The gravitational field and brain function.

PubMed

Mei, L; Zhou, C D; Lan, J Q; Wang, Z G; Wu, W C; Xue, X M

1983-01-01

The frontal cortex is recognized as the highest adaptive control center of the human brain. The principle of the "frontalization" of human brain function offers new possibilities for brain research in space. There is evolutionary and experimental evidence indicating the validity of the principle, including it's role in nervous response to gravitational stimulation. The gravitational field is considered here as one of the more constant and comprehensive factors acting on brain evolution, which has undergone some successive crucial steps: "encephalization", "corticalization", "lateralization" and "frontalization". The dominating effects of electrical responses from the frontal cortex have been discovered 1) in experiments under gravitational stimulus; and 2) in processes potentially relating to gravitational adaptation, such as memory and learning, sensory information processing, motor programing, and brain state control. A brain research experiment during space flight is suggested to test the role of the frontal cortex in space adaptation and it's potentiality in brain control.

Space artificial gravity facilities - An approach to their construction

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Wercinski, P. F.; Searby, N. D.; Tillman, B. W.

1988-01-01

In the course of adaptation to a space microgravity environment, humans experience cardiovascular deconditioning, loss of muscle mass, and loss of bone minerals. One possible solution to these space adaptation problems is to simulate earth's gravity using the centripetal acceleration created by a rotating system. The design and construction of rotating space structures pose many challenges. Before committing to the use of artificial gravity in future space missions, a man-rated Variable Gravity Research Facility (VGRF) should be developed in earth orbit as a gravitational research tool and testbed. This paper addresses the requirements and presents preliminary concepts for such a facility.

Physiological Observations and Omics to Develop Personalized Sensormotor Adaptability Countermeasures Using Bed Rest and Space Flight Data

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Mulavara, A. P.; Seidler, R. D.; Feiveson, A.; Oddsson, L.; Zanello, S.; Oman, C. M.; Ploutz-Snyder, L.; Peters, B.; Cohen, H. S.; Reschke, M.;

Onboard photo: Japanese Payload Specialist Dr. Mamoru Mohri at work in Spacelab-J module

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

1992-01-01

Space Shuttle Endeavour (STS-47) onboard photo of Japanese Payload Specialist Dr. Mamoru Mohri participating in Comparative Measurement of Visual Stability in Earth Cosmic Space experiment to learn more about Space Adaptation Syndrome (SAS).

Miles Discusses Skylab Experiment With NASA Personnel

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

1972-01-01

Lexington, Massachusetts high school student, Judith Miles, discusses her proposed Skylab experiment with engineers and scientists during a design review of the experiment equipment. At left is Ron Pavlue of Kennedy Space Flight Center (KSC), holding a box is Keith Demorest of Marshall Space Flight Center (MSFC). Right of Miles is Dr. Raymond Gause, also of MSFC, who is Miles' scientific advisor. In her experiment, called the 'Web Formation in Zero Gravity', spiders were released into a box and their actions recorded to determine how well they adapt to the absence of gravity. Spiders are known to adapt quickly to other changes in the environment but nothing was known of their ability to adapt to weightlessness. At the same time spiders were weaving webs in Earth orbit, similar spiders were spinning webs in identical boxes on Earth under full gravity conditions. Miles was among the 25 winners of a contest in which some 3,500 high school students proposed experiments for the following year's Skylab mission. Of the 25 students, 6 did not see their experiments conducted on Skylab because the experiments were not compatible with Skylab hardware and timelines. Of the 19 remaining, 11 experiments required the manufacture of equipment.

NASDA aquatic animal experiment facilities for Space Shuttle and ISS.

PubMed

Uchida, Satoko; Masukawa, Mitsuyo; Kamigaichi, Shigeki

2002-01-01

National Space Development Agency of Japan (NASDA) has developed aquatic animal experiment facilities for NASA Space Shuttle use. Vestibular Function Experiment Unit (VFEU) was firstly designed and developed for physiological research using carp in Spacelab-J (SL-J, STS-47) mission. It was modified as Aquatic Animal Experiment Unit (AAEU) to accommodate small aquatic animals, such as medaka and newt, for second International Microgravity Laboratory (IML-2, STS-65) mission. Then, VFEU was improved to accommodate marine fish and to perform neurobiological experiment for Neurolab (STS-90) and STS-95 missions. We have also developed and used water purification system which was adapted to each facility. Based on these experiences of Space Shuttle missions, we are studying to develop advanced aquatic animal experiment facility for both Space Shuttle and International Space Station (ISS). c2002 COSPAR. Published by Elsevier Science Ltd. All rights reserved.

Exploring Heart and Lung Function in Space: ARMS Experiments

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Kuipers, Andre; Cork, Michael; LeGouic, Marine

2002-01-01

The Advanced Respiratory Monitoring System (ARMS) is a suite of monitoring instruments and supplies used to study the heart, lungs, and metabolism. Many experiments sponsored by the European Space Agency (ESA) will be conducted using ARMS during STS-107. The near-weightless environment of space causes the body to undergo many physiological adaptations, and the regulation of blood pressure is no exception. Astronauts also experience a decrease in blood volume as an adaptation to microgravity. Reduced blood volume may not provide enough blood pressure to the head during entry or landing. As a result, astronauts often experience light-headedness, and sometimes even fainting, when they stand shortly after returning to Earth. To help regulate blood pressure and heart rate, baroreceptors, sensors located in artery walls in the neck and near the heart, control blood pressure by sending information to the brain and ensuring blood flow to organs. These mechanisms work properly in Earth's gravity but must adapt in the microgravity environment of space. However, upon return to Earth during entry and landing, the cardiovascular system must readjust itself to gravity, which can cause fluctuation in the control of blood pressure and heart rate. Although the system recovers in hours or days, these occurrences are not easily predicted or understood - a puzzle investigators will study with the ARMS equipment. In space, researchers can focus on aspects of the cardiovascular system normally masked by gravity. The STS-107 experiments using ARMS will provide data on how the heart and lungs function in space, as well as how the nervous system controls them. Exercise will also be combined with breath holding and straining (the Valsalva maneuver) to test how heart rate and blood pressure react to different stresses. This understanding will improve astronauts' cardiopulmonary function after return to Earth, and may well help Earthbound patients who experience similar effects after long-term bed rest.

Skylab checkout operations. [from multiple docking adapter contractor viewpoint

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Timmons, K. P.

1973-01-01

The Skylab Program at Kennedy Space Center presented many opportunities for interesting and profound test and checkout experience. It also offered a compilation of challenges and promises for the Center and for the contractors responsible for the various modules making up Skylab. It is very probable that the various contractors had common experiences during the module and combined systems tests, but this paper will discuss those experiences from the viewpoint of the Multiple Docking Adapter contractor. The experience will consider personnel, procedures, and hardware.

Skylab

NASA Image and Video Library

1972-12-21

Hans F. Wuenscher, assistant director for Advanced Space Projects Engineering Laboratory at Marshall Space Flight Center (MSFC), examined the facility to be used by Skylab astronauts in performing a number of experiments in material science and manufacturing in space. The equipment shown here is a duplicate of the M512 Experiment hardware flown in the Multiple Docking Adapter section of the Sky lab. This equipment, itself an experiment, was be used for conducting 5 other experiments in the round vacuum chamber. Inside was a cavity which held the M518 Multipurpose Electric Furnace, a facility which was used for conducting other experiments. In all, a total of 17 experiments were conducted using this facility and furnace.

Skylab

NASA Image and Video Library

1972-08-21

Lexington, Massachusetts high school student, Judith Miles, discusses her proposed Skylab experiment with engineers and scientists during a design review of the experiment equipment. At left is Ron Pavlue of Kennedy Space Flight Center (KSC), holding a box is Keith Demorest of Marshall Space Flight Center (MSFC). Right of Miles is Dr. Raymond Gause, also of MSFC, who is Miles’ scientific advisor. In her experiment, called the “Web Formation in Zero Gravity”, spiders were released into a box and their actions recorded to determine how well they adapt to the absence of gravity. Spiders are known to adapt quickly to other changes in the environment but nothing was known of their ability to adapt to weightlessness. At the same time spiders were weaving webs in Earth orbit, similar spiders were spinning webs in identical boxes on Earth under full gravity conditions. Miles was among the 25 winners of a contest in which some 3,500 high school students proposed experiments for the following year’s Skylab mission. Of the 25 students, 6 did not see their experiments conducted on Skylab because the experiments were not compatible with Skylab hardware and timelines. Of the 19 remaining, 11 experiments required the manufacture of equipment.

The effect of space flight on spatial orientation

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Reschke, Millard F.; Bloomberg, Jacob J.; Harm, Deborah L.; Paloski, William H.; Satake, Hirotaka

1992-01-01

Both during and following early space missions, little neurosensory change in the astronauts was noted as a result of their exposure to microgravity. It is believed that this lack of in-flight adaptation in the spatial orientation and perceptual-motor system resulted from short exposure times and limited interaction with the new environment. Parker and Parker (1990) have suggested that while spatial orientation and motion information can be detected by a passive observer, adaptation to stimulus rearrangement is greatly enhanced when the observer moves through or acts on the environment. Experience with the actual consequences of action can be compared with those consequences expected on the basis of prior experience. Space flight today is of longer duration, and space craft volume has increased. These changes have forced the astronauts to interact with the new environment of microgravity, and as a result substantial changes occur in the perceptual and sensory-motor repsonses reflecting adaptation to the stimulus rearrangement of space flight. We are currently evaluating spatial orientation and the perceptual-motor systems' adaptation to microgravity by examining responses of postural control, head and gaze stability during locomotion, goal oriented vestibulo-ocular reflex (VOR), and structured quantitative perceptual reports. Evidence suggests that humans can successfully replace the gravitational reference available on Earth with cues available within the spacecraft or within themselves, but that adaptation to microgravity is not appropriate for a return to Earth. Countermeasures for optimal performance on-orbit and a successful return to earth will require development of preflight and in-flight training to help the astronauts acquire and maintain a dual adaptive state. An understanding of spatial orientation and motion perception, postural control, locomotion, and the VOR will aid in this process.

Human Adaptation to Space: Space Physiology and Countermeasures

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Fogarty, Jennifer

2009-01-01

This viewgraph presentation reviews human physiological responses to spaceflight, and the countermeasures taken to prevent adverse effects of manned space flight. The topics include: 1) Human Spaceflight Experience; 2) Human Response to Spaceflight; 3) ISS Expeditions 1-16; 4) Countermeasure; and 5) Biomedical Data;

1301253

NASA Image and Video Library

2013-12-12

JASON ELDRIDGE, AN ERC INCORPORATED EMPLOYEE SUPPORTING THE MATERIALS & PROCESSES LABORATORY AT NASA'S MARSHALL SPACE FLIGHT CENTER, SIGNS HIS NAME ON THE INTERIOR OF THE ADAPTER THAT WILL CONNECT THE ORION SPACECRAFT TO A UNITED LAUNCH ALLIANCE DELTA IV ROCKET FOR EXPLORATION FLIGHT TEST (EFT)-1. MARSHALL CENTER TEAM MEMBERS WHO WERE INVOLVED IN THE DESIGN, CONSTRUCTION AND TESTING OF THE ADAPTER HAD THE OPPORTUNITY TO AUTOGRAPH IT BEFORE THE HARDWARE IS SHIPPED TO NASA'S KENNEDY SPACE CENTER IN FEBRUARY. ELDRIDGE WAS ON A TEAM THAT PERFORMED ULTRASONIC INSPECTIONS ON THE ADAPTER'S WELDS -- ENSURING THEY ARE STRUCTURALLY SOUND. EFT-1, SCHEDULED FOR 2014, WILL PROVIDE EARLY EXPERIENCE FOR NASA SPACE LAUNCH SYSTEM (SLS) HARDWARE AHEAD OF THE ROCKET'S FIRST FLIGHT IN 2017.

Adaptive/learning control of large space structures - System identification techniques. [for multi-configuration flexible spacecraft

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Thau, F. E.; Montgomery, R. C.

1980-01-01

Techniques developed for the control of aircraft under changing operating conditions are used to develop a learning control system structure for a multi-configuration, flexible space vehicle. A configuration identification subsystem that is to be used with a learning algorithm and a memory and control process subsystem is developed. Adaptive gain adjustments can be achieved by this learning approach without prestoring of large blocks of parameter data and without dither signal inputs which will be suppressed during operations for which they are not compatible. The Space Shuttle Solar Electric Propulsion (SEP) experiment is used as a sample problem for the testing of adaptive/learning control system algorithms.

GRIP Experiment

NASA Image and Video Library

2018-06-11

iss056e009784 (June 11, 2018) --- Expedition 56 Flight Engineer Alexander Gerst of the European Space Agency (ESA) is seated in the Columbus laboratory module participating in the Grip study. Grip is an ESA-sponsored experiment that is researching how the nervous system adapts to microgravity. Observations may improve the design of safer space habitats and help patients on Earth with neurological diseases.

GRIP Experiment

NASA Image and Video Library

2018-06-11

iss056e009783 (June 11, 2018) --- Expedition 56 Flight Engineer Alexander Gerst of the European Space Agency (ESA) is seated in the Columbus laboratory module participating in the Grip study. Grip is an ESA-sponsored experiment that is researching how the nervous system adapts to microgravity. Observations may improve the design of safer space habitats and help patients on Earth with neurological diseases.

Histological and Transcriptomic Analysis of Adult Japanese Medaka Sampled Onboard the International Space Station

PubMed Central

Murata, Yasuhiko; Yasuda, Takako; Watanabe-Asaka, Tomomi; Oda, Shoji; Mantoku, Akiko; Takeyama, Kazuhiro; Chatani, Masahiro; Kudo, Akira; Uchida, Satoko; Suzuki, Hiromi; Tanigaki, Fumiaki; Shirakawa, Masaki; Fujisawa, Koichi; Hamamoto, Yoshihiko; Terai, Shuji; Mitani, Hiroshi

2015-01-01

To understand how humans adapt to the space environment, many experiments can be conducted on astronauts as they work aboard the Space Shuttle or the International Space Station (ISS). We also need animal experiments that can apply to human models and help prevent or solve the health issues we face in space travel. The Japanese medaka (Oryzias latipes) is a suitable model fish for studying space adaptation as evidenced by adults of the species having mated successfully in space during 15 days of flight during the second International Microgravity Laboratory mission in 1994. The eggs laid by the fish developed normally and hatched as juveniles in space. In 2012, another space experiment (“Medaka Osteoclast”) was conducted. Six-week-old male and female Japanese medaka (Cab strain osteoblast transgenic fish) were maintained in the Aquatic Habitat system for two months in the ISS. Fish of the same strain and age were used as the ground controls. Six fish were fixed with paraformaldehyde or kept in RNA stabilization reagent (n = 4) and dissected for tissue sampling after being returned to the ground, so that several principal investigators working on the project could share samples. Histology indicated no significant changes except in the ovary. However, the RNA-seq analysis of 5345 genes from six tissues revealed highly tissue-specific space responsiveness after a two-month stay in the ISS. Similar responsiveness was observed among the brain and eye, ovary and testis, and the liver and intestine. Among these six tissues, the intestine showed the highest space response with 10 genes categorized as oxidation–reduction processes (gene ontogeny term GO:0055114), and the expression levels of choriogenin precursor genes were suppressed in the ovary. Eleven genes including klf9, klf13, odc1, hsp70 and hif3a were upregulated in more than four of the tissues examined, thus suggesting common immunoregulatory and stress responses during space adaptation. PMID:26427061

Histological and Transcriptomic Analysis of Adult Japanese Medaka Sampled Onboard the International Space Station.

