Results for “Recruiting” — Page 14

NASA NTRS2022

Increasing Cognitive Reserve with Software - Pilot (ICARUS-Pilot)

The ICARUS-Pilot study sought to quantify and assess the potential benefit of using commercial-off-the-shelf (COTS) cognitive training software to improve cognitive performance in an astronaut-like terrestrial population. Five volunteer research subjects were recruited from the JSC employee population to mimic characteristics of the NASA astronaut population (age, education/discipline). Subject cognitive performance was assessed before and after executing eighteen sessions of remote cognitive training using six exercises within an adaptive app-based COTS software package (BrainHQ, Posit Science) on study-provided tablets. Pre- and post-training cognitive performance was measured using internal BrainHQ assessments as well as Cognition Test Battery (CTB), an independent software test developed specifically for NASA and used currently in research studies on astronauts. BrainHQ exercises were posited to map well or partially to several CTB sub-tests. Subjects provided feedback on their study experience formally via survey at the conclusion of testing and informally throughout the study if they encountered issues.

cognitive training↗

NASA NTRSDate not supplied

Defining Change Thresholds: What Change Is Outside Typical Sources of Variation?

Researchers often have a difficult time defining meaningful thresholds for change. We sometimes identify subtle changes but what amount of change is beyond typical sources of variation? This is especially complicated when trying to understand new disease pathogenesis like the constellation of eye changes leading to Spaceflight-associated Neuro-ocular Syndrome (SANS). To support decision makers in defining minimal meaningful change, we used a Bayesian hierarchical model to estimate innate sources of variability such as natural day to day variation. Healthy subjects were recruited and imaged with MRI, OCT, and US on separate days and measured by several technicians. Models were developed specifying random effects for the sources of variation – between left and right eyes, within-individuals over time, between raters, and finally between individuals. This allowed us to find the posterior distribution for the total typical variation, within an eye, which we use to define a threshold where change beyond typical sources of variation is likely. This threshold is now used as our earliest indicator of systematic increase in Total Retinal Thickness (a precursor to optic disc edema).

Millennia Young↗

NASA NTRSDate not supplied

Effects of Replacing Treadmill Running with Alternative Exercise Countermeasures During Long-Duration Spaceflight

Introduction: Current exercise countermeasures on the International Space Station (ISS), including treadmill running, cycle ergometry, and resistive exercise, are used to protect crewmember health and performance during long-duration spaceflight. However, exploration vehicles for Artemis and beyond will have volume and power restrictions, requiring exercise hardware to have a smaller footprint and use fewer resources. Thus, recent efforts have focused on developing exercise devices (such as the European Enhanced Exploration Exercise Device [E4D]) that provide both aerobic and resistive training on one platform without including a treadmill. It is critical to validate the efficacy of exploration-focused exercise modalities to preserve muscle strength, aerobic fitness, bone density, and sensorimotor performance. Thus, the aim of this study is to determine the physiological effects of spaceflight that occur with nominal ISS exercise prescriptions compared to exploration-forward exercise modalities to determine if a treadmill is required to maintain current levels of protection during long-duration missions. Methods: Crewmembers will be assigned to one of three groups: 1) Control Group (n ≥ 40), who will partake in nominal exercise on the ISS, including running on the Treadmill with Vibration Isolation and Stabilization 2 (T2), ergometry on the Cycle Ergometer with Vibration Isolation and Stabilization (CEVIS) device, and strength training on the Advanced Resistive Exercise Device (ARED); 2) Active Group 1, who will partake in CEVIS and ARED exercise only (n = 8); and 3) Active Group 2, who will partake in aerobic and resistive exercise on the E4D only (n = 8). For Active Group 1, nominal aerobic exercise on T2 will be replaced with corresponding exercise on CEVIS. For Active Group 2, a dedicated exercise prescription will be designed to maximize the capabilities of the E4D to include resistive exercise, cycle ergometry, rowing, and rope pulling. Crewmembers in both active groups will not be permitted to perform treadmill exercise. Health and performance markers including bone mineral density (dual-energy x-ray absorptiometry [DXA]), body composition (DXA), cardiovascular fitness (cycle VO2peak), muscle strength and endurance (isometric/isokinetic testing, power endurance testing), sensorimotor performance (sit-to-stand, obstacle course), postural control (computerized dynamic posturography), Results: Eight subjects (2 Active [CEVIS + ARED], 6 Control) have been recruited for this study. Data collection is currently in progress. Conclusions: This study will assess the efficacy of exploration exercise modalities, including the effects of removing the treadmill exercise capability or of exclusively using the E4D, compared to nominal ISS exercise across an entire mission on bone, muscle, aerobic, and sensorimotor health and performance. Findings from this study will help provide a recommendation on whether these exploration exercise modalities can sufficiently protect against physiological deconditioning during spaceflight or whether a treadmill may be required to maintain current levels of protection during future exploration class spaceflight missions.

