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At least 649 records · Page 36

STS-90 Day 08 Highlights

On this eighth day of the STS-90 mission, the flight crew, Cmdr. Richard A. Searfoss, Pilot Scott D. Altman, and Mission Specialists Richard M. Linnehan, Dafydd Rhys Williams and Kathryn P. Hire, and Payload Specialists Jay C. Buckey and James A. Pawelczyk continue to operate the 26 individual experiments designed to provide insight into the operation of the nervous system, the most complex and least well-known part of the human body. The STS-90 crew members have used themselves as test subjects in a variety of experiments associated with studying functions such as blood pressure regulation , balance, coordination and sleep patterns. They also have studied a variety of animals to gain additional insight into the effects of the weightless environment of space on the development and performance of the nervous system.

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STS-93 Flight Day 1 Highlights and Crew Activities

On this first day of the STS-93 Columbia mission, the flight crew, Commander Eileen Collins, Pilot Jeff Ashby and Mission Specialists Cady Coleman, Steve Hawley and Michael Tognini deployed the Chandra X-Ray Observatory into space. This was done after a full night of work and preparation. Chandra will study the invisible, and often violent mysteries of x-ray astronomy. Commander Collins maneuvered Columbia to a safe distance away from the telescope as an internal timer counted down to the first of a two-phase ignition of the Inertial Upper Stage. After switching to internal battery power until its solar rays are deployed, the telescope reaches an oval orbit one-third the distance to the Moon to conduct its astronomical observations. Since Chandra is safely on its way and the major objective of their mission is successfully completed, the astronauts end their long day and begin an eight hour sleep period.

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STS-93 Flight Day 2 Highlights and Crew Activities

Following an eight hour sleep period, the five member flight crew, Commander Eileen Collins, Pilot Jeff Ashby, and Mission Specialists Cady Coleman, Steve Hawley and Michael Tognini awakened to begin their second day in space. The main focus of Flight Day 2 activities was to activate the secondary payloads and experiments. Among those efforts was the set-up and first observations using the Southwest Ultraviolet Imaging System (SWUIS), which operates from inside the shuttle cabin. The specific targets observed included the Earth's moon, Mercury, Venus and Jupiter. A break was taken at 4:36 a.m. CDT by Collins and Coleman to do interviews with reporters from 4 major networks.

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Principles and Guidelines for Duty and Rest Scheduling in Commercial Aviation

The aviation industry requires 24-hour activities to meet operational demands. Growth in global long-haul, regional, overnight cargo, and short-haul domestic operations will continue to increase these round-the-clock requirements. Flight crews must be available to support 24-hour-a-day operations to meet these industry demands. Both domestic and international aviation can also require crossing multiple time zones. Therefore, shift work, night work, irregular work schedules, unpredictable work schedules, and dm zone changes will continue to be commonplace components of the aviation industry. These factors pose known challenges to human physiology, and because they result in performance-impairing fatigue, they pose a risk to safety. It is critical to acknowledge and, whenever possible, incorporate scientific information on fatigue, human sleep, and circadian physiology into 24-hour aviation operations. Utilization of such scientific information can help promote crew performance and alertness during flight operations and thereby maintain and improve the safety margin.

Dinges, David F.↗

STS-41D Post Flight Press Conference with Highlights

The crew, Commander Henry W. Hartsfield, Jr., Pilot Michael L. Coats, Mission Specialists Judith A. Resnik, Steven A. Hawley, and Richard M. Mullane, and Payload Specialist Charles D. Walker are seen participating a panel discussion. Live footage of the Press Conference begins with a brief introduction of all the crew, followed by highlights of the flight, a selection of slides and still pictures, and ends with a question and answer segment. The highlights consist of the astronauts walk out to the Astro-Van, panoramic views of the Discovery on the launch pad, main engine start, ignition of the solid rocket boosters, liftoff, and separation of the boosters. Images of the opening of the sun shield and the deployment of the three communication satellites (Satellite Business System (SBS-D), SYNCOM IV-2, and TELSTAR) are also seen. The crew is seen working on experiments, dumping the wastewater, eating supper, and sleeping. Concluding the live footage are slides, and stills of various areas around the world, including the Libyan Desert, Angola, Namibia, and Australia. The Press Conference ends with questions from Houston, NASA Headquarter, Kennedy Space Center, and Marshall Space Flight Center.