PubMed

Murata, Yasuhiko; Yasuda, Takako; Watanabe-Asaka, Tomomi; Oda, Shoji; Mantoku, Akiko; Takeyama, Kazuhiro; Chatani, Masahiro; Kudo, Akira; Uchida, Satoko; Suzuki, Hiromi; Tanigaki, Fumiaki; Shirakawa, Masaki; Fujisawa, Koichi; Hamamoto, Yoshihiko; Terai, Shuji; Mitani, Hiroshi

2015-01-01

To understand how humans adapt to the space environment, many experiments can be conducted on astronauts as they work aboard the Space Shuttle or the International Space Station (ISS). We also need animal experiments that can apply to human models and help prevent or solve the health issues we face in space travel. The Japanese medaka (Oryzias latipes) is a suitable model fish for studying space adaptation as evidenced by adults of the species having mated successfully in space during 15 days of flight during the second International Microgravity Laboratory mission in 1994. The eggs laid by the fish developed normally and hatched as juveniles in space. In 2012, another space experiment ("Medaka Osteoclast") was conducted. Six-week-old male and female Japanese medaka (Cab strain osteoblast transgenic fish) were maintained in the Aquatic Habitat system for two months in the ISS. Fish of the same strain and age were used as the ground controls. Six fish were fixed with paraformaldehyde or kept in RNA stabilization reagent (n = 4) and dissected for tissue sampling after being returned to the ground, so that several principal investigators working on the project could share samples. Histology indicated no significant changes except in the ovary. However, the RNA-seq analysis of 5345 genes from six tissues revealed highly tissue-specific space responsiveness after a two-month stay in the ISS. Similar responsiveness was observed among the brain and eye, ovary and testis, and the liver and intestine. Among these six tissues, the intestine showed the highest space response with 10 genes categorized as oxidation-reduction processes (gene ontogeny term GO:0055114), and the expression levels of choriogenin precursor genes were suppressed in the ovary. Eleven genes including klf9, klf13, odc1, hsp70 and hif3a were upregulated in more than four of the tissues examined, thus suggesting common immunoregulatory and stress responses during space adaptation.

Autonomous spatially adaptive sampling in experiments based on curvature, statistical error and sample spacing with applications in LDA measurements

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Theunissen, Raf; Kadosh, Jesse S.; Allen, Christian B.

2015-06-01

Spatially varying signals are typically sampled by collecting uniformly spaced samples irrespective of the signal content. For signals with inhomogeneous information content, this leads to unnecessarily dense sampling in regions of low interest or insufficient sample density at important features, or both. A new adaptive sampling technique is presented directing sample collection in proportion to local information content, capturing adequately the short-period features while sparsely sampling less dynamic regions. The proposed method incorporates a data-adapted sampling strategy on the basis of signal curvature, sample space-filling, variable experimental uncertainty and iterative improvement. Numerical assessment has indicated a reduction in the number of samples required to achieve a predefined uncertainty level overall while improving local accuracy for important features. The potential of the proposed method has been further demonstrated on the basis of Laser Doppler Anemometry experiments examining the wake behind a NACA0012 airfoil and the boundary layer characterisation of a flat plate.

Anesthesia during and Immediately after Spaceflight

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Seubert, Christoph N.; Price, Catherine; Janelle, Gregory M.

2006-01-01

The increasing presence of humans in space and long-duration manned missions to the Moon or Mars pose novel challenges to the delivery of medical care. Even now, cumulative person-days in space exceed 80 years and preparations for a return to the Moon are actively underway. Medical care after an emergent de-orbit or an accident during a non-nominal landing must not only address the specific disease or injuries but also the challenges posed by physiologic adaptations to microgravity. In the highly autonomous situation of a long-term space mission the situation is even more complex, because personnel, equipment, specific training, and clinical experience are by definition limited. To summarize our current knowledge specifically for anesthetic care during and immediately after spaceflight, we will review physiologic adaptations to microgravity with particular emphasis on the resulting anesthetic risks, discuss veterinary experiences with anesthesia in weightlessness or in animals adapted to microgravity, describe current research that pertains to anesthesia and spaceflight and point out unresolved questions for future investigation.

KSC-01PP1402

NASA Image and Video Library

2001-07-27

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, Fla. -- On Launch Pad 39A, two Hitchhiker Experiments Advancing Technology (HEAT) payloads are loaded onto Discovery’s port adapter beam in the payload bay. At left is the Space Experiment Module, an educational initiative to increase educational access to space. The canister contains up to 10 small, enclosed modules that contain separate, passive experiments designed and constructed by students. Many of the experiments will study the growing characteristics of plants subjected to the space environment. At right is the Get Away Special canister containing the Alkali Metal Thermal-to-Electric Converter (AMTEC), designed for efficient conversion of heat into electrical energy. The HEAT payloads are flying on mission STS-105, scheduled to launch Aug. 9, 2001

The remapping of space in motor learning and human-machine interfaces

PubMed Central

Mussa-Ivaldi, F.A.; Danziger, Z.

2009-01-01

Studies of motor adaptation to patterns of deterministic forces have revealed the ability of the motor control system to form and use predictive representations of the environment. One of the most fundamental elements of our environment is space itself. This article focuses on the notion of Euclidean space as it applies to common sensory motor experiences. Starting from the assumption that we interact with the world through a system of neural signals, we observe that these signals are not inherently endowed with metric properties of the ordinary Euclidean space. The ability of the nervous system to represent these properties depends on adaptive mechanisms that reconstruct the Euclidean metric from signals that are not Euclidean. Gaining access to these mechanisms will reveal the process by which the nervous system handles novel sophisticated coordinate transformation tasks, thus highlighting possible avenues to create functional human-machine interfaces that can make that task much easier. A set of experiments is presented that demonstrate the ability of the sensory-motor system to reorganize coordination in novel geometrical environments. In these environments multiple degrees of freedom of body motions are used to control the coordinates of a point in a two-dimensional Euclidean space. We discuss how practice leads to the acquisition of the metric properties of the controlled space. Methods of machine learning based on the reduction of reaching errors are tested as a means to facilitate learning by adaptively changing he map from body motions to controlled device. We discuss the relevance of the results to the development of adaptive human machine interfaces and optimal control. PMID:19665553

Time and motion, experiment M151. [human performance and space flight stress

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Kubis, J. F.; Elrod, J. T.; Rusnak, R.; Mcbride, G. H.; Barnes, J. E.; Saxon, S. C.

1973-01-01

Astronaut work performance during the preparation and execution of experiments in simulated Skylab tests was analyzed according to time and motion in order to evaluate the efficiency and consistency of performance (adaptation function) for several different types of activity over the course of the mission; to evaluate the procedures to be used by the same experiment in Skylab; to generate characteristic adaptation functions for later comparison with Skylab data; and to examine astronaut performance for any behavioral stress due to the environment. The overall results indicate that the anticipated adaptation function was obtained both for individual and for averaged data.

Is the adaptation to UV stress correlated with a higher resistance to other environmental stressors? First results of the space experiment ADAPT

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Rettberg, Petra; Wassmann, Marko; Rabbow, Elke; Moeller, Ralf; Panitz, Corinna; Horneck, Gerda; Douki, Thierry; Cadet, Jean

The effects of one of the most important environmental factors that have influenced the biolog-ical evolution on earth, solar UV radiation, was investigated in the space experiment ADAPT in the ESA facility EXPOSE on the European ISS module Columbus. Three highly resistant microorganims from very distinct terrestrial habitats were selected: Bacillus subtilis, a well characterised spore forming soil bacterium, a natural community of cyanobacteria colonising rocks and a species of halophilic archaea isolated from rock salt, Halococcus dombrowskii. The capability of the three different microorganisms to survive in a qualitatively and quantitatively different UV climate like that in space and on Mars was investigated in EXPOSE and its effects as well as its interaction with other environmental parameters were characterised at the cellular and molecular level. In the EXPOSE facility the environmental parameters of space were provided by the exposure of samples in vented sample carriers under MgF2 windows allowing the transmittance of solar UV wavelengths down to 110 nm. In addition, the environmental conditions on the surface of Mars were simulated in earth orbit by using closed sample carriers with martian atmosphere and pressure and a martian UV climate realised by the use of suitable cut-off filters and the extraterrestrial solar UV radiation. Due to the different composition of the martian atmosphere and it's low pressure, the martian UV radiation climate is significantly different from that of today's earth. Energy-rich biologically harmful UVB and UVC radiation can penetrate to the surface of Mars. This UV radiation spectrum resembles that of the early earth before the rise of the atmospheric oxygen concentration. In the experiment ADAPT I the model organism Bacillus subtilis was used to test the hypothesis experimentally whether longer-lasting selective pressure by a mars-like UV radiation spectrum results in a higher UV resistance as well as in a higher resistance against the simultaneous action of further `extreme' environmental factors that exist in space or on other planets like vacuum / low pressure or cosmic radiation. In preparation of ADAPT a continuos culture of Bacillus subtilis 168 cells was grown for 700 generations under periodical polychromatic mars-like UV irradiation. Populations that evolved under this UV stress were about 4.7fold more resistant than the ancestral and non-UV evolved populations. In addition to the acquired increased UV resistance, further changes in microbial stress response to hydrogen peroxide, increased salinity and desiccation were observed in UV-evolved cells. For the space experiment spores of the strain MW01, isolated from this UV-resistant population, were exposed in earth orbit to space and simulated martian conditions. The biological endpoints under investigation include among others survival, mutation induction, loss of sporulation capability. The results of this experiment will contribute to our understanding of the adaptability of life to extreme environments on earth and on other planets in general.

The dumbest experiment in space. [problems in laboratory apparatus adaption to space environment

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Prouty, C. R.

1981-01-01

A simple conceptual experiment is used to illustrate (1) the fundamentals of performing an experiment, including the theoretical concept, the experiment design, the performance of the experiment, and the recording of observations; (2) the increasing challenges posed by performance of the same experiment in a location remote from the experimenter, such as additional planning and equipment and their associated cost increases; and (3) the significant growth of difficulties to be overcome when the simple experiment is performed in a highly restrictive environment, such as a spacecraft in orbit, with someone else remotely operating the experiment. It is shown that performing an experiment in the remote, hostile environment of space will pose difficulties equaling or exceeding those of the experiment itself, entailing mastery of a widening range of disciplines.

Immune response during space flight.

PubMed

Criswell-Hudak, B S

1991-01-01

The health status of an astronaut prior to and following space flight has been a prime concern of NASA throughout the Apollo series of lunar landings, Skylab, Apollo-Soyuz Test Projects (ASTP), and the new Spacelab-Shuttle missions. Both humoral and cellular immunity has been studied using classical clinical procedures. Serum proteins show fluctuations that can be explained with adaptation to flight. Conversely, cellular immune responses of lymphocytes appear to be depressed in both in vivo as well as in vitro. If this depression in vivo and in vitro is a result of the same cause, then man's adaptation to outer space living will present interesting challenges in the future. Since the cause may be due to reduced gravity, perhaps the designs of the experiments for space flight will offer insights at the cellular levels that will facilitate development of mechanisms for adaptation. Further, if the aging process is viewed as an adaptational concept or model and not as a disease process then perhaps space flight could very easily interact to supply some information on our biological time clocks.

The Living With a Star Space Environment Testbed Experiments

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Xapsos, Michael A.

2014-01-01

The focus of the Living With a Star (LWS) Space Environment Testbed (SET) program is to improve the performance of hardware in the space radiation environment. The program has developed a payload for the Air Force Research Laboratory (AFRL) Demonstration and Science Experiments (DSX) spacecraft that is scheduled for launch in August 2015 on the SpaceX Falcon Heavy rocket. The primary structure of DSX is an Evolved Expendable Launch Vehicle (EELV) Secondary Payload Adapter (ESPA) ring. DSX will be in a Medium Earth Orbit (MEO). This oral presentation will describe the SET payload.

Dynamic experiment design regularization approach to adaptive imaging with array radar/SAR sensor systems.

PubMed

Shkvarko, Yuriy; Tuxpan, José; Santos, Stewart

2011-01-01

We consider a problem of high-resolution array radar/SAR imaging formalized in terms of a nonlinear ill-posed inverse problem of nonparametric estimation of the power spatial spectrum pattern (SSP) of the random wavefield scattered from a remotely sensed scene observed through a kernel signal formation operator and contaminated with random Gaussian noise. First, the Sobolev-type solution space is constructed to specify the class of consistent kernel SSP estimators with the reproducing kernel structures adapted to the metrics in such the solution space. Next, the "model-free" variational analysis (VA)-based image enhancement approach and the "model-based" descriptive experiment design (DEED) regularization paradigm are unified into a new dynamic experiment design (DYED) regularization framework. Application of the proposed DYED framework to the adaptive array radar/SAR imaging problem leads to a class of two-level (DEED-VA) regularized SSP reconstruction techniques that aggregate the kernel adaptive anisotropic windowing with the projections onto convex sets to enforce the consistency and robustness of the overall iterative SSP estimators. We also show how the proposed DYED regularization method may be considered as a generalization of the MVDR, APES and other high-resolution nonparametric adaptive radar sensing techniques. A family of the DYED-related algorithms is constructed and their effectiveness is finally illustrated via numerical simulations.

Survival of spores of the UV-resistant Bacillus subtilis strain MW01 after exposure to low-earth orbit and simulated martian conditions: data from the space experiment ADAPT on EXPOSE-E.

PubMed

Wassmann, Marko; Moeller, Ralf; Rabbow, Elke; Panitz, Corinna; Horneck, Gerda; Reitz, Günther; Douki, Thierry; Cadet, Jean; Stan-Lotter, Helga; Cockell, Charles S; Rettberg, Petra

2012-05-01

In the space experiment "Molecular adaptation strategies of microorganisms to different space and planetary UV climate conditions" (ADAPT), bacterial endospores of the highly UV-resistant Bacillus subtilis strain MW01 were exposed to low-Earth orbit (LEO) and simulated martian surface conditions for 559 days on board the European Space Agency's exposure facility EXPOSE-E, mounted outside the International Space Station. The survival of B. subtilis MW01 spores from both assays (LEO and simulated martian conditions) was determined by a colony-formation assay after retrieval. It was clearly shown that solar extraterrestrial UV radiation (λ≥110 nm) as well as the martian UV spectrum (λ≥200 nm) was the most deleterious factor applied; in some samples only a few spore survivors were recovered from B. subtilis MW01 spores exposed in monolayers. However, if shielded from solar irradiation, about 8% of MW01 spores survived in LEO conditions, and 100% survived in simulated martian conditions, compared to the laboratory controls. The results demonstrate the effect of shielding against the high inactivation potential of extraterrestrial solar UV radiation, which limits the chances of survival of even the highly UV-resistant strain of B. subtilis MW01 in the harsh environments of outer space and the martian surface.