A.N. Varanoske↗

NASA NTRSDate not supplied

Increasing Cognitive Ability/Reserve Using Software – Pilot (ICARUS-Pilot)

Background: This research study was competitively awarded under the 2022 JSC Innovation Charge Account (ICA) program administered by NASA Johnson Space Center’s Joint Technology Working Group. Study period of performance was May through September 2022, with a maximum allowed procurement budget of $10K. The study sought to quantify and assess the potential benefit of using commercial-off-the-shelf (COTS) cognitive training software to improve cognitive performance in an astronaut-like terrestrial population. Methods: Five volunteer research participants were recruited from the JSC employee population to mimic certain demographic characteristics of the NASA astronaut population (age, education/discipline). Participant cognitive performance was assessed before and after executing eighteen sessions of remote cognitive training executed nominally three times per week using six exercises within an adaptive app-based COTS software package (BrainHQ, Posit Science) on study-provided tablets. Pre- and post-training cognitive performance was measured using internal assessments in BrainHQ as well as Cognition Test Battery (CTB) version ISS B01 v3 (3.0.9-201710021500), an independent software test developed specifically for NASA and used currently in research studies on astronauts. BrainHQ exercises were posited to map well or partially to several CTB sub-tests. Participants provided feedback on their study experience formally via semi-structured interview at the conclusion of testing and informally throughout the study if they encountered issues. Results: The enrolled ICARUS-Pilot study participants generally matched Artemis crew demographic characteristics. Four of five participants have completed study training and assessment activities as of the writing of this abstract. These test participants complied well with desired training session frequency and duration yielding an average cumulative active training duration of 15 hours over an average of 45 days; participants showed 78% average improvement in metric performance for the six trained exercises, with an associated overall 33%ile ranking increase against performance of the entire BrainHQ subscribing population for internal pre/post assessment, agreeing with post-study survey self-reported performance increases. CTB overall feedback scoring, not corrected for learning effects, showed an average of 19% performance improvement across its 10 performance measures over the training period for the completed participants. Detailed analyses will be conducted once participant data collection for the study is complete and the resulting dataset is fully populated. Discussion: These preliminary results provide a positive trend for the effectiveness of the training approach, but further analysis will be needed to establish significance, investigate far transfer, and suggest the needed participant pool size for subsequent efforts to achieve statistically significant outcomes given similar results. The pilot study has already been helpful by allowing the study team to learn a great deal about the capabilities and limitations of the COTS software package that will be reflected in future proposals along with revised timelines for study execution and test participant management. From participant feedback, one common thread regarding the COTS training was that it felt overly repetitive – future proposals should reassess overall training duration, available levels for each trained exercise, and the behavior of the BrainHQ internal scheduler in determining which exercises should be trained and for how long. If the final analysis of this feasibility study ultimately supports it, the study team will recommend further investigation to fully evaluate this potential countermeasure and optimize its implementation. Future proposals would cite this feasibility study’s outcome and would seek to refine the training protocol and obtain statistically significant results for cognitive performance increases as well as retention data.