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Salivary Pharmacodynamics and Bioavailability of Promethazine in Human Subjects

The acute effects of exposure to microgravity include the development of space motion sickness which usually requires therapeutic intervention. The current drug of choice, promethazine (PMZ), has side effects which include nausea, drowsiness, dizziness, sedation and impaired psychomotor performance. In a ground-based study with commercial airline pilots and shuttle simulator trainers, we measured sleep and psychomotor performance variables, and physiological variables such as blood pressure and heart rate, as a function of circulating drug concentrations in the body. We evaluated a non-invasive sampling method (saliva) as a means of assessing pharmacodynamics following a single intramuscular (IM) dose of PMZ.

Putcha, Lakshmi↗

The Effects of Gravity on the Circadian Timing System

All vertebrates have a physiological control system that regulates the timing of the rhythms of their daily life. Dysfunction of this system, the circadian timing system (CTS), adversely affects an organism's ability to respond to environmental challenges and has been linked to physiological and psychological disorders. Exposure to altered gravitational environments (the microgravity of space and hyperdynamic environments produced via centrifugation) produces changes in both the functioning of the CTS and the rhythmic variables it controls. The earliest record of primate rhythms in a spaceflight environment come from Biosatellite III. The subject, a pig-tailed macaque, showed a loss of synchronization of the body temperature rhythm and a fragmented sleep-wake cycle. Alterations in the rhythm of body temperature were also seen in rhesus macaques flown on COSMOS 1514. Squirrel monkeys exposed to chronic centrifugation showed an initial decrease in the amplitude and mean of their body temperature and activity rhythms. In a microgravity environment, Squirrel monkeys on Spacelab-3 showed a reduction in the mean and amplitude of their feeding rhythms. Since 1992 we have had the opportunity to participate on three US/Russian sponsored biosatellite missions on which a total of six juvenile male rhesus macaques were flown. These animals uniformly exhibited delays in the phasing of their temperature rhythms, but not their heart rate or activity rhythms during spaceflight. There was also a tendency for changes in waveform mean and amplitude. These data suggest that the spaceflight environment may have a differential effect on the different oscillators controlling different rhythmic variables. Ongoing studies are examining the effects of +G on the CTS. The long-term presence of humans in space highlights the need for effective countermeasures to gravitational effects on the CTS.

Fuller, Charles A.↗

Cardiovascular Deconditioning in Humans: Human Studies Core

Major cardiovascular problems, secondary to cardiovascular deconditioning, may occur on extended space missions. While it is generally assumed that the microgravity state is the primary cause of cardiovascular deconditioning, sleep deprivation and disruption of diurnal rhythms may also play an important role. Factors that could be modified by either or both of these perturbations include: autonomic function and short-term cardiovascular reflexes, vasoreactivity, circadian rhythm of cardiovascular hormones (specifically the renin-angiotensin system) and renal sodium handling and hormonal influences on that process, venous compliance, cardiac mass, and cardiac conduction processes. The purpose of the Human Studies Core is to provide the infrastructure to conduct human experiments which will allow for the assessment of the likely role of such factors in the space travel associated cardiovascular deconditioning process and to develop appropriate countermeasures. The Core takes advantage of a newly-created Intensive Physiologic Monitoring (IPM) Unit at the Brigham and Women's Hospital, Boston, MA, to perform these studies. The Core includes two general experimental protocols. The first protocol involves a head down tilt bed-rest study to simulate microgravity. The second protocol includes the addition of a disruption of circadian rhythms to the simulated microgravity environment. Before and after each of these environmental manipulations, the subjects will undergo acute stressors simulating changes in volume and/or stress, which could occur in space and on return to Earth. The subjects are maintained in a rigidly controlled environment with fixed light/dark cycles, activity pattern, and dietary intake of nutrients, fluids, ions and calories.