SCORPI and SCORPI-T: Neurophysiological experiments on animals in space

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Serafini, L.; Ramacciotti, T.; Vigano, W.; Donati, A.; Porciani, M.; Zolesi, V.; Schulze-Varnholt, D.; Manieri, P.; El-Din Sallam, A.; Schmah, M.; Horn, E. R.

2005-08-01

The study of physiological adaptation to long-term space flights with special consideration of the internal clock systems of scorpions is the goal of the SCORPI and SCORPI-T experiments. SCORPI was selected for flight on the International Space Station (ISS) and will be mounted in the European facility BIOLAB, the ESA laboratory designed to support biological experiments on micro-organisms, cells, tissue, cultures, small plants and small invertebrates. SCORPI-T experiment, performed on the Russian FOTON-M2 satellite in May-June 2005, represents an important precursor for the success of the experiment SCORPI on BIOLAB. This paper outlines the main features of the hardware designed and developed in order to allow the analysis of critical aspects of experiment execution and the verification of experiment objectives. The capabilities of the hardware developed for SCORPI and SCORPI-T show its potential use for any future similar type of experiments in space.

The Planetary and Space Simulation Facilities at DLR Cologne

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Rabbow, Elke; Parpart, André; Reitz, Günther

2016-06-01

Astrobiology strives to increase our knowledge on the origin, evolution and distribution of life, on Earth and beyond. In the past centuries, life has been found on Earth in environments with extreme conditions that were expected to be uninhabitable. Scientific investigations of the underlying metabolic mechanisms and strategies that lead to the high adaptability of these extremophile organisms increase our understanding of evolution and distribution of life on Earth. Life as we know it depends on the availability of liquid water. Exposure of organisms to defined and complex extreme environmental conditions, in particular those that limit the water availability, allows the investigation of the survival mechanisms as well as an estimation of the possibility of the distribution to and survivability on other celestial bodies of selected organisms. Space missions in low Earth orbit (LEO) provide access for experiments to complex environmental conditions not available on Earth, but studies on the molecular and cellular mechanisms of adaption to these hostile conditions and on the limits of life cannot be performed exclusively in space experiments. Experimental space is limited and allows only the investigation of selected endpoints. An additional intensive ground based program is required, with easy to access facilities capable to simulate space and planetary environments, in particular with focus on temperature, pressure, atmospheric composition and short wavelength solar ultraviolet radiation (UV). DLR Cologne operates a number of Planetary and Space Simulation facilities (PSI) where microorganisms from extreme terrestrial environments or known for their high adaptability are exposed for mechanistic studies. Space or planetary parameters are simulated individually or in combination in temperature controlled vacuum facilities equipped with a variety of defined and calibrated irradiation sources. The PSI support basic research and were recurrently used for pre-flight test programs for several astrobiological space missions. Parallel experiments on ground provided essential complementary data supporting the scientific interpretation of the data received from the space missions.

ARG1 Functions in the Physiological Adaptation of Undifferentiated Plant Cells to Spaceflight

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zupanska, Agata K.; Schultz, Eric R.; Yao, JiQiang; Sng, Natasha J.; Zhou, Mingqi; Callaham, Jordan B.; Ferl, Robert J.; Paul, Anna-Lisa

2017-11-01

Scientific access to spaceflight and especially the International Space Station has revealed that physiological adaptation to spaceflight is accompanied or enabled by changes in gene expression that significantly alter the transcriptome of cells in spaceflight. A wide range of experiments have shown that plant physiological adaptation to spaceflight involves gene expression changes that alter cell wall and other metabolisms. However, while transcriptome profiling aptly illuminates changes in gene expression that accompany spaceflight adaptation, mutation analysis is required to illuminate key elements required for that adaptation. Here we report how transcriptome profiling was used to gain insight into the spaceflight adaptation role of Altered response to gravity 1 (Arg1), a gene known to affect gravity responses in plants on Earth. The study compared expression profiles of cultured lines of Arabidopsis thaliana derived from wild-type (WT) cultivar Col-0 to profiles from a knock-out line deficient in the gene encoding ARG1 (ARG1 KO), both on the ground and in space. The cell lines were launched on SpaceX CRS-2 as part of the Cellular Expression Logic (CEL) experiment of the BRIC-17 spaceflight mission. The cultured cell lines were grown within 60 mm Petri plates in Petri Dish Fixation Units (PDFUs) that were housed within the Biological Research In Canisters (BRIC) hardware. Spaceflight samples were fixed on orbit. Differentially expressed genes were identified between the two environments (spaceflight and comparable ground controls) and the two genotypes (WT and ARG1 KO). Each genotype engaged unique genes during physiological adaptation to the spaceflight environment, with little overlap. Most of the genes altered in expression in spaceflight in WT cells were found to be Arg1-dependent, suggesting a major role for that gene in the physiological adaptation of undifferentiated cells to spaceflight.

Improving Sensorimotor Function and Adaptation using Stochastic Vestibular Stimulation

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Galvan, R. C.; Bloomberg, J. J.; Mulavara, A. P.; Clark, T. K.; Merfeld, D. M.; Oman, C. M.

2014-01-01

Astronauts experience sensorimotor changes during adaption to G-transitions that occur when entering and exiting microgravity. Post space flight, these sensorimotor disturbances can include postural and gait instability, visual performance changes, manual control disruptions, spatial disorientation, and motion sickness, all of which can hinder the operational capabilities of the astronauts. Crewmember safety would be significantly increased if sensorimotor changes brought on by gravitational changes could be mitigated and adaptation could be facilitated. The goal of this research is to investigate and develop the use of electrical stochastic vestibular stimulation (SVS) as a countermeasure to augment sensorimotor function and facilitate adaptation. For this project, SVS will be applied via electrodes on the mastoid processes at imperceptible amplitude levels. We hypothesize that SVS will improve sensorimotor performance through the phenomena of stochastic resonance, which occurs when the response of a nonlinear system to a weak input signal is optimized by the application of a particular nonzero level of noise. In line with the theory of stochastic resonance, a specific optimal level of SVS will be found and tested for each subject [1]. Three experiments are planned to investigate the use of SVS in sensory-dependent tasks and performance. The first experiment will aim to demonstrate stochastic resonance in the vestibular system through perception based motion recognition thresholds obtained using a 6-degree of freedom Stewart platform in the Jenks Vestibular Laboratory at Massachusetts Eye and Ear Infirmary. A range of SVS amplitudes will be applied to each subject and the subjectspecific optimal SVS level will be identified as that which results in the lowest motion recognition threshold, through previously established, well developed methods [2,3,4]. The second experiment will investigate the use of optimal SVS in facilitating sensorimotor adaptation to system disturbances. Subjects will adapt to wearing minifying glasses, resulting in decreased vestibular ocular reflex (VOR) gain. The VOR gain will then be intermittently measured while the subject readapts to normal vision, with and without optimal SVS. We expect that optimal SVS will cause a steepening of the adaptation curve. The third experiment will test the use of optimal SVS in an operationally relevant aerospace task, using the tilt translation sled at NASA Johnson Space Center, a test platform capable of recreating the tilt-gain and tilt-translation illusions associated with landing of a spacecraft post-space flight. In this experiment, a perception based manual control measure will be used to compare performance with and without optimal SVS. We expect performance to improve in this task when optimal SVS is applied. The ultimate goal of this work is to systematically investigate and further understand the potential benefits of stochastic vestibular stimulation in the context of human space flight so that it may be used in the future as a component of a comprehensive countermeasure plan for adaptation to G-transitions.

Ambiguous Tilt and Translation Motion Cues in Astronauts After Space Flight (ZAG)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Clement, Guilles; Harm, Deborah; Rupert, Angus; Beaton, Kara; Wood, Scott

2008-06-01

Adaptive changes during space flight in how the brain integrates vestibular cues with visual, proprioceptive, and somatosensory information can lead to impaired movement coordination, vertigo, spatial disorientation, and perceptual illusions following transitions between gravity levels. This joint ESA-NASA pre- and post-flight experiment is designed to examine both the physiological basis and operational implications for disorientation and tilt-translation disturbances in astronauts following short-duration space flights. Specifically, this study addresses three questions: (1) What adaptive changes occur in eye movements and motion perception in response to different combinations of tilt and translation motion? (2) Do adaptive changes in tilt-translation responses impair ability to manually control vehicle orientation? (3) Can sensory substitution aids (e.g., tactile) mitigate risks associated with manual control of vehicle orientation?

Development as adaptation: a paradigm for gravitational and space biology

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Alberts, Jeffrey R.; Ronca, April E.

2005-01-01

Adaptation is a central precept of biology; it provides a framework for identifying functional significance. We equate mammalian development with adaptation, by viewing the developmental sequence as a series of adaptations to a stereotyped sequence of habitats. In this way development is adaptation. The Norway rat is used as a mammalian model, and the sequence of habitats that is used to define its adaptive-developmental sequence is (a) the uterus, (b) the mother's body, (c) the huddle, and (d) the coterie of pups as they gain independence. Then, within this framework and in relation to each of the habitats, we consider problems of organismal responses to altered gravitational forces (micro-g to hyper-g), especially those encountered during space flight and centrifugation. This approach enables a clearer identification of simple "effects" and active "responses" with respect to gravity. It focuses our attention on functional systems and brings to the fore the manner in which experience shapes somatic adaptation. We argue that this basic developmental approach is not only central to basic issues in gravitational biology, but that it provides a natural tool for understanding the underlying processes that are vital to astronaut health and well-being during long duration flights that will involve adaptation to space flight conditions and eventual re-adaptation to Earth's gravity.

A Structure-Adaptive Hybrid RBF-BP Classifier with an Optimized Learning Strategy

PubMed Central

Wen, Hui; Xie, Weixin; Pei, Jihong

2016-01-01

This paper presents a structure-adaptive hybrid RBF-BP (SAHRBF-BP) classifier with an optimized learning strategy. SAHRBF-BP is composed of a structure-adaptive RBF network and a BP network of cascade, where the number of RBF hidden nodes is adjusted adaptively according to the distribution of sample space, the adaptive RBF network is used for nonlinear kernel mapping and the BP network is used for nonlinear classification. The optimized learning strategy is as follows: firstly, a potential function is introduced into training sample space to adaptively determine the number of initial RBF hidden nodes and node parameters, and a form of heterogeneous samples repulsive force is designed to further optimize each generated RBF hidden node parameters, the optimized structure-adaptive RBF network is used for adaptively nonlinear mapping the sample space; then, according to the number of adaptively generated RBF hidden nodes, the number of subsequent BP input nodes can be determined, and the overall SAHRBF-BP classifier is built up; finally, different training sample sets are used to train the BP network parameters in SAHRBF-BP. Compared with other algorithms applied to different data sets, experiments show the superiority of SAHRBF-BP. Especially on most low dimensional and large number of data sets, the classification performance of SAHRBF-BP outperforms other training SLFNs algorithms. PMID:27792737

Expose : procedure and results of the joint experiment verification tests

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Panitz, C.; Rettberg, P.; Horneck, G.; Rabbow, E.; Baglioni, P.

The International Space Station will carry the EXPOSE facility accommodated at the universal workplace URM-D located outside the Russian Service Module. The launch will be affected in 2005 and it is planned to stay in space for 1.5 years. The tray like structure will accomodate 2 chemical and 6 biological PI-experiments or experiment systems of the ROSE (Response of Organisms to Space Environment) consortium. EXPOSE will support long-term in situ studies of microbes in artificial meteorites, as well as of microbial communities from special ecological niches, such as endolithic and evaporitic ecosystems. The either vented or sealed experiment pockets will be covered by an optical filter system to control intensity and spectral range of solar UV irradiation. Control of sun exposure will be achieved by the use of individual shutters. To test the compatibility of the different biological systems and their adaptation to the opportunities and constraints of space conditions a profound ground support program has been developed. The procedure and first results of this joint Experiment Verification Tests (EVT) will be presented. The results will be essential for the success of the EXPOSE mission and have been done in parallel with the development and construction of the final hardware design of the facility. The results of the mission will contribute to the understanding of the organic chemistry processes in space, the biological adaptation strategies to extreme conditions, e.g. on early Earth and Mars, and the distribution of life beyond its planet of origin.

Mission Preparation Program for Exobiological Experiments in Earth Orbit

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Panitz, Corinna; Reitz, Guenther; Horneck, Gerda; Rabbow, Elke; Rettberg, Petra

The ESA facilities EXPOSE-R and EXPOSE-E on board of the the International Space Station ISS provide the technology for exposing chemical and biological samples in a controlled manner to outer space parameters, such as high vacuum, intense radiation of galactic and solar origin and microgravity. EXPOSE-E has been attached to the outer balcony of the European Columbus module of the ISS in Febraury 2008 and will stay for about 1 year in space, EXPOSE-R will be attached to the Russian Svezda module of the ISS in fall 2008. The EXPOSE facilities are a further step in the study of the Responses of Organisms to Space Environment (ROSE concortium). The results from the EXPOSE missions will give new insights into the survivability of terrestrial organisms in space and will contribute to the understanding of the organic chemistry processes in space, the biological adaptation strategies to extreme conditions, e.g. on early Earth and Mars, and the distribution of life beyond its planet of origin.To test the compatibility of the different biological and chemical systems and their adaptation to the opportunities and constraints of space conditions a profound ground support program has been developed. It resulted in several experiment verification tests EVTs and an experiment sequence test EST that were conducted in the carefully equipped and monitored planetary and space simulation facilities PSI of the Institute of Aerospace Medicine at DLR in Cologne, Germany. These ground based pre-flight studies allow the investigation of a much wider variety of samples and the selection of the most promising organisms for the flight experiment. The procedure and results of these EVT tests and EST will be presented. These results are an essential prerequisite for the success of the EXPOSE missions and have been done in parallel with the development and construction of the final hardware design of the facility. The results gained during the simulation experiments demonstrated mission preparation as a basic requirement for successful and significant results of every space flight experiment. Hence, the Mission preparation program that was performed in the context of the space missions EXPOSE-E and EXPOSE-R proofed the outstanding importance and accentuated need for ground based experiments.