cognitive training↗

NASA NTRSDate not supplied

Short-Haul Fatigue: Pilot Perspectives & Current Research

Introduction: There are few studies investigating the impact of fatigue in short-haul flight operations conducted under United States (U.S.) Federal Aviation Regulations (FAR) Part 117 flight and duty limitations and rest requirements. In order to understand the fatigue factors unique to short-haul operations, we conducted a series of focus groups across four major commercial passenger airlines in the US. The outcomes of this study were intended to inform the scope of a larger study of fatigue in short-haul operations. Methods: Ninety short-haul pilots were recruited through emails distributed by airline safety teams and labor representatives. Fourteen focus groups were conducted via an online conferencing platform in which participants were asked to identify, specific to short-haul: a) schedules and operations that lead to elevated fatigue; b) schedules and operations that are not fatiguing, and c) important fatigue factors to study. Data were collected anonymously and coded using conventional qualitative content analysis, with axial coding and summative analysis used to identify main themes and over-arching categories. Results: Participants had an average of 12,348 (6,483) lifetime flying hours with 71 (14.5) hours of monthly flying. Forty-six percent of participants were captains. The six fatigue factor categories identified were: circadian disruption (e.g., circadian switches, redeyes), high workload (e.g., hassle factors, number of flights per duty), inadequate rest opportunity (e.g., minimum rest layovers, quality of rest facilities), schedule changes (e.g., unpredictability), regulation and policy issues (e.g., scheduling up to FAR 117 limits), and long sits (e.g., long wait times between flights). Discussion: A field study informed by these results and designed to investigate the prevalence and impact of these factors in US short-haul operations is currently underway.

pilots↗

NASA NTRSDate not supplied

Focus Group Study of US Pilots on Fatigue in Short-Haul Flight Operations

Introduction: There are few studies investigating the impact of fatigue in short-haul flight operations conducted under United States (US) Federal Aviation Regulations (FAR) Part 117 flight and duty limitations and rest requirements. In order to understand the fatigue factors unique to short-haul operations, we conducted a series of focus groups across four major commercial passenger airlines in the US. The outcomes of this study were intended to inform the scope of a larger study of fatigue in short-haul operations. Methods: Ninety short-haul pilots were recruited through emails distributed by airline safety teams and labor representatives. Fourteen focus groups were conducted via an online conferencing platform in which participants were asked to identify, specific to short-haul: a) schedules and operations that lead to elevated fatigue; b) schedules and operations that are not fatiguing, and c) important fatigue factors to study. Data were collected anonymously and coded using conventional qualitative content analysis, with axial coding and summative analysis used to identify main themes and over-arching categories. Results: Participants had an average of 12,348 (6,483) lifetime flying hours with 71 (14.5) hours of monthly flying. Forty-six percent of participants were captains. The six fatigue factor categories identified were: circadian disruption (e.g., circadian switches, redeyes), high workload (e.g., hassle factors, number of flights per duty), inadequate rest opportunity (e.g., minimum rest layovers, quality of rest facilities), schedule changes (e.g., unpredictability), regulation and policy issues (e.g., scheduling up to FAR 117 limits), and long sits (e.g., long wait times between flights). Discussion: A field study informed by these results and designed to investigate the prevalence and impact of these factors in US short-haul operations is currently underway.

aviation↗

NASA NTRSDate not supplied

Remotely Administered Psychoacoustic Test for sUAS Noise to Gauge Feasibility of Remote UAM Noise Study

The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) remotely administered a psychoacoustic test in fall of 2022 as the first of two phases of a cooperative Urban Air Mobility (UAM) vehicle noise human response study. The first phase, the Feasibility Test, described in this paper, determined the feasibility of the remote test method, in contrast to a previous in-person psychoacoustic test that found an annoyance response difference between small unmanned aerial system (sUAS) noise and ground vehicle noise. This paper discusses the Feasibility Test online layout, sound calibration method, remote test software development, stimuli selection, test subject recruitment, and test administration. Test performance is measured through comparison of annoyance response data with the previous in-person test results. The paper also investigates if providing a contextual cue to test subjects influenced their annoyance response. Response differences between test subjects in geographically distinct areas are analyzed. Administrative challenges that were encountered during the test are discussed. The second phase of this study, the implementation phase, will use a remote (web-based) test method and leverage the cooperation of multiple government agencies, academia, and industry to gain human response insights from a wide range of UAM vehicle sounds that would be challenging for a single organization to acquire. Improvements to administering a remote test for the implementation phase of the UAM vehicle noise human response study are recommended.