Williams, Gordon↗

On-Line Analysis of Physiologic and Neurobehavioral Variables During Long-Duration Space Missions

The goal of this project is to develop reliable statistical algorithms for on-line analysis of physiologic and neurobehavioral variables monitored during long-duration space missions. Maintenance of physiologic and neurobehavioral homeostasis during long-duration space missions is crucial for ensuring optimal crew performance. If countermeasures are not applied, alterations in homeostasis will occur in nearly all-physiologic systems. During such missions data from most of these systems will be either continually and/or continuously monitored. Therefore, if these data can be analyzed as they are acquired and the status of these systems can be continually assessed, then once alterations are detected, appropriate countermeasures can be applied to correct them. One of the most important physiologic systems in which to maintain homeostasis during long-duration missions is the circadian system. To detect and treat alterations in circadian physiology during long duration space missions requires development of: 1) a ground-based protocol to assess the status of the circadian system under the light-dark environment in which crews in space will typically work; and 2) appropriate statistical methods to make this assessment. The protocol in Project 1, Circadian Entrainment, Sleep-Wake Regulation and Neurobehavioral will study human volunteers under the simulated light-dark environment of long-duration space missions. Therefore, we propose to develop statistical models to characterize in near real time circadian and neurobehavioral physiology under these conditions. The specific aims of this project are to test the hypotheses that: 1) Dynamic statistical methods based on the Kronauer model of the human circadian system can be developed to estimate circadian phase, period, amplitude from core-temperature data collected under simulated light- dark conditions of long-duration space missions. 2) Analytic formulae and numerical algorithms can be developed to compute the error in the estimates of circadian phase, period and amplitude determined from the data in Specific Aim 1. 3) Statistical models can detect reliably in near real- time (daily) significant alternations in the circadian physiology of individual subjects by analyzing the circadian and neurobehavioral data collected in Project 1. 4) Criteria can be developed using the Kronauer model and the recently developed Jewett model of cognitive -performance and subjective alertness to define altered circadian and neurobehavioral physiology and to set conditions for immediate administration of countermeasures.

Brown, Emery N.↗

Principal Investigator-in-a-Box

Human performance in orbit is currently limited by several factors beyond the intrinsic awkwardness of motor control in weightlessness. Cognitive functioning can be affected by such factors as cumulative sleep loss, stress and the psychological effects of long-duration small-group isolation. When an astronaut operates a scientific experiment, the performance decrement associated with such factors can lead to lost or poor quality data and even the total loss of a scientific objective, at great cost to the sponsors and to the dismay of the Principal Investigator. In long-duration flights, as anticipated on the International Space Station and on any planetary exploration, the experimental model is further complicated by long delays between training and experiment, and the large number of experiments each crew member must perform. Although no documented studies have been published on the subject, astronauts report that an unusually large number of simple errors are made in space. Whether a result of the effects of microgravity, accumulated fatigue, stress or other factors, this pattern of increased error supports the need for a computerized decision-making aid for astronauts performing experiments. Artificial intelligence and expert systems might serve as powerful tools for assisting experiments in space. Those conducting space experiments typically need assistance exactly when the planned checklist does not apply. Expert systems, which use bits of human knowledge and human methods to respond appropriately to unusual situations, have a flexibility that is highly desirable in circumstances where an invariably predictable course of action/response does not exist. Frequently the human expert on the ground is unavailable, lacking the latest information, or not consulted by the astronaut conducting the experiment. In response to these issues, we have developed "Principal Investigator-in-a-Box," or [PI], to capture the reasoning process of the real expert, the Principal Investigator, and combine that with real-time data available in space in order to advise the astronaut about how to proceed in real time. [PI] advises the astronaut during the progress of an experiment in much the same way a real Principal Investigator might do while looking over the astronaut's shoulder. In its original application, [PI] mimicked several of the tasks of the Principal Investigator, including data quality monitoring, troubleshooting, prescheduling, protocol management and "interesting data" detection. The proposed research focuses on the efficacy of this technique as applied to the data quality monitoring and troubleshooting aspects of [PI].