Neurovestibular Considerations for Sub-Orbital Space Flight: A Framework for Future Investigation

PubMed Central

Karmali, Faisal; Shelhamer, Mark

2013-01-01

Commercial sub-orbital operators will soon offer the excitement of traveling to space to thousands of people. Based on previous experience in space flight and parabolic flight, sensorimotor disruptions in eye movements, postural stability, and motor coordination are likely in these travelers. Here we propose a framework for developing strategies to overcome these sensorimotor disruptions. We delineate how approaches should differ from those applied to orbital flight and between sub-orbital passengers and pilots based on differing frequency of flights and mission objectives. Sensorimotor adaptation is one strategy for overcoming disruptions; an important question is whether it occurs quickly enough to be of use during periods of reduced and enhanced gravity lasting less than five minutes. Data are presented showing that sensorimotor adaptation of the pitch vestibulo-ocular reflex during parabolic flight takes a few consecutive days of flying to overcome an initial disruption. We conclude with recommendations for operators and researchers to improve safety and comfort during sub-orbital operations. We recommend using parabolic flight as a tool for pre-adapting sub-orbital passengers, along with further research into the required quantity and timing of these pre-adaptation flights and the tasks conducted during these flights. Likewise, for sub-orbital pilots, we recommend emphasizing recency of experience. PMID:20555165

Nuclear Emulsion - Skylab Experiment S009

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

1970-01-01

This photograph shows Skylab's Nuclear Emulsion experiment, a Skylab science facility that was mounted inside the Multiple Docking Adapter used to record the relative abundance of primary, high-energy heavy nuclei outside the Earth's atmosphere. The Marshall Space Flight Center had program management responsibility for the development of Skylab hardware and experiments.

Dynamic Experiment Design Regularization Approach to Adaptive Imaging with Array Radar/SAR Sensor Systems

PubMed Central

Shkvarko, Yuriy; Tuxpan, José; Santos, Stewart

2011-01-01

We consider a problem of high-resolution array radar/SAR imaging formalized in terms of a nonlinear ill-posed inverse problem of nonparametric estimation of the power spatial spectrum pattern (SSP) of the random wavefield scattered from a remotely sensed scene observed through a kernel signal formation operator and contaminated with random Gaussian noise. First, the Sobolev-type solution space is constructed to specify the class of consistent kernel SSP estimators with the reproducing kernel structures adapted to the metrics in such the solution space. Next, the “model-free” variational analysis (VA)-based image enhancement approach and the “model-based” descriptive experiment design (DEED) regularization paradigm are unified into a new dynamic experiment design (DYED) regularization framework. Application of the proposed DYED framework to the adaptive array radar/SAR imaging problem leads to a class of two-level (DEED-VA) regularized SSP reconstruction techniques that aggregate the kernel adaptive anisotropic windowing with the projections onto convex sets to enforce the consistency and robustness of the overall iterative SSP estimators. We also show how the proposed DYED regularization method may be considered as a generalization of the MVDR, APES and other high-resolution nonparametric adaptive radar sensing techniques. A family of the DYED-related algorithms is constructed and their effectiveness is finally illustrated via numerical simulations. PMID:22163859

Adaptive Instrument Module: Space Instrument Controller "Brain" through Programmable Logic Devices

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Darrin, Ann Garrison; Conde, Richard; Chern, Bobbie; Luers, Phil; Jurczyk, Steve; Mills, Carl; Day, John H. (Technical Monitor)

2001-01-01

The Adaptive Instrument Module (AIM) will be the first true demonstration of reconfigurable computing with field-programmable gate arrays (FPGAs) in space, enabling the 'brain' of the system to evolve or adapt to changing requirements. In partnership with NASA Goddard Space Flight Center and the Australian Cooperative Research Centre for Satellite Systems (CRC-SS), APL has built the flight version to be flown on the Australian university-class satellite FEDSAT. The AIM provides satellites the flexibility to adapt to changing mission requirements by reconfiguring standardized processing hardware rather than incurring the large costs associated with new builds. This ability to reconfigure the processing in response to changing mission needs leads to true evolveable computing, wherein the instrument 'brain' can learn from new science data in order to perform state-of-the-art data processing. The development of the AIM is significant in its enormous potential to reduce total life-cycle costs for future space exploration missions. The advent of RAM-based FPGAs whose configuration can be changed at any time has enabled the development of the AIM for processing tasks that could not be performed in software. The use of the AIM enables reconfiguration of the FPGA circuitry while the spacecraft is in flight, with many accompanying advantages. The AIM demonstrates the practicalities of using reconfigurable computing hardware devices by conducting a series of designed experiments. These include the demonstration of implementing data compression, data filtering, and communication message processing and inter-experiment data computation. The second generation is the Adaptive Processing Template (ADAPT) which is further described in this paper. The next step forward is to make the hardware itself adaptable and the ADAPT pursues this challenge by developing a reconfigurable module that will be capable of functioning efficiently in various applications. ADAPT will take advantage of radiation tolerant RAM-based field programmable gate array (FPGA) technology to develop a reconfigurable processor that combines the flexibility of a general purpose processor running software with the performance of application specific processing hardware for a variety of high performance computing applications.

Genetic dissection of the Arabidopsis spaceflight transcriptome: Are some responses dispensable for the physiological adaptation of plants to spaceflight?

PubMed Central

Sng, Natasha J.; Zupanska, Agata K.; Krishnamurthy, Aparna; Schultz, Eric R.; Ferl, Robert J.

2017-01-01

Experimentation on the International Space Station has reached the stage where repeated and nuanced transcriptome studies are beginning to illuminate the structural and metabolic differences between plants grown in space compared to plants on the Earth. Genes that are important in establishing the spaceflight responses are being identified, their roles in spaceflight physiological adaptation are increasingly understood, and the fact that different genotypes adapt differently is recognized. However, the basic question of whether these spaceflight responses are actually required for survival has yet to be posed, and the fundamental notion that spaceflight responses may be non-adaptive has yet to be explored. Therefore the experiments presented here were designed to ask if portions of the plant spaceflight response can be genetically removed without causing loss of spaceflight survival and without causing increased stress responses. The CARA experiment compared the spaceflight transcriptome responses in the root tips of two Arabidopsis ecotypes, Col-0 and WS, as well as that of a PhyD mutant of Col-0. When grown with the ambient light of the ISS, phyD plants displayed a significantly reduced spaceflight transcriptome response compared to Col-0, suggesting that altering the activity of a single gene can actually improve spaceflight adaptation by reducing the transcriptome cost of physiological adaptation. The WS genotype showed an even simpler spaceflight transcriptome response in the ambient light of the ISS, more broadly indicating that the plant genotype can be manipulated to reduce the cost of spaceflight adaptation, as measured by transcriptional response. These differential genotypic responses suggest that genetic manipulation could further reduce, or perhaps eliminate the metabolic cost of spaceflight adaptation. When plants were germinated and then left in the dark on the ISS, the WS genotype actually mounted a larger transcriptome response than Col-0, suggesting that the in-space light environment affects physiological adaptation, which implies that manipulating the local habitat can also substantially impact the metabolic cost of spaceflight adaptation. PMID:28662188

Genetic dissection of the Arabidopsis spaceflight transcriptome: Are some responses dispensable for the physiological adaptation of plants to spaceflight?

PubMed

Paul, Anna-Lisa; Sng, Natasha J; Zupanska, Agata K; Krishnamurthy, Aparna; Schultz, Eric R; Ferl, Robert J

2017-01-01

Experimentation on the International Space Station has reached the stage where repeated and nuanced transcriptome studies are beginning to illuminate the structural and metabolic differences between plants grown in space compared to plants on the Earth. Genes that are important in establishing the spaceflight responses are being identified, their roles in spaceflight physiological adaptation are increasingly understood, and the fact that different genotypes adapt differently is recognized. However, the basic question of whether these spaceflight responses are actually required for survival has yet to be posed, and the fundamental notion that spaceflight responses may be non-adaptive has yet to be explored. Therefore the experiments presented here were designed to ask if portions of the plant spaceflight response can be genetically removed without causing loss of spaceflight survival and without causing increased stress responses. The CARA experiment compared the spaceflight transcriptome responses in the root tips of two Arabidopsis ecotypes, Col-0 and WS, as well as that of a PhyD mutant of Col-0. When grown with the ambient light of the ISS, phyD plants displayed a significantly reduced spaceflight transcriptome response compared to Col-0, suggesting that altering the activity of a single gene can actually improve spaceflight adaptation by reducing the transcriptome cost of physiological adaptation. The WS genotype showed an even simpler spaceflight transcriptome response in the ambient light of the ISS, more broadly indicating that the plant genotype can be manipulated to reduce the cost of spaceflight adaptation, as measured by transcriptional response. These differential genotypic responses suggest that genetic manipulation could further reduce, or perhaps eliminate the metabolic cost of spaceflight adaptation. When plants were germinated and then left in the dark on the ISS, the WS genotype actually mounted a larger transcriptome response than Col-0, suggesting that the in-space light environment affects physiological adaptation, which implies that manipulating the local habitat can also substantially impact the metabolic cost of spaceflight adaptation.

Rapid adaptation to microgravity in mammalian macrophage cells.

PubMed

Thiel, Cora S; de Zélicourt, Diane; Tauber, Svantje; Adrian, Astrid; Franz, Markus; Simmet, Dana M; Schoppmann, Kathrin; Hauschild, Swantje; Krammer, Sonja; Christen, Miriam; Bradacs, Gesine; Paulsen, Katrin; Wolf, Susanne A; Braun, Markus; Hatton, Jason; Kurtcuoglu, Vartan; Franke, Stefanie; Tanner, Samuel; Cristoforetti, Samantha; Sick, Beate; Hock, Bertold; Ullrich, Oliver

2017-02-27

Despite the observed severe effects of microgravity on mammalian cells, many astronauts have completed long term stays in space without suffering from severe health problems. This raises questions about the cellular capacity for adaptation to a new gravitational environment. The International Space Station (ISS) experiment TRIPLE LUX A, performed in the BIOLAB laboratory of the ISS COLUMBUS module, allowed for the first time the direct measurement of a cellular function in real time and on orbit. We measured the oxidative burst reaction in mammalian macrophages (NR8383 rat alveolar macrophages) exposed to a centrifuge regime of internal 0 g and 1 g controls and step-wise increase or decrease of the gravitational force in four independent experiments. Surprisingly, we found that these macrophages adapted to microgravity in an ultra-fast manner within seconds, after an immediate inhibitory effect on the oxidative burst reaction. For the first time, we provided direct evidence of cellular sensitivity to gravity, through real-time on orbit measurements and by using an experimental system, in which all factors except gravity were constant. The surprisingly ultra-fast adaptation to microgravity indicates that mammalian macrophages are equipped with a highly efficient adaptation potential to a low gravity environment. This opens new avenues for the exploration of adaptation of mammalian cells to gravitational changes.

A system for conducting igneous petrology experiments under controlled redox conditions in reduced gravity

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Williams, R. J.

1986-01-01

The Space Shuttle and the planned Space Station will permit experimentation under conditions of reduced gravitational acceleration offering experimental petrologists the opportunity to study crystal growth, element distribution, and phase chemistry. In particular the confounding effects of macro and micro scale buoyancy-induced convection and crystal settling or floatation can be greatly reduced over those observed in experiments in the terrestrial laboratory. Also, for experiments in which detailed replication of the environment is important, the access to reduced gravity will permit a more complete simulation of processes that may have occurred on asteroids or in free space. A technique that was developed to control, measure, and manipulate oxygen fugacites with small quantities of gas which are recirculated over the sample is described. This system should be adaptable to reduced gravity space experiments requiring redox control. Experiments done conventionally and those done using this technique yield identical results done in a 1-g field.

Development of a Portable Motor Learning Laboratory (PoMLab)

PubMed Central

Shinya, Masahiro

2016-01-01

Most motor learning experiments have been conducted in a laboratory setting. In this type of setting, a huge and expensive manipulandum is frequently used, requiring a large budget and wide open space. Subjects also need to travel to the laboratory, which is a burden for them. This burden is particularly severe for patients with neurological disorders. Here, we describe the development of a novel application based on Unity3D and smart devices, e.g., smartphones or tablet devices, that can be used to conduct motor learning experiments at any time and in any place, without requiring a large budget and wide open space and without the burden of travel on subjects. We refer to our application as POrtable Motor learning LABoratory, or PoMLab. PoMLab is a multiplatform application that is available and sharable for free. We investigated whether PoMLab could be an alternative to the laboratory setting using a visuomotor rotation paradigm that causes sensory prediction error, enabling the investigation of how subjects minimize the error. In the first experiment, subjects could adapt to a constant visuomotor rotation that was abruptly applied at a specific trial. The learning curve for the first experiment could be modeled well using a state space model, a mathematical model that describes the motor leaning process. In the second experiment, subjects could adapt to a visuomotor rotation that gradually increased each trial. The subjects adapted to the gradually increasing visuomotor rotation without being aware of the visuomotor rotation. These experimental results have been reported for conventional experiments conducted in a laboratory setting, and our PoMLab application could reproduce these results. PoMLab can thus be considered an alternative to the laboratory setting. We also conducted follow-up experiments in university physical education classes. A state space model that was fit to the data obtained in the laboratory experiments could predict the learning curves obtained in the follow-up experiments. Further, we investigated the influence of vibration function, weight, and screen size on learning curves. Finally, we compared the learning curves obtained in the PoMLab experiments to those obtained in the conventional reaching experiments. The results of the in-class experiments show that PoMLab can be used to conduct motor learning experiments at any time and place. PMID:27348223

Development of a Portable Motor Learning Laboratory (PoMLab).

PubMed

Takiyama, Ken; Shinya, Masahiro

2016-01-01

Most motor learning experiments have been conducted in a laboratory setting. In this type of setting, a huge and expensive manipulandum is frequently used, requiring a large budget and wide open space. Subjects also need to travel to the laboratory, which is a burden for them. This burden is particularly severe for patients with neurological disorders. Here, we describe the development of a novel application based on Unity3D and smart devices, e.g., smartphones or tablet devices, that can be used to conduct motor learning experiments at any time and in any place, without requiring a large budget and wide open space and without the burden of travel on subjects. We refer to our application as POrtable Motor learning LABoratory, or PoMLab. PoMLab is a multiplatform application that is available and sharable for free. We investigated whether PoMLab could be an alternative to the laboratory setting using a visuomotor rotation paradigm that causes sensory prediction error, enabling the investigation of how subjects minimize the error. In the first experiment, subjects could adapt to a constant visuomotor rotation that was abruptly applied at a specific trial. The learning curve for the first experiment could be modeled well using a state space model, a mathematical model that describes the motor leaning process. In the second experiment, subjects could adapt to a visuomotor rotation that gradually increased each trial. The subjects adapted to the gradually increasing visuomotor rotation without being aware of the visuomotor rotation. These experimental results have been reported for conventional experiments conducted in a laboratory setting, and our PoMLab application could reproduce these results. PoMLab can thus be considered an alternative to the laboratory setting. We also conducted follow-up experiments in university physical education classes. A state space model that was fit to the data obtained in the laboratory experiments could predict the learning curves obtained in the follow-up experiments. Further, we investigated the influence of vibration function, weight, and screen size on learning curves. Finally, we compared the learning curves obtained in the PoMLab experiments to those obtained in the conventional reaching experiments. The results of the in-class experiments show that PoMLab can be used to conduct motor learning experiments at any time and place.

ARG1 Functions in the Physiological Adaptation of Undifferentiated Plant Cells to Spaceflight.