Remote Psychoacoustic Test↗

NASA NTRSDate not supplied

Remotely Administered Psychoacoustic Test for sUAS Noise to Gauge Feasibility of Remote UAM Noise Study

The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) remotely administered a psychoacoustic test in fall of 2022 as the first of two phases of a cooperative Urban Air Mobility (UAM) vehicle noise human response study. The first phase, the Feasibility Test, described in this paper, determined the feasibility of the remote test method, in contrast to a previous in-person psychoacoustic test that found an annoyance response difference between small unmanned aerial system (sUAS) noise and ground vehicle noise. This paper discusses the Feasibility Test online layout, sound calibration method, remote test software development, stimuli selection, test subject recruitment, and test administration. Test performance is measured through comparison of annoyance response data with the previous in-person test results. The paper also investigates if providing a contextual cue to test subjects influenced their annoyance response. Response differences between test subjects in geographically distinct areas are analyzed. Administrative challenges that were encountered during the test are discussed. The second phase of this study, the implementation phase, will use a remote (web-based) test method and leverage the cooperation of multiple government agencies, academia, and industry to gain human response insights from a wide range of UAM vehicle sounds that would be challenging for a single organization to acquire. Improvements to administering a remote test for the implementation phase of the UAM vehicle noise human response study are recommended.

Remote Psychoacoustic Test↗

NASA NTRS2021

Going Beyond Hooked Participants: The Nibble- and-Drop Framework for Classifying Citizen Science Participation

Many citizen science (CS) programs aim to grow and sustain a pool of enthusiastic participants who consistently contribute their efforts to a specific scientific endeavor. Consequently, much research has explored CS participants’ motivations and their relationship to participant recruitment and retention. However, much of this research has focused on actively participating citizen scientists. If researchers want to elucidate the relationship between participant factors (such as demographics and motivations) and participant retention, it is necessary to develop a more comprehensive picture of the different degrees of participation in CS. This paper presents a framework for classifying participation throughout the participant’s engagement in a CS project/program. We suggest a CS participation model that captures the dynamic nature of participation across an arc of volunteering. Called the Nibble-and-Drop Framework, the model describes multiple exit points and stages of contribution typical of participation in a CS program. Applying the framework to the NASA GLOBE Observer (GO) CS program, we found that it captured the dynamics of participation in a global-scale, mobile, app-based, contributory style CS project. The framework guided our analysis of how different participant factors correlate with degrees of participation. We found that participants were motivated to initially participate because they wanted to contribute to NASA research and science. Participants who dropped out of the program at various points often initially engaged through specific collection events and did not feel the need to continue contributing beyond the event; other drop-outs doubted whether their contributions were meaningful, showing again the need to ensure that participants understand the value of their engagement in a CS project.

Heather Fischer↗

NASA NTRSDate not supplied

The View From the Flight Deck: Pilot Perspectives on Fatigue in Short-Haul Operations

INTRODUCTION: There are few studies investigating the impact of fatigue in short-haul flight operations conducted under United States (US) Federal Aviation Regulations (FAR) Part 117 flight and duty limitations and rest requirements. In order to understand the fatigue factors unique to short-haul operations, we conducted a series of focus groups across four major commercial passenger airlines in the US. The outcomes of this study were intended to inform the scope of a larger study of fatigue in short-haul operations. METHODS: Ninety short-haul pilots were recruited through emails distributed by airline safety teams and labor representatives. Fourteen focus groups were conducted via an online conferencing platform in which participants were asked to identify, specific to short-haul: a) schedules and operations that lead to elevated fatigue; b) schedules and operations that are not fatiguing, and c) important fatigue factors to study. Data were collected anonymously and coded using conventional qualitative content analysis, with axial coding and summative analysis used to identify main themes and over-arching categories. RESULTS: Participants had an average of 12,348 (6,483) lifetime flying hours with 71 (14.5) hours of monthly flying. Forty-six percent of participants were captains. The six fatigue factor categories identified were: circadian disruption (e.g., circadian switches, redeyes), high workload (e.g., hassle factors, number of flights per duty), inadequate rest opportunity (e.g., minimum rest layovers, quality of rest facilities), schedule changes (e.g., unpredictability), regulation and policy issues (e.g., scheduling up to FAR 117 limits), and long sits (e.g., long wait times between flights). DISCUSSION: A field study informed by these results and designed to investigate the prevalence and impact of these factors in US short-haul operations is currently underway.