Young, Laurence R.↗

Instrumentation for Non-Invasive Assessment of Cardiovascular Regulation

It is critically important to be able to assess alterations in cardiovascular regulation during and after space flight. We propose to develop an instrument for the non-invasive assessment of such alterations that can be used on the ground and potentially during space flight. This instrumentation would be used by the Cardiovascular Alterations Team at multiple sites for the study of the effects of space flight on the cardiovascular system and the evaluation of countermeasures. In particular, the Cardiovascular Alterations Team will use this instrumentation in conjunction with ground-based human bed-rest studies and during application of acute stresses e.g., tilt, lower body negative pressure, and exercise. In future studies, the Cardiovascular Alterations Team anticipates using this instrumentation to study astronauts before and after space flight and ultimately, during space flight. The instrumentation may also be used by the Bone Demineralization/Calcium Metabolism Team, the Neurovestibular Team and the Human Performance Factors, Sleep and Chronobiology Team to measure changes in autonomic nervous function. The instrumentation will be based on a powerful new technology - cardiovascular system identification (CSI) - which has been developed in our laboratory. CSI provides a non-invasive approach for the study of alterations in cardiovascular regulation. This approach involves the analysis of second-to-second fluctuations in physiologic signals such as heart rate and non-invasively measured arterial blood pressure in order to characterize quantitatively the physiologic mechanisms responsible for the couplings between these signals. Through the characterization of multiple physiologic mechanisms, CSI provides a closed-loop model of the cardiovascular regulatory state in an individual subject.

Cohen, Richard J.↗

STS-99: Post Flight Presentation

Live footage shows the crewmembers of STS-99, Commander Kevin R. Kregel, Pilot Dominic L. Pudwill Gorie, and Mission Specialists Janet L. Kavandi, Janice E. Voss, Mamoru Mohri, and Gerhard P.J. Thiele, arriving at Kennedy Space Center (KSC) in the T-38 aircraft. Crewmembers are seen speaking to the welcoming crowd at KSC, suiting-up, walking out to the Astro-van, being strapped in the shuttle, and performing various activities while in orbit. Scenes include the astronaut training process, main engine ignition, liftoff, solid rocket booster separation, mast deployment and retraction, and the changing of the mapping tapes. Footage also includes the crewmembers sleeping, eating, exercising, dancing and having fun in zero gravity. The High Definition Television Camera (HDTV) picks up images from the Earth. These images includes Bolivia, Paraguay, Brazil, Bahamas, Mauritania, Saudi Arabia, Mount Fuji, Tokyo Bay, Southern Russia, the Black Sea, Equador, Northern Peru, the Mediterranean Sea, Malta, Sicily and Italy. The crewmembers of STS-99 each took a turn to narrate the scenes and events as they occur.

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STS-35: Mission Highlights Resource Tape

Live footage shows the crewmembers of STS-35, Commander Vance D. Brand, Pilot Guy S. Gardner, Mission Specialists Jeffrey A. Hoffman, John M. Lounge, and Robert A. Parker, and Payload Specialists Samuel T. Durrance, and Ronald A. Parise, participating in the traditional breakfast prior to launch. The crew is seen suiting up, and walking out to the Astro-Van for their 1 a.m. launch. Also shown are some beautiful panoramic shots of the shuttle on the launch pad, main engine start, ignition, liftoff, and various shots of the Launch Control Center (LCC). The crew is also shown during flight performing some routine functions such as operating the trash compactor, eating, and getting into and out of their sleeping quarters. The crew is seen taking part in a conversation with the Secretary of State, and the Foreign Minister of the Soviet Union. Footage also includes the landing of Columbia, its rollout on the runway, and its crew as they depart from the vehicle.

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Summary Report of Mission Acceleration Measurement for STS-87: Launched November 19, 1997

Two accelerometer systems, the Orbital Acceleration Research Experiment and the Space Acceleration Measurement System, were used to measure and record the microgravity environment of the Orbiter Columbia during the STS-87 mission in November-December 1997. Data from two separate Space Acceleration Measurement System units were telemetered to the ground during the mission and data plots were displayed for investigators of the Fourth United States Microgravity Payload experiments in near real-time using the World Wide Web. Plots generated using Orbital Acceleration Research Experiment data (telemetered to the ground using a tape delay) were provided to the investigators using the World Wide Web approximately twelve hours after data recording. Disturbances in the microgravity environment as recorded by these instruments are grouped by source type: Orbiter systems, on-board activities, payload operations, and unknown sources. The environment related to the Ku-band antenna dither, Orbiter structural modes, attitude deadband collapses, water dump operations, crew sleep, and crew exercise was comparable to the effects of these sources on previous Orbiter missions. Disturbances related to operations of the Isothermal Dendritic Growth Experiment and Space Acceleration Measurement Systems that were not observed on previous missions are detailed. The effects of Orbiter cabin and airlock depressurization and extravehicular activities are also reported for the first time. A set of data plots representing the entire mission is included in the CD-ROM version of this report.