PubMed

Zupanska, Agata K; Schultz, Eric R; Yao, JiQiang; Sng, Natasha J; Zhou, Mingqi; Callaham, Jordan B; Ferl, Robert J; Paul, Anna-Lisa

2017-11-01

Scientific access to spaceflight and especially the International Space Station has revealed that physiological adaptation to spaceflight is accompanied or enabled by changes in gene expression that significantly alter the transcriptome of cells in spaceflight. A wide range of experiments have shown that plant physiological adaptation to spaceflight involves gene expression changes that alter cell wall and other metabolisms. However, while transcriptome profiling aptly illuminates changes in gene expression that accompany spaceflight adaptation, mutation analysis is required to illuminate key elements required for that adaptation. Here we report how transcriptome profiling was used to gain insight into the spaceflight adaptation role of Altered response to gravity 1 (Arg1), a gene known to affect gravity responses in plants on Earth. The study compared expression profiles of cultured lines of Arabidopsis thaliana derived from wild-type (WT) cultivar Col-0 to profiles from a knock-out line deficient in the gene encoding ARG1 (ARG1 KO), both on the ground and in space. The cell lines were launched on SpaceX CRS-2 as part of the Cellular Expression Logic (CEL) experiment of the BRIC-17 spaceflight mission. The cultured cell lines were grown within 60 mm Petri plates in Petri Dish Fixation Units (PDFUs) that were housed within the Biological Research In Canisters (BRIC) hardware. Spaceflight samples were fixed on orbit. Differentially expressed genes were identified between the two environments (spaceflight and comparable ground controls) and the two genotypes (WT and ARG1 KO). Each genotype engaged unique genes during physiological adaptation to the spaceflight environment, with little overlap. Most of the genes altered in expression in spaceflight in WT cells were found to be Arg1-dependent, suggesting a major role for that gene in the physiological adaptation of undifferentiated cells to spaceflight. Key Words: ARG1-Spaceflight-Gene expression-Physiological adaptation-BRIC. Astrobiology 17, 1077-1111.

A system for conducting igneous petrology experiments under controlled redox conditions in reduced gravity

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Williams, Richard J.

1987-01-01

The Space Shuttle and the planned Space Station will permit experimentation under conditions of reduced gravitational acceleration offering experimental petrologists the opportunity to study crystal growth, element distribution, and phase chemistry. In particular the confounding effects of macro and micro scale buoyancy-induced convection and crystal settling or flotation can be greatly reduced over those observed in experiments in the terrestrial laboratory. Also, for experiments in which detailed replication of the environment is important, the access to reduced gravity will permit a more complete simulation of processes that may have occurred on asteroids or in free space. A technique that was developed to control, measure, and manipulate oxygen fugacities with small quantities of gas which are recirculated over the sample. This system could be adaptable to reduced gravity space experiments requiring redox control.

Neuronal responses to vector-averaged gravity: a search for gravisensing and adaptation mechanisms--a preliminary report.

PubMed

Gruener, R

1998-01-01

This paper serves as a milepost in our work using the clinostat as a tool for mimicking certain aspects of altered gravity conditions (vector-nulled gravity) in order to gain insights into the adaptation of cells (and hence organisms) to the microgravity environment of space. I review here recent data, limited to cellular adaptation to altered gravity environments, from others in the field, and including some of our work using the clinostat and from spaceflight experiments. Finally, I report here preliminary results of experiments, carried out initially at Nagoya University's RIEM with follow-up experiments at the University of Arizona, to test the applicability of PC12 cells as neuronal models in which to assess adaptation to altered gravity conditions. PC12 (phaeochromocytoma) cells were used to examine two central hypotheses. The first is that the ubiquity of the cytoskeletally tethered nucleus of cells serves as a general gravisensing device which may be incidental to its other, more central genomic control-role. The second hypothesis is that the clinostat is a useful, earthbound platform on which to carry out space-biology relevant experiments in preparation for testing in space flights. PC12 cells were triggered to differentiate, into neuron-like cells, by the addition of Nerve Growth Factor (NGF) to the culture medium within 4-6 hours after cell plating and just before mounting cultures on the clinostat and control devices. Cultures, in 60 mm or 35 mm polylysine-coated dishes, were subjected to clinorotation, centrifugal force, motional controls and shear-turbulence control conditions for varying periods. Experiments were carried out at 37 degrees C. Cell morphology (including neurite characteristics) and gene activation were examined. Cytoskeletal integrity was assessed from the staining of tubulin and actin filaments. Confocal microscopy in combination with fluorescence monitoring was undertaken. At this point of the investigation, only preliminary data can be presented. This is due to various technical problems and the need to carry out rigorous statistical tests. Still, the preliminary data are of interest because they form the foundation for interpretation against the background of cellular gravisensing and adaptation to gravitational perturbations.

AFFINE-CORRECTED PARADISE: FREE-BREATHING PATIENT-ADAPTIVE CARDIAC MRI WITH SENSITIVITY ENCODING

PubMed Central

Sharif, Behzad; Bresler, Yoram

2013-01-01

We propose a real-time cardiac imaging method with parallel MRI that allows for free breathing during imaging and does not require cardiac or respiratory gating. The method is based on the recently proposed PARADISE (Patient-Adaptive Reconstruction and Acquisition Dynamic Imaging with Sensitivity Encoding) scheme. The new acquisition method adapts the PARADISE k-t space sampling pattern according to an affine model of the respiratory motion. The reconstruction scheme involves multi-channel time-sequential imaging with time-varying channels. All model parameters are adapted to the imaged patient as part of the experiment and drive both data acquisition and cine reconstruction. Simulated cardiac MRI experiments using the realistic NCAT phantom show high quality cine reconstructions and robustness to modeling inaccuracies. PMID:24390159

Astronaut Shane Kimbrough Visits Marshall Space Flight Center

NASA Image and Video Library

2017-08-31

NASA astronaut Shane Kimbrough presents highlights from his Expedition 49-50 mission aboard the International Space Station Sept. 19 to students from theU.S. Space & Rocket Center's Space Camp and team members at NASA's Marshall Space Flight Center. While serving as commander of the station, Kimbrough conducted four spacewalks, during which he installed new batteries and relay boxes, and helped move a pressurized mating adapter for future commercial crew spacecraft visiting the outpost. He also contributed to hundreds of experiments in biology, biotechnology, physical science and Earthobservations. One of these experiments was the Microgravity Expanded Stem Cells investigation, results of which could lead to the treatment of diseases andinjury in space and provide a way to improve stem cell production for medical therapies on Earth.

Skylab

NASA Image and Video Library

1970-09-01

This photograph shows Skylab's Nuclear Emulsion experiment, a Skylab science facility that was mounted inside the Multiple Docking Adapter used to record the relative abundance of primary, high-energy heavy nuclei outside the Earth's atmosphere. The Marshall Space Flight Center had program management responsibility for the development of Skylab hardware and experiments.

Skylab

NASA Image and Video Library

1973-01-01

This photograph shows the internal configuration of Skylab's Multiple Docking Adapter (MDA), including callouts for its various internal experiments and facilities. Designed and manufactured by the Marshall Space Flight Center, the MDA housed a number of experiment control and stowage units and provided a docking port for the Apollo Command Module.

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. - Workers in the Space Station Processing Facility observe consoles during a Multi-Element Integrated Test (MEIT) of the U.S. Node 2 and the Japanese Experiment Module (JEM). Node 2 attaches to the end of the U.S. Lab on the ISS and provides attach locations for the Japanese laboratory, European laboratory, the Centrifuge Accommodation Module and, eventually, Multipurpose Logistics Modules. It will provide the primary docking location for the Shuttle when a pressurized mating adapter is attached to Node 2. Installation of the module will complete the U.S. Core of the ISS. The JEM, developed by the National Space Development Agency of Japan (NASDA), is Japan's primary contribution to the Station. It will enhance the unique research capabilities of the orbiting complex by providing an additional environment for astronauts to conduct science experiments.

NASA Image and Video Library

2003-09-03

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. - Workers in the Space Station Processing Facility observe consoles during a Multi-Element Integrated Test (MEIT) of the U.S. Node 2 and the Japanese Experiment Module (JEM). Node 2 attaches to the end of the U.S. Lab on the ISS and provides attach locations for the Japanese laboratory, European laboratory, the Centrifuge Accommodation Module and, eventually, Multipurpose Logistics Modules. It will provide the primary docking location for the Shuttle when a pressurized mating adapter is attached to Node 2. Installation of the module will complete the U.S. Core of the ISS. The JEM, developed by the National Space Development Agency of Japan (NASDA), is Japan's primary contribution to the Station. It will enhance the unique research capabilities of the orbiting complex by providing an additional environment for astronauts to conduct science experiments.

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. - Technicians in the Space Station Processing Facility work on a Multi-Element Integrated Test (MEIT) of the U.S. Node 2 and the Japanese Experiment Module (JEM). Node 2 attaches to the end of the U.S. Lab on the ISS and provides attach locations for the Japanese laboratory, European laboratory, the Centrifuge Accommodation Module and, eventually, Multipurpose Logistics Modules. It will provide the primary docking location for the Shuttle when a pressurized mating adapter is attached to Node 2. Installation of the module will complete the U.S. Core of the ISS. The JEM, developed by the National Space Development Agency of Japan (NASDA), is Japan's primary contribution to the Station. It will enhance the unique research capabilities of the orbiting complex by providing an additional environment for astronauts to conduct science experiments.

NASA Image and Video Library

2003-09-03

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. - Technicians in the Space Station Processing Facility work on a Multi-Element Integrated Test (MEIT) of the U.S. Node 2 and the Japanese Experiment Module (JEM). Node 2 attaches to the end of the U.S. Lab on the ISS and provides attach locations for the Japanese laboratory, European laboratory, the Centrifuge Accommodation Module and, eventually, Multipurpose Logistics Modules. It will provide the primary docking location for the Shuttle when a pressurized mating adapter is attached to Node 2. Installation of the module will complete the U.S. Core of the ISS. The JEM, developed by the National Space Development Agency of Japan (NASDA), is Japan's primary contribution to the Station. It will enhance the unique research capabilities of the orbiting complex by providing an additional environment for astronauts to conduct science experiments.

Adaptive optics correction into single mode fiber for a low Earth orbiting space to ground optical communication link using the OPALS downlink.

PubMed

Wright, Malcolm W; Morris, Jeffery F; Kovalik, Joseph M; Andrews, Kenneth S; Abrahamson, Matthew J; Biswas, Abhijit

2015-12-28

An adaptive optics (AO) testbed was integrated to the Optical PAyload for Lasercomm Science (OPALS) ground station telescope at the Optical Communications Telescope Laboratory (OCTL) as part of the free space laser communications experiment with the flight system on board the International Space Station (ISS). Atmospheric turbulence induced aberrations on the optical downlink were adaptively corrected during an overflight of the ISS so that the transmitted laser signal could be efficiently coupled into a single mode fiber continuously. A stable output Strehl ratio of around 0.6 was demonstrated along with the recovery of a 50 Mbps encoded high definition (HD) video transmission from the ISS at the output of the single mode fiber. This proof of concept demonstration validates multi-Gbps optical downlinks from fast slewing low-Earth orbiting (LEO) spacecraft to ground assets in a manner that potentially allows seamless space to ground connectivity for future high data-rates network.

Miles Discusses Experiment With NASA Personnel

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

1972-01-01

Lexington, Massachusetts high school student, Judith Miles, discusses her proposed Skylab experiment with Keith Demorest (right) and Henry Floyd, both of Marshall Space Flight Center (MSFC). In her experiment, called the 'Web Formation in Zero Gravity', called for spiders to be released into a box and their actions recorded to determine how well they adapt to the absence of gravity. Spiders are known to adapt quickly to other changes in the environment but nothing was known of their ability to adapt to weightlessness. At the same time spiders were weaving webs in Earth orbit, similar spiders were spinning webs in identical boxes on Earth under full gravity conditions. Miles was among the 25 winners of a contest in which some 3,500 high school students proposed experiments for the following year's Skylab Mission. Of the 25 students, 6 did not see their experiments conducted on Skylab because the experiments were not compatible with Skylab hardware and timelines. Of the 19 remaining, 11 experiments required the manufacture of equipment.

Life science experiments performed in space in the ISS/Kibo facility and future research plans

PubMed Central

Ohnishi, Takeo

2016-01-01

Over the past several years, current techniques in molecular biology have been used to perform experiments in space, focusing on the nature and effects of space radiation. In the Japanese ‘Kibo’ facility in the International Space Station (ISS), the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) has performed five life science experiments since 2009, and two additional experiments are currently in progress. The first life science experiment in space was the ‘Rad Gene’ project, which utilized two human cultured lymphoblastoid cell lines containing a mutated p53 gene (mp53) and a parental wild-type p53 gene (wtp53) respectively. Four parameters were examined: (i) detecting space radiation–induced DSBs by observing γH2AX foci; (ii) observing p53-dependent gene expression during space flight; (iii) observing p53-dependent gene expression after space flight; and (iv) observing the adaptive response in the two cell lines containing the mutated and wild type p53 genes after exposure to space radiation. These observations were completed and have been reported, and this paper is a review of these experiments. In addition, recent new information from space-based experiments involving radiation biology is presented here. These experiments involve human cultured cells, silkworm eggs, mouse embryonic stem cells and mouse eggs in various experiments designed by other principal investigators in the ISS/Kibo. The progress of Japanese science groups involved in these space experiments together with JAXA are also discussed here. The Japanese Society for Biological Sciences in Space (JSBSS), the Utilization Committee of Space Environment Science (UCSES) and the Science Council of Japan (ACJ) have supported these new projects and new experimental facilities in ISS/Kibo. Currently, these organizations are proposing new experiments for the ISS through 2024. PMID:27130692

Postural control and perceptive configuration: influence of expertise in gymnastics.

PubMed

Gautier, Geoffroy; Thouvarecq, Régis; Vuillerme, Nicolas

2008-07-01

The purpose of the present experiment was to investigate how postural adaptations to the perceptive configuration are modified by specific gymnastics experience. Two groups, one expert in gymnastics and the other non-expert, had to maintain the erected posture while optical flow was imposed as follows: 20s motionless, 30s approaching motion, and 20s motionless. The centre of pressure and head displacements were analysed. The postural adaptations were characterised by the variability of movements for the flow conditions and by the postural latencies for the flow transitions. The results showed that the gymnasts tended to minimise their body movements and were more stationary (head) but not more stable (COP) than the non-gymnasts. These results suggest that gymnastics experience develops a specific postural adaptability relative to the perceptive configuration. We conclude that a specific postural experience could be considered as an intrinsic constraint, which leads to modification in the patterns of functional adaptation in the perceptive motor space.