aviation↗

NASA NTRSDate not supplied

Assessing Helicopter Pilots’ Detect and Avoid and Collision Avoidance Performance With ACAS Xr

The latest variant of the Federal Aviation Administration’s Airborne Collision Avoidance System (ACAS X) is being designed for both crewed and uncrewed rotorcraft. Referred to as ACAS Xr, the system joins a suite of other ACAS X variants poised to replace the Traffic Alert and Collision Avoidance System (TCAS II). ACAS Xr is tuned to support current-day helicopter platforms as well as electric Vertical Takeoff and Landing (eVTOL) vehicles that are still under development. Given this flexibility, ACAS Xr may be used by helicopter crews currently in operation or by remotely-operated eVTOL aircraft in the emerging Advanced Air Mobility (AAM) market. To cover the range of potential uses, two distinct configurations are being proposed for ACAS Xr: Collision Avoidance System (CAS) and Detect and Avoid (DAA). Under the CAS configuration, ACAS Xr provides minimal caution-level alerting but issues directive warning-level alerting and guidance. The DAA configuration, by contrast, provides caution-level alerting and guidance, in addition to the warning-level alerting and guidance. The current study was performed as part of the National Aeronautics and Space Administration’s AAM project. Six helicopter pilots were recruited to fly a variety of scripted traffic scenarios in a full-motion, crewed eVTOL simulator. Participants flew 60 encounters over two days, reacting to pre-recorded intruder aircraft that were scripted to fly into the participant’s aircraft from different approach angles, relative altitudes, and during different phases of flight. The pilots flew half of the encounters with the CAS configuration and half with the DAA configuration. Within each block of 30 encounters, pilots experienced 10 conflicts while in cruise, 10 in hover, and 10 while on approach to a heliport. Results showed that pilot response times were consistently under 5 seconds for RAs and under 10 seconds for DAA alerts, when present, during all three phases of flight. Unsurprisingly, the DAA configuration was associated with lower rates of en-route and high-severity losses of DAA well clear compared to the CAS configuration in all phases of flight except for the terminal area. Rates of losses of DAA well clear were found to be substantially higher in the Hover scenario, compared to Cruise. Pilots failed to fully comply with RAs at a rate of 0.10-0.18 in all conditions except for the DAA configuration in the Hover scenario, which was associated with a higher non-compliance rate of 0.4 due to Descend RAs issued at low altitudes. The implications of these results with regards to the ongoing development of ACAS Xr is discussed.

air taxis↗

NASA NTRS2023

Dual Genes of Muscle Cell Senescence: Unraveling the Radiation-Induced Roles of HDAC4 and MORC2a

As the human race ventures further into space and plans missions to explore the Moon and the expanse that lies ahead, addressing health challenges that may hinder exploration becomes an imperative task. However, limited research exists on the molecular mechanisms within skeletal muscle cells in response to long-term radiation-induced oxidative stress. Upon analyzing GLDS-426 from the GeneLab Repository, upregulation of the DNA damage response gene HDAC4 in space radiation conditions with 1G was observed, where radiation-induced oxidative stress increased DNA damage. DNA damage response gene MORC2a was found to be downregulated in space radiation conditions in 1G with a culture treatment of nanoceria, an antioxidant that alleviates the effects of oxidative stress and causes less DNA damage. Literature review further indicated that MORC2a recruits HDAC4 at the promoter to prevent the transcription of p21. Upregulation of p21 has been linked to cell senescence and muscle atrophy on Earth, but no research has studied its changes in radiation conditions. To address the knowledge gap regarding the HDAC4/MORC2a pathway impact on p21 expression in radiation, our experiment aims to silence HDAC4 and MORC2a in the Mus musculus C2C12 cell culture line. These cultures will be exposed to radiation to assess the effects on cellular senescence (Aim 1). Additionally, we will silence p21 and subject the cell cultures to radiation to measure muscle cell proliferation (Aim 2). Muscle atrophy in future long-term space missions can contribute to the risk of degenerative diseases and hinder the completion of tasks in space. Furthermore, exploring the impact of these genes on muscle atrophy may provide therapeutic insights for individuals experiencing skeletal muscle degeneration and elderly individuals affected by sarcopenia.