Rogers, Melissa J. B.↗

STS-99 Mission Highlights Resource Tape, Part 1 of 2

An overview of the STS-99 Endeavour mission is given through footage of each flight day. Scenes from flight days one through ten show activities such as astronaut prelaunch procedures (breakfast, suit-up, and boarding Endeavour), launch, and on-orbit activities such as the deployment of the Shuttle Radar Topography Mission (SRTM) instrument. Crewmembers are seeing during such everyday activities as brushing their teeth, exercising (bicycle), and emerging from their sleeping bunks. One of the crewmembers shows the contents of the onboard medical kit. See 'STS-99 Mission Highlights Resource Tape, Part 2 of 2' for the activities of flight days 11-12 and the landing of Endeavour.

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Crew Factors in Flight Operations: A Survey of Fatigue Factors in Corporate/Executive A Viation Operations - 8

Corporate flight crews face unique challenges including unscheduled flights, quickly changing schedules, extended duty days, long waits, time zone changes, and peripheral tasks. Most corporate operations are regulated by Part 91 FARs which set no flight or duty time limits. The objective of this study was to identify operationally significant factors that may influence fatigue, alertness, and performance in corporate operations. In collaboration with the National Business Aircraft Association and the Flight Safety Foundation, NASA developed and distributed a retrospective survey comprising 107 questions addressing demographics, home sleep habits, flight experience, duty schedules, fatigue during operations, and work environment. Corporate crewmembers returned 1,488 surveys. Respondents averaged 45.2 years of age, had 14.9 years of corporate flying experience, and 9,750 total flight hours. The majority (89%) rated themselves as 'good' or 'very good' sleepers at home. Most (82%) indicated they are subject to call for duty and described an average duty day of 9.9 h. About two-thirds reported having a daily duty time limit and over half (57%) reported a daily flight time limit. Nearly three-quarters (71%) acknowledged having 'nodded off' during a flight. Only 21% reported that their flight departments offer training on fatigue issues. Almost three-quarters (74%) described fatigue as a 'moderate' or 'serious' concern, and a majority (61%) characterized it as a common occurrence. Most (85%) identified fatigue as a 'moderate' or 'serious' safety issue.

Rosekind, Mark R.↗

Conceptual Coordination Bridges Information Processing and Neurophysiology

Information processing theories of memory and skills can be reformulated in terms of how categories are physically and temporally related, a process called conceptual coordination. Dreaming can then be understood as a story understanding process in which two mechanisms found in everyday comprehension are missing: conceiving sequences (chunking categories in time as a categorization) and coordinating across modalities (e.g., relating the sound of a word and the image of its meaning). On this basis, we can readily identify isomorphisms between dream phenomenology and neurophysiology, and explain the function of dreaming as facilitating future coordination of sequential, cross-modal categorization (i.e., REM sleep lowers activation thresholds, "unlearning").

Clancey, William J.↗

STS-105 Flight Day 5 Highlights

On this fifth day of the STS-105 mission, the transfer of supplies from the Leonardo Multipurpose Logistics Module to the International Space Station (ISS) and the handover of control of the ISS from the Expedition 2 crew (Yuriy Usachev, Jim Voss, and Susan Helms) to the Expedition 3 crew (Frank Culbertson, Jr., Mikhail Turin, and Vladimir Dezhurov) continue. Commanders Usachev and Culbertson answer questions about the ISS in an on-orbit interview, and the Expedition 3 crewmembers give a video tour of their new sleeping quarters on the ISS. The north Pacific Ocean and the United States Pacific northwest are seen from space.

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