISS astronauts on ESA elements and payloads. The medical support of ISS crew, in particular of ESA astronauts has already started. This paper provides an overview on status and further plans in building up this homebase function for ESA astronauts and on the preparation towards Training Readiness for ISS crew training at EAC, Cologne. Copyright 2001 by the European Space Agency. Published by the American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics, Inc., with permission. Released to IAF/IAA/AIAA to publish in all forms.     

Evaluation of safety of hypobaric decompressions and EVA from positions of probabilistic theory

Formation and subsequent evolution of gas bubbles in blood and tissues of subjects exposed to decompression are casual processes in their nature. Such character of bubbling processes in a body predetermines probabilistic character of decompression sickness (DCS) incidence in divers, aviators and astronauts. Our original probabilistic theory of decompression safety is based on stochastic models of these processes and on the concept of critical volume of a free gas phase in body tissues. From positions of this theory, the probability of DCS incidence during single-stage decompressions and during hypobaric decompressions under EVA in particular, is defined by the distribution of possible values of nucleation efficiency in "pain" tissues and by its critical significance depended on the parameters of a concrete decompression. In the present study the following is shown: 1) the dimensionless index of critical nucleation efficiency for "pain" body tissues is a more adequate index of decompression stress in comparison with Tissue Ratio, TR; 2) a priory the decompression under EVA performed according to the Russian protocol is more safe than decompression under EVA performed in accordance with the U.S. protocol; 3) the Russian space suit operated at a higher pressure and having a higher "rigidity" induces a stronger inhibition of mechanisms of cavitation and gas bubbles formation in tissues of a subject located in it, and by that provides a more considerable reduction of the DCS risk during real EVA performance.     

Group dynamics training for manned spaceflight and the CAPSULS mission: prophylactic against incompatibility and its consequences?

On February 7, 1994, four Canadian Astronauts were sealed off in a hyperbaric chamber at the Canadian Government's Defense and Civil Institute for Environmental Medicine in Toronto, Canada. This space lab training mission lasted seven days and was the first to be conducted with astronauts outside of Russia.

The objective of this mission was to give Canadian astronauts, space scientists and the staff of the Canadian Space Agency (CSA), the opportunity to gain first hand experience on preparational and operational aspects of a typical space mission. Twenty-one scientific experiments involving six countries from several disciplines were involved in this mission.

This paper describes the goals and preliminary results of a psychological experiment/training program that used the CAPSULS mission as a test bed for its application in the manned space flight environment. The objective of this project was to enhance the understanding of small group behaviour with a view to maximizing team effectiveness and task accomplishment in teams living and working in isolation under difficult and confined conditions. The application of this model in the light of future missions is a key thesis in this paper.     

Evaluation of theories of complex movement planning in different levels of gravity

Due to high redundancy of degrees of freedom in the human body, we can perform any movement, from the simplest to the most complex, in many different ways. Several studies are still trying to identify the motor strategies that master this redundancy and generate the movements whose characteristics are highly stereotyped. The aim of this work is to build a simulator that is able to evaluate different motor planning hypotheses. The most interesting applications of this tool occur in studies of the motor strategy in microgravity conditions. The comparison between simulated movements and kinematics data recorded both on Earth, and during a 5-month mission on board the Mir station shows that for a complex whole-body movement (such as trunk bending) a single planning criterion cannot explain all movement aspects. However, the simulator allows an understanding of the motor planning adaptation of astronauts. In space, the lack of equilibrium constraint (which on Earth brings about the center of mass control) leads to a new motor strategy that minimizes dynamic interactions with the floor.