GL4HS↗

NASA NTRSDate not supplied

Assessing Crew Medical Officer Preparedness for International Space Station Missions

INTRODUCTION Astronaut crew medical officers (CMO) undergo additional, specialized training to provide medical support onboard the International Space Station (ISS). CMO training focuses on utilizing resources on-station and optimizing communication with ground-based expertise to manage both common minor conditions as well as emergency/trauma situations. As NASA moves towards future Artemis and exploration class missions, we sought CMO perspectives on past, present, and future CMO training and medical resourcing to help inform mission planners regarding medical risk mitigation considerations. We present an interview-based qualitative assessment of CMO preparedness for the International Space Station with the aim to help iterate future training flows for Low Earth Orbit, Artemis, and exploration-class missions. METHODS A semi-structured interview tool was developed to assess CMO experience and their recommendations for future mission training considerations. Participants were recruited from former or current US astronauts who were designated as CMO and subsequently flew to the International Space Station. 10 former CMOs took part in the study. Interview transcripts were deidentified and evaluated for qualitative thematic analysis by two independent coders with NVivo Software suite (Lumivero, Denver, CO), and emergent themes were compiled. RESULTS Former CMO crew expressed appropriate preparedness for current ISS medical capabilities and requirements. They identified the role of the CMO as serving as a healthcare extender to ground-based flight surgeons for ISS and other LEO missions. Individuals with prior medical experience were preferred though not felt to be necessary for LEO missions. For exploration class missions with limitations in ground communication, a physician-as-CMO and more rigorous training curricula for both the CMO and astronaut crew were desired. DISCUSSION Former NASA astronaut crew were interviewed to retrospectively assess their preparedness as ISS crew medical officers and hypothesize future medical knowledge, skill, and ability needs. Along with medical operations subject matter expert opinion and advanced probabilistic risk assessment modeling, past CMO experience can help inform future CMO training considerations and responsibilities for future Artemis and exploration class missions.

M A Labarbera↗

NASA NTRSDate not supplied

Effect of Carbon Dioxide Exposure on Physical and Cognitive Performance in A Simulated Spaceflight Contingency Scenario

INTRODUCTION: Carbon dioxide (CO2) produced by astronauts inside space suits can accumulate to levels that may affect health and performance. The human health and performance risks associated with different levels of CO2 exposure in the flight environment remain an area of debate. The purpose of this study is to characterize the limit of acceptable performance (cognitive and physical) decrements and symptom severity for mission operations when subjected to elevated inspired CO2 levels in simulated contingency lunar extravehicular activity (EVA) scenarios. METHODS: This study will create a simulation of a 1-hour, ~2km contingency EVA walk back to a habitat, incorporating a passive treadmill and a fully immersive virtual reality (VR) simulation of a lunar EVA environment. Subjects will be asked to walk on a treadmill while breathing partial pressures of CO2 of 0, 5, 10, 15, 20, 25, 30mmHg for 1 hour at a time. Cognitive performance will be quantified using validated cognitive tests and measures of functional task performance embedded within the VR environment. Test subject symptoms and self-assessment of performance will be evaluated via survey. RESULTS: This study currently has approval from NASA’s Institutional Review Board and has completed the Test Readiness Review process. Next steps for this research study include test subject recruitment, data collection, and analysis. Data collection is planned for calendar year 2023 and 2024. DISCUSSION: This study will provide valuable information regarding how various partial pressures of CO2 exposure impact acute health, as well as cognitive and physical performance during simulated contingency lunar EVA. This information will enable assessment of health and performance risk associated with spacesuit systems and operations concepts for future exploration missions as well as informing definition of future standards and requirements.