Health monitoring of Japanese payload specialist: Autonomic nervous and cardiovascular responses under reduced gravity condition (L-0)

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Sekiguchi, Chiharu

1993-01-01

In addition to health monitoring of the Japanese Payload Specialists (PS) during the flight, this investigation also focuses on the changes of cardiovascular hemodynamics during flight which will be conducted under the science collaboration with the Lower Body Negative Pressure (LBNP) Experiment of NASA. For the Japanese, this is an opportunity to examine firsthand the effects of microgravity of human physiology. We are particularly interested in the adaption process and how it relates to space motion sickness and cardiovascular deconditioning. By comparing data from our own experiment to data collected by others, we hope to understand the processes involved and find ways to avoid these problems for future Japanese astronauts onboard Space Station Freedom and other Japanese space ventures. The primary objective of this experiment is to monitor the health condition of Japanese Payload Specialists to maintain a good health status during and after space flight. The second purpose is to investigate the autonomic nervous system's response to space motion sickness. To achieve this, the function of the autonomic nervous system will be monitored using non-invasive techniques. Data obtained will be employed to evaluate the role of autonomic nervous system in space motion sickness and to predict susceptibility to space motion sickness. The third objective is evaluation of the adaption process of the cardiovascular system to microgravity. By observation of the hemodynamics using an echocardiogram we will gain insight on cardiovascular deconditioning. The last objective is to create a data base for use in the health care of Japanese astronauts by obtaining control data in experiment L-O in the SL-J mission.

Understanding How Astronauts Adapt to Space and to Earth: Anatomical Studies of Central Vestibular Adaptation

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Holstein, Gay; Vasques, Marilyn; Aquilina, Rudy (Technical Monitor)

2002-01-01

Significant changes take place in the nervous systems of astronauts during and following exposure to microgravity. These changes, particularly in the part of the brain that controls balance, the vestibular system, can cause sensations of rotation, dizziness, and vertigo, as well as space adaptation syndrome. Adaptation to the microgravity environment usually occurs within one week, and a subsequent re-adaptation period of several days is often required upon return to Earth. In order to realize long-term spaceflight, effective countermeasures for these symptoms must be developed. The structural changes that take place in one of the vestibular regions of the brain (the cerebellar cortex) during the process of adaptation to Earth's gravity remain unclear and are the subject of an experiment being conducted on STS-107 by Dr. Gay Holstein of the Mount Sinai School of Medicine in New York. Using the rat as a model, Dr. Holstein and her team will seek to identify the cellular changes underlying the vestibular changes experienced by astronauts.

Outdoor thermal comfort.

PubMed

Nikolopoulou, Marialena

2011-06-01

A review of the various approaches in understanding outdoor thermal comfort is presented. The emphasis on field surveys from around the world, particularly across Europe, enables us to understand thermal perception and evaluate outdoor thermal comfort conditions. The consistent low correlations between objective microclimatic variables, subjective thermal sensation and comfort outdoors, internationally, suggest that thermophysiology alone does not adequate describe these relationships. Focusing on the concept of adaptation, it tries to explain how this influences outdoor comfort, enabling us to inhabit and get satisfaction from outdoor spaces throughout the year. Beyond acclimatization and behavioral adaptation, through adjustments in clothing and changes to the metabolic heat, psychological adaptation plays a critical role to ensure thermal comfort and satisfaction with the outdoor environment. Such parameters include recent experiences and expectations; personal choice and perceived control, more important than whether that control is actually exercised; and the need for positive environmental stimulation suggesting that thermal neutrality is not a pre-requisite for thermal comfort. Ultimately, enhancing environmental diversity can influence thermal perception and experience of open spaces.

Training of cosmonauts and astronauts

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Gurovskiy, N. N.; Link, M. M.

1975-01-01

The biomedical and preflight training of spacecraft crews is discussed based on a survey of scientific and technical literature in the U.S. and U.S.S.R. Experience gained from high velocity and high altitude aircraft flights, predictions of human reactions and theoretical models of human adaptation to the new environment of space, and actual spaceflight experience provided scientists and specialists with data from which the state of human health in space could be predicted and life support measures developed.

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. - In the Space Station Processing Facility, the U.S. Node 2 (center) and the Japanese Experiment Module (JEM), background right, await a Multi-Element Integrated Test (MEIT). Node 2 attaches to the end of the U.S. Lab on the International Space Station and provides attach locations for the Japanese laboratory, European laboratory, the Centrifuge Accommodation Module and, eventually, Multipurpose Logistics Modules. It will provide the primary docking location for the Shuttle when a pressurized mating adapter is attached to Node 2. Installation of the module will complete the U.S. Core of the ISS. The National Space Development Agency of Japan (NASDA) developed their laboratory at the Tsukuba Space Center near Tokyo. It is the first element, named "Kibo" (Hope), to be delivered to KSC. The JEM is Japan's primary contribution to the Station. It will enhance the unique research capabilities of the orbiting complex by providing an additional environment for astronauts to conduct science experiments.

NASA Image and Video Library

2003-08-27

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. - In the Space Station Processing Facility, the U.S. Node 2 (center) and the Japanese Experiment Module (JEM), background right, await a Multi-Element Integrated Test (MEIT). Node 2 attaches to the end of the U.S. Lab on the International Space Station and provides attach locations for the Japanese laboratory, European laboratory, the Centrifuge Accommodation Module and, eventually, Multipurpose Logistics Modules. It will provide the primary docking location for the Shuttle when a pressurized mating adapter is attached to Node 2. Installation of the module will complete the U.S. Core of the ISS. The National Space Development Agency of Japan (NASDA) developed their laboratory at the Tsukuba Space Center near Tokyo. It is the first element, named "Kibo" (Hope), to be delivered to KSC. The JEM is Japan's primary contribution to the Station. It will enhance the unique research capabilities of the orbiting complex by providing an additional environment for astronauts to conduct science experiments.

Bridging Spaces: Cross-Cultural Perspectives on Promoting Positive Online Learning Experiences

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Luyt, Ilka

2013-01-01

The globalization of online courses has transformed online learning into cross-cultural learning spaces. Students from non-English backgrounds are enrolling in credit-bearing courses and must adjust their thinking and writing to adapt to online practices. Online courses have as their aim the construction of knowledge, but students' perceptions of…

SKYLAB (SL)-3 - EXPERIMENT HARDWARE

NASA Image and Video Library

1973-11-08

S74-19675 (1974) --- Medium close-up view of the M512 materials processing equipment storage assembly and the M518 electric furnace in the Multiple Docking Adapter (MDA), one of the primary elements of the Skylab space station. The assembly holds equipment designed to explore space manufacturing capability in a weightless state. Photo credit: NASA

Microbial Monitoring of Crewed Habitats in Space—Current Status and Future Perspectives

PubMed Central

Yamaguchi, Nobuyasu; Roberts, Michael; Castro, Sarah; Oubre, Cherie; Makimura, Koichi; Leys, Natalie; Grohmann, Elisabeth; Sugita, Takashi; Ichijo, Tomoaki; Nasu, Masao

2014-01-01

Previous space research conducted during short-term flight experiments and long-term environmental monitoring on board orbiting space stations suggests that the relationship between humans and microbes is altered in the crewed habitat in space. Both human physiology and microbial communities adapt to spaceflight. Microbial monitoring is critical to crew safety in long-duration space habitation and the sustained operation of life support systems on space transit vehicles, space stations, and surface habitats. To address this critical need, space agencies including NASA (National Aeronautics and Space Administration), ESA (European Space Agency), and JAXA (Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency) are working together to develop and implement specific measures to monitor, control, and counteract biological contamination in closed-environment systems. In this review, the current status of microbial monitoring conducted in the International Space Station (ISS) as well as the results of recent microbial spaceflight experiments have been summarized and future perspectives are discussed. PMID:25130885

Skylab

NASA Image and Video Library

1972-08-21

Lexington, Massachusetts high school student, Judith Miles, discusses her proposed Skylab experiment with Keith Demorest (right) and Henry Floyd, both of Marshall Space Flight Center (MSFC). In her experiment, called the “Web Formation in Zero Gravity”, called for spiders to be released into a box and their actions recorded to determine how well they adapt to the absence of gravity. Spiders are known to adapt quickly to other changes in the environment but nothing was known of their ability to adapt to weightlessness. At the same time spiders were weaving webs in Earth orbit, similar spiders were spinning webs in identical boxes on Earth under full gravity conditions. Miles was among the 25 winners of a contest in which some 3,500 high school students proposed experiments for the following year’s Skylab Mission. Of the 25 students, 6 did not see their experiments conducted on Skylab because the experiments were not compatible with Skylab hardware and timelines. Of the 19 remaining, 11 experiments required the manufacture of equipment.

Design of Low Complexity Model Reference Adaptive Controllers

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Hanson, Curt; Schaefer, Jacob; Johnson, Marcus; Nguyen, Nhan

2012-01-01

Flight research experiments have demonstrated that adaptive flight controls can be an effective technology for improving aircraft safety in the event of failures or damage. However, the nonlinear, timevarying nature of adaptive algorithms continues to challenge traditional methods for the verification and validation testing of safety-critical flight control systems. Increasingly complex adaptive control theories and designs are emerging, but only make testing challenges more difficult. A potential first step toward the acceptance of adaptive flight controllers by aircraft manufacturers, operators, and certification authorities is a very simple design that operates as an augmentation to a non-adaptive baseline controller. Three such controllers were developed as part of a National Aeronautics and Space Administration flight research experiment to determine the appropriate level of complexity required to restore acceptable handling qualities to an aircraft that has suffered failures or damage. The controllers consist of the same basic design, but incorporate incrementally-increasing levels of complexity. Derivations of the controllers and their adaptive parameter update laws are presented along with details of the controllers implementations.

Bioassay of body fluids, experiment M073. [biochemical changes caused by space flight conditions

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Leach, C. S.; Rambaut, P. C.

1973-01-01

Body fluids were assayed in this experiment to demonstrate changes which might have occurred during the 56-day chamber study in fluid and electrolyte balance, in regulation of calcium metabolism, in overall physiological and emotional adaptation to the environment, and in regulation of metabolic processes.

Adaptive reuse in the healthcare industry: repurposing abandoned buildings to serve medical missions.

PubMed

Elrod, James K; Fortenberry, John L

2017-07-11

Adaptive reuse-the practice of identifying, acquiring, renovating, and placing back into service a building or similar structure for a purpose different than that for which it was originally designed-offers great potential for addressing the spatial expansion needs of healthcare establishments in a unique and mutually beneficial manner. This repurposing approach, however, has received very little attention in the health sciences literature, diminishing the opportunities of those serving in hospitals, medical clinics, and related care providing institutions to acquire an understanding of the practice. The delivery of healthcare services primarily is site based, requiring physical space for physicians, nurses, administrators, and others to carry out the many duties associated with the provision of medical care and attention. But this space often represents a significant expenditure, consuming financial resources which otherwise could be directed toward patient care. Economies on this front are possible through adaptive reuse, permitting more resources to be directed toward mission fulfillment activities. This article directs attention toward adaptive reuse by profiling Willis-Knighton Health System's associated experiences and implementation strategies. Among other things, opportunities and obstacles are discussed, detailed cases are presented, and an operational framework is provided, permitting healthcare providers to understand and make use of this novel practice for addressing spatial expansion needs more affordably. Since space considerations exist throughout the lives of healthcare establishments, providers must ensure an awareness of methods for productively attending to these requirements. Evidenced by Willis-Knighton Health System's associated experiences and outcomes, adaptive reuse presents an option for more economically addressing spatial requirements, fostering opportunities to expand the delivery of health and medical services.

Airborne space laser communication system and experiments

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Li, Xiao-Ming; Zhang, Li-zhong; Meng, Li-Xin

2015-11-01

Airborne space laser communication is characterized by its high speed, anti-electromagnetic interference, security, easy to assign. It has broad application in the areas of integrated space-ground communication networking, military communication, anti-electromagnetic communication. This paper introduce the component and APT system of the airborne laser communication system design by Changchun university of science and technology base on characteristic of airborne laser communication and Y12 plan, especially introduce the high communication speed and long distance communication experiment of the system that among two Y12 plans. In the experiment got the aim that the max communication distance 144Km, error 10-6 2.5Gbps - 10-7 1.5Gbps capture probability 97%, average capture time 20s. The experiment proving the adaptability of the APT and the high speed long distance communication.

Accelerated search for materials with targeted properties by adaptive design

PubMed Central

Xue, Dezhen; Balachandran, Prasanna V.; Hogden, John; Theiler, James; Xue, Deqing; Lookman, Turab

2016-01-01

Finding new materials with targeted properties has traditionally been guided by intuition, and trial and error. With increasing chemical complexity, the combinatorial possibilities are too large for an Edisonian approach to be practical. Here we show how an adaptive design strategy, tightly coupled with experiments, can accelerate the discovery process by sequentially identifying the next experiments or calculations, to effectively navigate the complex search space. Our strategy uses inference and global optimization to balance the trade-off between exploitation and exploration of the search space. We demonstrate this by finding very low thermal hysteresis (ΔT) NiTi-based shape memory alloys, with Ti50.0Ni46.7Cu0.8Fe2.3Pd0.2 possessing the smallest ΔT (1.84 K). We synthesize and characterize 36 predicted compositions (9 feedback loops) from a potential space of ∼800,000 compositions. Of these, 14 had smaller ΔT than any of the 22 in the original data set. PMID:27079901

A multiple pointing-mount control strategy for space platforms

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Johnson, C. D.

1992-01-01

A new disturbance-adaptive control strategy for multiple pointing-mount space platforms is proposed and illustrated by consideration of a simplified 3-link dynamic model of a multiple pointing-mount space platform. Simulation results demonstrate the effectiveness of the new platform control strategy. The simulation results also reveal a system 'destabilization phenomena' that can occur if the set of individual platform-mounted experiment controllers are 'too responsive.'

The development of the hardware for studying biological clock systems under microgravity conditions, using scorpions as animal models

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Serafini, L.; Viganò, W.; Donati, A.; Porciani, M.; Zolesi, V.; Schulze-Varnholt, D.; Manieri, P.; El-Din Sallam, A.; Schmäh, M.; Horn, E. R.

2007-02-01

The study of internal clock systems of scorpions in weightless conditions is the goal of the SCORPI experiment. SCORPI was selected for flight on the International Space Station (ISS) and will be mounted in the European facility BIOLAB, the European Space Agency (ESA) laboratory designed to support biological experiments on micro-organisms, cells, tissue, cultures, small plants and small invertebrates. This paper outlines the main features of a breadboard designed and developed in order to allow the analysis of critical aspects of the experiment. It is a complete tool to simulate the experiment mission on ground and it can be customised, adapted and tuned to the scientific requirements. The paper introduces the SCORPI-T experiment which represents an important precursor for the success of the SCORPI on BIOLAB. The capabilities of the hardware developed show its potential use for future similar experiments in space.

Hot rocket plume experiment - Survey and conceptual design. [of rhenium-iridium bipropellants

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Millard, Jerry M.; Luan, Taylor W.; Dowdy, Mack W.

1992-01-01

Attention is given to a space-borne engine plume experiment study to fly an experiment which will both verify and quantify the reduced contamination from advanced rhenium-iridium earth-storable bipropellant rockets (hot rockets) and provide a correlation between high-fidelity, in-space measurements and theoretical plume and surface contamination models. The experiment conceptual design is based on survey results from plume and contamination technologists throughout the U.S. With respect to shuttle use, cursory investigations validate Hitchhiker availability and adaptability, adequate remote manipulator system (RMS) articulation and dynamic capability, acceptable RMS attachment capability, adequate power and telemetry capability, and adequate flight altitude and attitude/orbital capability.