D. M. Nusbaum↗

NASA NTRSDate not supplied

Effects of Replacing Treadmill Running with Alternative Exercise Countermeasures During Long-Duration Spaceflight

INTRODUCTION: Current exercise countermeasures on the International Space Station (ISS) include treadmill running, cycle ergometry, and resistive exercise, which are used to protect crewmember health and performance during long-duration spaceflight. However, exploration vehicles for Artemis and beyond will have volume and power restrictions, requiring exercise hardware to have a smaller footprint and use fewer resources. Thus, recent efforts have focused on developing exercise devices (such as the European Enhanced Exploration Exercise Device [E4D]) that provide both aerobic and resistive training on one platform without including a treadmill. It is critical to validate the efficacy of exploration-focused exercise modalities to preserve muscle strength, aerobic fitness, bone density, and sensorimotor performance. Thus, the aim of this study is to determine the physiological effects of spaceflight that occur with nominal ISS exercise prescriptions compared to exploration-forward exercise modalities to determine if a treadmill is required to maintain current levels of protection during long-duration missions. METHODS: Crewmembers will be assigned to one of three groups: 1) Control Group (n ≥ 40), who will partake in nominal exercise on the ISS, including running on the Treadmill with Vibration Isolation and Stabilization 2 (T2), ergometry on the Cycle Ergometer with Vibration Isolation and Stabilization (CEVIS) device, and strength training on the Advanced Resistive Exercise Device (ARED); 2) Active Group 1, who will partake in CEVIS and ARED exercise only (n = 8); and 3) Active Group 2, who will partake in aerobic and resistive exercise on the E4D only (n = 8). For Active Group 1, nominal aerobic exercise on T2 will be replaced with corresponding exercise on CEVIS. For Active Group 2, a dedicated exercise prescription will be designed to maximize the capabilities of the E4D to include resistive exercise, cycle ergometry, rowing, and rope pulling. Crewmembers in both active groups will not be permitted to perform treadmill exercise. Health and performance markers including bone mineral density (dual-energy x-ray absorptiometry [DXA]), body composition (DXA), cardiovascular fitness (cycle VO2peak), muscle strength and endurance (isometric/isokinetic testing, power endurance testing), sensorimotor performance (sit-to-stand, obstacle course), postural control (computerized dynamic posturography), and blood and urine biochemical markers of bone metabolism will be assessed before, during, and following spaceflight. RESULTS: Thirteen subjects (3 Active [CEVIS + ARED], 10 Control) have been recruited for this study. Data collection is currently in progress. CONCLUSIONS: This study will assess the efficacy of exploration exercise modalities, including the effects of removing the treadmill exercise capability or of exclusively using the E4D, compared to nominal ISS exercise across an entire mission on bone, muscle, aerobic, and sensorimotor health and performance. Findings from this study will help provide a recommendation on whether these exploration exercise modalities can sufficiently protect against physiological deconditioning during spaceflight or whether a treadmill may be required to maintain current levels of protection during future exploration class spaceflight missions.

A.N. Varanoske↗

NASA NTRSDate not supplied

Assessing Helicopter Pilots’ Detect and Avoid and Collision Avoidance Performance with ACAS Xr

The latest variant of the Federal Aviation Administration’s Airborne Collision Avoidance System (ACAS X) is being designed for both crewed and uncrewed rotorcraft. Referred to as ACAS Xr, the system joins a suite of other ACAS X variants poised to replace the Traffic Alert and Collision Avoidance System (TCAS II). ACAS Xr is tuned to support current-day helicopter platforms as well as electric Vertical Takeoff and Landing (eVTOL) vehicles that are still under development. Given this flexibility, ACAS Xr may be used by helicopter crews currently in operation or by remotely-operated eVTOL aircraft in the emerging Advanced Air Mobility (AAM) market. To cover the range of potential uses, two distinct configurations are being proposed for ACAS Xr: Collision Avoidance System (CAS) and Detect and Avoid (DAA). Under the CAS configuration, ACAS Xr provides minimal caution-level alerting but issues directive warning-level alerting and guidance. The DAA configuration, by contrast, provides caution-level alerting and guidance, in addition to the warning-level alerting and guidance. The current study was performed as part of the National Aeronautics and Space Administration’s AAM project. Six helicopter pilots were recruited to fly a variety of scripted traffic scenarios in a full-motion, crewed eVTOL simulator. Participants flew 60 encounters over two days, reacting to pre-recorded intruder aircraft that were scripted to fly into the participant’s aircraft from different approach angles, relative altitudes, and during different phases of flight. The pilots flew half of the encounters with the CAS configuration and half with the DAA configuration. Within each block of 30 encounters, pilots experienced 10 conflicts while in cruise, 10 in hover, and 10 while on approach to a heliport. Results showed that pilot response times were consistently under 5 seconds for RAs and under 10 seconds for DAA alerts, when present, during all three phases of flight. Unsurprisingly, the DAA configuration was associated with lower rates of en-route and high-severity losses of DAA well clear compared to the CAS configuration in all phases of flight except for the terminal area. Rates of losses of DAA well clear were found to be substantially higher in the Hover scenario, compared to Cruise. Pilots failed to fully comply with RAs at a rate of 0.10-0.18 in all conditions except for the DAA configuration in the Hover scenario, which was associated with a higher non-compliance rate of 0.4 due to Descend RAs issued at low altitudes. The implications of these results with regards to the ongoing development of ACAS Xr is discussed.

air taxis↗

NASA NTRS2024

Assessing the Relationships Between Sensorimotor Biomarkers and Post-Landing Functional Task Performance

Spaceflight drives adaptive changes in healthy individuals appropriate for sensorimotor function in a microgravity environment. These changes are maladaptive for return to earth's gravity. The inter-individual variability of sensorimotor decrements is striking, although poorly understood. The goal of this study is to identify a set of behavioral, neuroimaging and genetic measures that can be used to predict early post-flight performance on a set of sensorimotor tasks. Astronauts are recruited who previously participated in sensorimotor field tests and/or posturography soon after long-duration spaceflight. Behavioral tests include assessments of sensory dependency and adaptability. Visual dependency involves treadmill walking while viewing a moving virtual visual scene. Vestibular perceptual thresholds are measured while seated during lateral translations. Proprioception dependency is measured during one-legged stance on a horizontal air-bearing surface. Ground assessment of adaptability is performed(1) during treadmill walking with a virtual linear hallway and a moving walking surface, and (2) during multiple trials of navigating an obstacle course while wearing reversing prisms(adaptive Functional Mobility Test, aFMT). The neuroimaging tests will characterize individual differences in regional brain volumes (using Structural MRI) and white matter microstructure(using Diffusion Tensor Imaging) to serve as potential predictors of adaptive capacity. The genetic tests will utilize saliva samples to examine variations in four genes chosen because of their ability to differentiate sensorimotor adaptation ability in a normative population, including Catechol-O-methyltransferase (COMT), Dopamine Receptor D2 (DRD2), Brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) and the α2-adrenergic receptor. Twenty-seven ISS crewmembers have been tested to date, including 6 from this past year. This cohort includes 10first-time fliers, 6F, and mission durations lasting 178.6 ± 30.5 days, mean ± std. We are utilizing a combination of three post-flight functional task outcomes: tandem walk, recovery from fall and dynamic posturography. There is considerable variability among the post-flight performance outcomes for the 27participants to date. Based on a partial sample using an ordinal scale survey, 70% indicated their ability to perform functional tasks were more impacted postflight relative to inflight with 50% indicating they needed to restrict movements for a longer period postflight relative to inflight. While there is a strong association within tests obtained at different R+0 timepoints, by R+24 hr performance on one post-flight test does not necessarily correlate with performance on other post-flight tests. There are apparent relationships between individual measures and specific post-flight outcome measures, e.g., the cumulative time to complete the aFMT is significantly correlated to pre-to-post-flight changes in tandem walk (rho= 0.64, p = 0.001). Preliminary statistical analysis indicates combining biomarkers will increase predictive power and this will be explored with future analyses. Our preliminary findings underscore the importance of a comprehensive post-flight test battery including different types of tasks with varying sensory feedback. We expect that understanding the relationships between these sensorimotor biomarkers and post-flight functional task performance will improve both our understanding of the individual variability and our strategy to optimize sensorimotor countermeasures

S J Wood↗

NASA NTRSDate not supplied

Diversity, Equity, Inclusion and Accessibility Initiatives on the Mars 2020 Science Team and Implications for NASA Planetary Science Missions

For the first time, the most recent NASA Decadal Survey for Planetary Science and Astrobiology includes an entire chapter devoted to the state of the profession[1]. Understanding that people are NASA’s greatest resource, it specifically looked into is-sues of Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Accessibility (DEIA) to make recommendations for recruiting and retaining the best talent. It calls on both NASA leadership and the NASA community to engage with these recommendations to advance the state of the profession.

DEIA↗