Effect of low gravity on calcium metabolism and bone formation (L-7)

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Suda, Tatsuo

1993-01-01

Recently, attention has been focused on the disorders of bone and calcium metabolism during space flight. The skeletal system has evolved on the Earth under 1-g. Space flights under low gravity appear to cause substantial changes in bone and calcium homeostasis of the animals adapted to 1-g. A space experiment for the First Materials Processing Test (FMPT) was proposed to examine the effects of low gravity on calcium metabolism and bone formation using chick embryos loaded in a space shuttle. This space experiment was proposed based on the following two experimental findings. First, it has been reported that bone density decreases significantly during prolonged space flight. The data obtained from the US Skylab and the U.S.S.R. Salyut-6 cosmonauts have also documented that the degree of bone loss is related to the duration of space flight. Second, the US-Soviet joints space experiment demonstrated that the decrease in bone density under low gravity appears to be due to the decrease in bone formation rather than the increase in bone resorption. The purpose of our space experiment is, therefore, to investigate further the mechanisms of bone growth under low gravity using fertilized chick embryos.

Project ISIAH - Experiment on the effects of micro-gravity on hornets' nest building and activity

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Brull, Lily

1992-10-01

An Israel Space Agency Investigation About Hornets (ISIAH) aimed at determining whether hornets are capable of retaining their unique ability of orientation under microgravity conditions is described. The Oriental Hornets used in the experiment are capable of building combs in the direction of the gravitational vector and detecting minute changes in gravitational force. Data obtained may be used to facilitate human adaptation to space conditions as well as rehabilitation after returning to earth.

Use of TV in space science activities - Some considerations. [onboard primary experimental data recording

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Bannister, T. C.

1977-01-01

Advantages in the use of TV on board satellites as the primary data-recording system in a manned space laboratory when certain types of experiments are flown are indicated. Real-time or near-real-time validation, elimination of film weight, improved depth of field and low-light sensitivity, and better adaptability to computer and electronic processing of data are spelled out as advantages of TV over photographic techniques, say, in fluid dynamics experiments, and weightlessness studies.

Fundamentals of Space Medicine

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Clément, Gilles

2005-03-01

A total of more than 240 human space flights have been completed to date, involving about 450 astronauts from various countries, for a combined total presence in space of more than 70 years. The seventh long-duration expedition crew is currently in residence aboard the International Space Station, continuing a permanent presence in space that began in October 2000. During that time, investigations have been conducted on both humans and animal models to study the bone demineralization and muscle deconditioning, space motion sickness, the causes and possible treatment of postflight orthostatic intolerance, the changes in immune function, crew and crew-ground interactions, and the medical issues of living in a space environment, such as the effects of radiation or the risk of developing kidney stones. Some results of these investigations have led to fundamental discoveries about the adaptation of the human body to the space environment. Gilles Clément has been active in this research. This readable text presents the findings from the life science experiments conducted during and after space missions. Topics discussed in this book include: adaptation of sensory-motor, cardio-vascular, bone, and muscle systems to the microgravity of spaceflight; psychological and sociological issues of living in a confined, isolated, and stressful environment; operational space medicine, such as crew selection, training and in-flight health monitoring, countermeasures and support; results of space biology experiments on individual cells, plants, and animal models; and the impact of long-duration missions such as the human mission to Mars. The author also provides a detailed description of how to fly a space experiment, based on his own experience with research projects conducted onboard Salyut-7, Mir, Spacelab, and the Space Shuttle. Now is the time to look at the future of human spaceflight and what comes next. The future human exploration of Mars captures the imagination of both the public and the scientific community. Many physiological, psychological, operational, and scientific issues need to be solved before the first crew can explore the enigmatic Red Planet. This book also identifies the showstoppers that can be foreseen and what we need to learn to fully understand the implications and risks of such a mission.

Space physiology II: adaptation of the central nervous system to space flight--past, current, and future studies.

PubMed

Clément, Gilles; Ngo-Anh, Jennifer Thu

2013-07-01

Experiments performed in orbit on the central nervous system have focused on the control of posture, eye movements, spatial orientation, as well as cognitive processes, such as three-dimensional visual perception and mental representation of space. Brain activity has also been recorded during and immediately after space flight for evaluating the changes in brain structure activation during tasks involving perception, attention, memory, decision, and action. Recent ground-based studies brought evidence that the inputs from the neurovestibular system also participate in orthostatic intolerance. It is, therefore, important to revisit the flight data of neuroscience studies in the light of new models of integrative physiology. The outcomes of this exercise will increase our knowledge on the adaptation of body functions to changing gravitational environment, vestibular disorders, aging, and our approach towards more effective countermeasures during human space flight and planetary exploration.

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. - Workers in the Space Station Processing Facility look over paperwork during a Multi-Element Integrated Test (MEIT) of the U.S. Node 2 and the Japanese Experiment Module (JEM). Node 2 attaches to the end of the U.S. Lab on the ISS and provides attach locations for the Japanese laboratory, European laboratory, the Centrifuge Accommodation Module and, eventually, Multipurpose Logistics Modules. It will provide the primary docking location for the Shuttle when a pressurized mating adapter is attached to Node 2. Installation of the module will complete the U.S. Core of the ISS. The JEM, developed by the National Space Development Agency of Japan (NASDA), is Japan's primary contribution to the Station. It will enhance the unique research capabilities of the orbiting complex by providing an additional environment for astronauts to conduct science experiments.

NASA Image and Video Library

2003-09-03

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. - Workers in the Space Station Processing Facility look over paperwork during a Multi-Element Integrated Test (MEIT) of the U.S. Node 2 and the Japanese Experiment Module (JEM). Node 2 attaches to the end of the U.S. Lab on the ISS and provides attach locations for the Japanese laboratory, European laboratory, the Centrifuge Accommodation Module and, eventually, Multipurpose Logistics Modules. It will provide the primary docking location for the Shuttle when a pressurized mating adapter is attached to Node 2. Installation of the module will complete the U.S. Core of the ISS. The JEM, developed by the National Space Development Agency of Japan (NASDA), is Japan's primary contribution to the Station. It will enhance the unique research capabilities of the orbiting complex by providing an additional environment for astronauts to conduct science experiments.

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. - Astronaut Soichi Noguchi, with the National Space Development Agency of Japan (NASDA), is inside the Japanese Experiment Module (JEM), undergoing a Multi-Element Integrated Test (MEIT) in the Space Station Processing Facility. Noguchi is assigned to mission STS-114 as a mission specialist. Node 2 attaches to the end of the U.S. Lab on the ISS and provides attach locations for the Japanese laboratory, European laboratory, the Centrifuge Accommodation Module and, eventually, Multipurpose Logistics Modules. It will provide the primary docking location for the Shuttle when a pressurized mating adapter is attached to Node 2. Installation of the module will complete the U.S. Core of the ISS. The JEM, developed by NASDA, is Japan's primary contribution to the Station. It will enhance the unique research capabilities of the orbiting complex by providing an additional environment for astronauts to conduct science experiments.

NASA Image and Video Library

2003-09-03

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. - Astronaut Soichi Noguchi, with the National Space Development Agency of Japan (NASDA), is inside the Japanese Experiment Module (JEM), undergoing a Multi-Element Integrated Test (MEIT) in the Space Station Processing Facility. Noguchi is assigned to mission STS-114 as a mission specialist. Node 2 attaches to the end of the U.S. Lab on the ISS and provides attach locations for the Japanese laboratory, European laboratory, the Centrifuge Accommodation Module and, eventually, Multipurpose Logistics Modules. It will provide the primary docking location for the Shuttle when a pressurized mating adapter is attached to Node 2. Installation of the module will complete the U.S. Core of the ISS. The JEM, developed by NASDA, is Japan's primary contribution to the Station. It will enhance the unique research capabilities of the orbiting complex by providing an additional environment for astronauts to conduct science experiments.

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. - Astronaut Soichi Noguchi, with the National Space Development Agency of Japan (NASDA), rests inside the Japanese Experiment Module (JEM), undergoing a Multi-Element Integrated Test (MEIT) in the Space Station Processing Facility. Noguchi is assigned to mission STS-114 as a mission specialist. Node 2 attaches to the end of the U.S. Lab on the ISS and provides attach locations for the Japanese laboratory, European laboratory, the Centrifuge Accommodation Module and, eventually, Multipurpose Logistics Modules. It will provide the primary docking location for the Shuttle when a pressurized mating adapter is attached to Node 2. Installation of the module will complete the U.S. Core of the ISS. The JEM, developed by NASDA, is Japan's primary contribution to the Station. It will enhance the unique research capabilities of the orbiting complex by providing an additional environment for astronauts to conduct science experiments.

NASA Image and Video Library

2003-09-03

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. - Astronaut Soichi Noguchi, with the National Space Development Agency of Japan (NASDA), rests inside the Japanese Experiment Module (JEM), undergoing a Multi-Element Integrated Test (MEIT) in the Space Station Processing Facility. Noguchi is assigned to mission STS-114 as a mission specialist. Node 2 attaches to the end of the U.S. Lab on the ISS and provides attach locations for the Japanese laboratory, European laboratory, the Centrifuge Accommodation Module and, eventually, Multipurpose Logistics Modules. It will provide the primary docking location for the Shuttle when a pressurized mating adapter is attached to Node 2. Installation of the module will complete the U.S. Core of the ISS. The JEM, developed by NASDA, is Japan's primary contribution to the Station. It will enhance the unique research capabilities of the orbiting complex by providing an additional environment for astronauts to conduct science experiments.

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. - Astronaut Soichi Noguchi (right), with the National Space Development Agency of Japan (NASDA), is inside the Japanese Experiment Module (JEM), undergoing a Multi-Element Integrated Test (MEIT) in the Space Station Processing Facility. Noguchi is assigned to mission STS-114 as a mission specialist. Node 2 attaches to the end of the U.S. Lab on the ISS and provides attach locations for the Japanese laboratory, European laboratory, the Centrifuge Accommodation Module and, eventually, Multipurpose Logistics Modules. It will provide the primary docking location for the Shuttle when a pressurized mating adapter is attached to Node 2. Installation of the module will complete the U.S. Core of the ISS. The JEM, developed by NASDA, is Japan's primary contribution to the Station. It will enhance the unique research capabilities of the orbiting complex by providing an additional environment for astronauts to conduct science experiments.

NASA Image and Video Library

2003-09-03

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. - Astronaut Soichi Noguchi (right), with the National Space Development Agency of Japan (NASDA), is inside the Japanese Experiment Module (JEM), undergoing a Multi-Element Integrated Test (MEIT) in the Space Station Processing Facility. Noguchi is assigned to mission STS-114 as a mission specialist. Node 2 attaches to the end of the U.S. Lab on the ISS and provides attach locations for the Japanese laboratory, European laboratory, the Centrifuge Accommodation Module and, eventually, Multipurpose Logistics Modules. It will provide the primary docking location for the Shuttle when a pressurized mating adapter is attached to Node 2. Installation of the module will complete the U.S. Core of the ISS. The JEM, developed by NASDA, is Japan's primary contribution to the Station. It will enhance the unique research capabilities of the orbiting complex by providing an additional environment for astronauts to conduct science experiments.

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. - Astronaut Soichi Noguchi, with the National Space Development Agency of Japan (NASDA), signals success during a Multi-Element Integrated Test (MEIT ) of the Japanese Experiment Module (JEM) in the Space Station Processing Facility. Noguchi is assigned to mission STS-114 as a mission specialist. Node 2 attaches to the end of the U.S. Lab on the ISS and provides attach locations for the Japanese laboratory, European laboratory, the Centrifuge Accommodation Module and, eventually, Multipurpose Logistics Modules. It will provide the primary docking location for the Shuttle when a pressurized mating adapter is attached to Node 2. Installation of the module will complete the U.S. Core of the ISS. The JEM, developed by NASDA, is Japan's primary contribution to the Station. It will enhance the unique research capabilities of the orbiting complex by providing an additional environment for astronauts to conduct science experiments.

NASA Image and Video Library

2003-09-03

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. - Astronaut Soichi Noguchi, with the National Space Development Agency of Japan (NASDA), signals success during a Multi-Element Integrated Test (MEIT ) of the Japanese Experiment Module (JEM) in the Space Station Processing Facility. Noguchi is assigned to mission STS-114 as a mission specialist. Node 2 attaches to the end of the U.S. Lab on the ISS and provides attach locations for the Japanese laboratory, European laboratory, the Centrifuge Accommodation Module and, eventually, Multipurpose Logistics Modules. It will provide the primary docking location for the Shuttle when a pressurized mating adapter is attached to Node 2. Installation of the module will complete the U.S. Core of the ISS. The JEM, developed by NASDA, is Japan's primary contribution to the Station. It will enhance the unique research capabilities of the orbiting complex by providing an additional environment for astronauts to conduct science experiments.

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. - An overview of the Space Station Processing Facility shows workstands and ISS elements. The most recent additions are the Japanese Experiment Module (JEM)’s pressurized module and the Italian-built Node 2. The pressurized module is the first element of the JEM, Japan’s primary contribution to the Space Station, to be delivered to KSC. It will enhance the unique research capabilities of the orbiting complex by providing an additional shirt-sleeve environment for astronauts to conduct science experiments. Node 2 will be installed on the end of the U.S. Lab and provides attach locations for the Japanese laboratory, European laboratory, the Centrifuge Accommodation Module and, later, Multipurpose Logistics Modules. It will provide the primary docking location for the Shuttle when a pressurized mating adapter is attached to Node 2. Installation of the module will complete the U.S. Core of the ISS.

NASA Image and Video Library

2003-06-06

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. - An overview of the Space Station Processing Facility shows workstands and ISS elements. The most recent additions are the Japanese Experiment Module (JEM)’s pressurized module and the Italian-built Node 2. The pressurized module is the first element of the JEM, Japan’s primary contribution to the Space Station, to be delivered to KSC. It will enhance the unique research capabilities of the orbiting complex by providing an additional shirt-sleeve environment for astronauts to conduct science experiments. Node 2 will be installed on the end of the U.S. Lab and provides attach locations for the Japanese laboratory, European laboratory, the Centrifuge Accommodation Module and, later, Multipurpose Logistics Modules. It will provide the primary docking location for the Shuttle when a pressurized mating adapter is attached to Node 2. Installation of the module will complete the U.S. Core of the ISS.

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. - A view of the Space Station Processing Facility shows workstands and ISS elements. The most recent additions are the Japanese Experiment Module (JEM)’s pressurized module and the Italian-built Node 2. The pressurized module is the first element of the JEM, Japan’s primary contribution to the Space Station, to be delivered to KSC. It will enhance the unique research capabilities of the orbiting complex by providing an additional shirt-sleeve environment for astronauts to conduct science experiments. Node 2 will be installed on the end of the U.S. Lab and provides attach locations for the Japanese laboratory, European laboratory, the Centrifuge Accommodation Module and, later, Multipurpose Logistics Modules. It will provide the primary docking location for the Shuttle when a pressurized mating adapter is attached to Node 2. Installation of the module will complete the U.S. Core of the ISS.

NASA Image and Video Library

2003-06-06

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. - A view of the Space Station Processing Facility shows workstands and ISS elements. The most recent additions are the Japanese Experiment Module (JEM)’s pressurized module and the Italian-built Node 2. The pressurized module is the first element of the JEM, Japan’s primary contribution to the Space Station, to be delivered to KSC. It will enhance the unique research capabilities of the orbiting complex by providing an additional shirt-sleeve environment for astronauts to conduct science experiments. Node 2 will be installed on the end of the U.S. Lab and provides attach locations for the Japanese laboratory, European laboratory, the Centrifuge Accommodation Module and, later, Multipurpose Logistics Modules. It will provide the primary docking location for the Shuttle when a pressurized mating adapter is attached to Node 2. Installation of the module will complete the U.S. Core of the ISS.

Physiology of chimpanzees in orbit. Part 2: Interface document

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Firstenberg, A.

1972-01-01

Interface requirements are presented for the design and development of an earth orbiting experiment to be known as POCO, Physiology of Chimpanzees in Orbit. The POCO experiment may be designed to operate within an orbiting space station (provided artificial gravity measures are not employed), a Saturn 4-B workshop, an Apollo command module or service module, a Saturn-1B spacecraft LM adapter, or aboard one of the presently conceived appendages connected by an umbilical to a space station. This document sets forth the experiment definition and requirements and describes the hardware under development to accomplish these objectives.

Motion-adaptive spatio-temporal regularization for accelerated dynamic MRI.

PubMed

Asif, M Salman; Hamilton, Lei; Brummer, Marijn; Romberg, Justin

2013-09-01

Accelerated magnetic resonance imaging techniques reduce signal acquisition time by undersampling k-space. A fundamental problem in accelerated magnetic resonance imaging is the recovery of quality images from undersampled k-space data. Current state-of-the-art recovery algorithms exploit the spatial and temporal structures in underlying images to improve the reconstruction quality. In recent years, compressed sensing theory has helped formulate mathematical principles and conditions that ensure recovery of (structured) sparse signals from undersampled, incoherent measurements. In this article, a new recovery algorithm, motion-adaptive spatio-temporal regularization, is presented that uses spatial and temporal structured sparsity of MR images in the compressed sensing framework to recover dynamic MR images from highly undersampled k-space data. In contrast to existing algorithms, our proposed algorithm models temporal sparsity using motion-adaptive linear transformations between neighboring images. The efficiency of motion-adaptive spatio-temporal regularization is demonstrated with experiments on cardiac magnetic resonance imaging for a range of reduction factors. Results are also compared with k-t FOCUSS with motion estimation and compensation-another recently proposed recovery algorithm for dynamic magnetic resonance imaging. . Copyright © 2012 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

Spacelab

NASA Image and Video Library

1992-01-01

Astronaut David C. Hilmers conducts the Microgravity Vestibular Investigations (MVI) sitting in its rotator chair inside the IML-1 science module. When environmental conditions change so that the body receives new stimuli, the nervous system responds by interpreting the incoming sensory information differently. In space, the free-fall environment of an orbiting spacecraft requires that the body adapts to the virtual absence of gravity. Early in flights, crewmembers may feel disoriented or experience space motion sickness. MVI examined the effects of orbital flight on the human orientation system to obtain a better understanding of the mechanisms of adaptation to weightlessness. By provoking interactions among the vestibular, visual, and proprioceptive systems and then measuring the perceptual and sensorimotor reactions, scientists can study changes that are integral to the adaptive process. The IML-1 mission was the first in a series of Shuttle flights dedicated to fundamental materials and life sciences research with the international partners. The participating space agencies included: NASA, the 14-nation European Space Agency (ESA), the Canadian Space Agency (CSA), the French National Center of Space Studies (CNES), the German Space Agency and the German Aerospace Research Establishment (DAR/DLR), and the National Space Development Agency of Japan (NASDA). Both life and materials sciences benefited from the extended periods of microgravity available inside the Spacelab science module in the cargo bay of the Space Shuttle Orbiter. Managed by the Marshall Space Flight Center, IML-1 was launched on January 22, 1992 aboard the Space Shuttle Orbiter Discovery (STS-42 mission).

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. - Various elements intended for the International Space Station are lined up in the Space Station Processing Facility. The newest to arrive at KSC are in the rear: at left, the U.S. Node 2, and at right, the Japanese Experiment Module (JEM). The two elements are undergoing a Multi-Element Integrated Test (MEIT). Node 2 attaches to the end of the U.S. Lab on the ISS and provides attach locations for the Japanese laboratory, European laboratory, the Centrifuge Accommodation Module and, eventually, Multipurpose Logistics Modules. It will provide the primary docking location for the Shuttle when a pressurized mating adapter is attached to Node 2. Installation of the module will complete the U.S. Core of the ISS. Developed by the National Space Development Agency of Japan (NASDA), the JEM is Japan's primary contribution to the Station. It will enhance the unique research capabilities of the orbiting complex by providing an additional environment for astronauts to conduct science experiments.

NASA Image and Video Library

2003-08-27

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. - Various elements intended for the International Space Station are lined up in the Space Station Processing Facility. The newest to arrive at KSC are in the rear: at left, the U.S. Node 2, and at right, the Japanese Experiment Module (JEM). The two elements are undergoing a Multi-Element Integrated Test (MEIT). Node 2 attaches to the end of the U.S. Lab on the ISS and provides attach locations for the Japanese laboratory, European laboratory, the Centrifuge Accommodation Module and, eventually, Multipurpose Logistics Modules. It will provide the primary docking location for the Shuttle when a pressurized mating adapter is attached to Node 2. Installation of the module will complete the U.S. Core of the ISS. Developed by the National Space Development Agency of Japan (NASDA), the JEM is Japan's primary contribution to the Station. It will enhance the unique research capabilities of the orbiting complex by providing an additional environment for astronauts to conduct science experiments.

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. - Various elements intended for the International Space Station are lined up in the Space Station Processing Facility. The newest to arrive at KSC are in the rear: at left, the U.S. Node 2, and next to it at right, the Japanese Experiment Module (JEM). The two elements are undergoing a Multi-Element Integrated Test (MEIT). Node 2 attaches to the end of the U.S. Lab on the ISS and provides attach locations for the Japanese laboratory, European laboratory, the Centrifuge Accommodation Module and, eventually, Multipurpose Logistics Modules. It will provide the primary docking location for the Shuttle when a pressurized mating adapter is attached to Node 2. Installation of the module will complete the U.S. Core of the ISS. Developed by the National Space Development Agency of Japan (NASDA), the JEM is Japan's primary contribution to the Station. It will enhance the unique research capabilities of the orbiting complex by providing an additional environment for astronauts to conduct science experiments.

NASA Image and Video Library

2003-09-03

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. - Various elements intended for the International Space Station are lined up in the Space Station Processing Facility. The newest to arrive at KSC are in the rear: at left, the U.S. Node 2, and next to it at right, the Japanese Experiment Module (JEM). The two elements are undergoing a Multi-Element Integrated Test (MEIT). Node 2 attaches to the end of the U.S. Lab on the ISS and provides attach locations for the Japanese laboratory, European laboratory, the Centrifuge Accommodation Module and, eventually, Multipurpose Logistics Modules. It will provide the primary docking location for the Shuttle when a pressurized mating adapter is attached to Node 2. Installation of the module will complete the U.S. Core of the ISS. Developed by the National Space Development Agency of Japan (NASDA), the JEM is Japan's primary contribution to the Station. It will enhance the unique research capabilities of the orbiting complex by providing an additional environment for astronauts to conduct science experiments.

The theory and application of space microbiology: China's experiences in space experiments and beyond.

PubMed

Liu, Changting

2017-02-01

Microorganisms exhibit high adaptability to extreme environments of outer space via phenotypic and genetic changes. These changes may affect astronauts in the space environment as well as on Earth because mutant microbes will inevitably return with the spacecraft. However, the role and significance of these phenotypic changes and the underlying mechanisms are important unresolved questions in the field of space biology. By reviewing, especially the Chinese studies, we propose a space microbial molecular effect theory, that is, the space environment affects the nature of genes and the molecular structure of microorganisms to produce phenotypic changes. In this review, we discussed three basic theories for the research of space microbiology, including (1) space microbial pathogenicity and virulence mutations and the human mutualism theory; (2) space microbial drug-resistance mutations and metabolism associated with space pharmaceuticals theory; (3) space corrosion, microbial decontamination, and new materials technology theory. © 2016 Society for Applied Microbiology and John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

Adaption of space station technology for lunar operations

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Garvey, J. M.

1992-01-01

Space Station Freedom technology will have the potential for numerous applications in an early lunar base program. The benefits of utilizing station technology in such a fashion include reduced development and facility costs for lunar base systems, shorter schedules, and verification of such technology through space station experience. This paper presents an assessment of opportunities for using station technology in a lunar base program, particularly in the lander/ascent vehicles and surface modules.

Switching Reinforcement Learning for Continuous Action Space

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Nagayoshi, Masato; Murao, Hajime; Tamaki, Hisashi

Reinforcement Learning (RL) attracts much attention as a technique of realizing computational intelligence such as adaptive and autonomous decentralized systems. In general, however, it is not easy to put RL into practical use. This difficulty includes a problem of designing a suitable action space of an agent, i.e., satisfying two requirements in trade-off: (i) to keep the characteristics (or structure) of an original search space as much as possible in order to seek strategies that lie close to the optimal, and (ii) to reduce the search space as much as possible in order to expedite the learning process. In order to design a suitable action space adaptively, we propose switching RL model to mimic a process of an infant's motor development in which gross motor skills develop before fine motor skills. Then, a method for switching controllers is constructed by introducing and referring to the “entropy”. Further, through computational experiments by using robot navigation problems with one and two-dimensional continuous action space, the validity of the proposed method has been confirmed.

Space motion sickness

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Homick, J. L.

1979-01-01

Research on the etiology, prediction, treatment and prevention of space motion sickness, designed to minimize the impact of this syndrome which was experienced frequently and with severity by individuals on the Skylab missions, on Space Shuttle crews is reviewed. Theories of the cause of space motion sickness currently under investigation by NASA include sensory conflict, which argues that motion sickness symptoms result from a mismatch between the total pattern of information from the spatial senses and that stored from previous experiences, and fluid shift, based upon the redistribution of bodily fluids that occurs upon continued exposure to weightlessness. Attempts are underway to correlate space motion sickness susceptibility to different provocative environments, vestibular and nonvestibular responses, and the rate of acquisition and length of retention of sensory adaptation. Space motion sickness countermeasures under investigation include various drug combinations, of which the equal combination of promethazine and ephedrine has been found to be as effective as the scopolomine and dexedrine combination, and vestibular adaptation and biofeedback training and autogenic therapy.

Fundamental plant biology enabled by the space shuttle.

PubMed

Paul, Anna-Lisa; Wheeler, Ray M; Levine, Howard G; Ferl, Robert J

2013-01-01

The relationship between fundamental plant biology and space biology was especially synergistic in the era of the Space Shuttle. While all terrestrial organisms are influenced by gravity, the impact of gravity as a tropic stimulus in plants has been a topic of formal study for more than a century. And while plants were parts of early space biology payloads, it was not until the advent of the Space Shuttle that the science of plant space biology enjoyed expansion that truly enabled controlled, fundamental experiments that removed gravity from the equation. The Space Shuttle presented a science platform that provided regular science flights with dedicated plant growth hardware and crew trained in inflight plant manipulations. Part of the impetus for plant biology experiments in space was the realization that plants could be important parts of bioregenerative life support on long missions, recycling water, air, and nutrients for the human crew. However, a large part of the impetus was that the Space Shuttle enabled fundamental plant science essentially in a microgravity environment. Experiments during the Space Shuttle era produced key science insights on biological adaptation to spaceflight and especially plant growth and tropisms. In this review, we present an overview of plant science in the Space Shuttle era with an emphasis on experiments dealing with fundamental plant growth in microgravity. This review discusses general conclusions from the study of plant spaceflight biology enabled by the Space Shuttle by providing historical context and reviews of select experiments that exemplify plant space biology science.

Life science experiments performed in space in the ISS/Kibo facility and future research plans.

PubMed

Ohnishi, Takeo

2016-08-01

Over the past several years, current techniques in molecular biology have been used to perform experiments in space, focusing on the nature and effects of space radiation. In the Japanese 'Kibo' facility in the International Space Station (ISS), the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) has performed five life science experiments since 2009, and two additional experiments are currently in progress. The first life science experiment in space was the 'Rad Gene' project, which utilized two human cultured lymphoblastoid cell lines containing a mutated P53 : gene (m P53 : ) and a parental wild-type P53 : gene (wt P53 : ) respectively. Four parameters were examined: (i) detecting space radiation-induced DSBs by observing γH2AX foci; (ii) observing P53 : -dependent gene expression during space flight; (iii) observing P53 : -dependent gene expression after space flight; and (iv) observing the adaptive response in the two cell lines containing the mutated and wild type P53 : genes after exposure to space radiation. These observations were completed and have been reported, and this paper is a review of these experiments. In addition, recent new information from space-based experiments involving radiation biology is presented here. These experiments involve human cultured cells, silkworm eggs, mouse embryonic stem cells and mouse eggs in various experiments designed by other principal investigators in the ISS/Kibo. The progress of Japanese science groups involved in these space experiments together with JAXA are also discussed here. The Japanese Society for Biological Sciences in Space (JSBSS), the Utilization Committee of Space Environment Science (UCSES) and the Science Council of Japan (ACJ) have supported these new projects and new experimental facilities in ISS/Kibo. Currently, these organizations are proposing new experiments for the ISS through 2024. © The Author 2016. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of The Japan Radiation Research Society and Japanese Society for Radiation Oncology.

Report on ESA Topical Team on the Large Radius Human Centrifuge: "The Human Hypergravity Habitat; H3"

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

van Loon, Jack J. W. A.; Bücker, N.; Berte, J.; Bok, K.; Bos, J.; Boyle, R.; Bravenoer, N.; Chouker, A.; Clement, G.; Cras, P.; Denise, D.; Eekhoff, M.; Felsenberg, D.; Fong, K.; Fuller, C.; Groen, E.; Heer, M.; Hinghofer-Szalkay, H.; Iwase, S.; Karemaker, J. M.; Linnarsson, D.; Lüthen, C.; Narici, M.; Norsk, P.; Paloski, W.; Rutten, M.; Saggini, R.; Stephan, A.; Ullrich, O.; Vautmans, V.; Wuyts, F.; Young, L.

Over the last decades a significant amount of knowledge has been accumulated on the adap-tation of the human body going into near weightless conditions and on its re-adaptation to 1g Earth conditions after space flight. Ground-based paradigms for microgravity simulation have been developed such as head down tilted bed rest and dry-immersion. In such systems the adaptations to long term immobilization and to head-ward fluid shifts have been studied. Questions we address here are: can long-term ground-based centrifugation help us to under-stand and even predict the adaptations to long-term increased gravity conditions? How does the body adapt to chronic (days, weeks or longer) exposure to a hypergravity environment? And, once the body has fully adapted to a hypergravity environment, how does it re-adapt going from a hypergravity state back to a relatively hypo-gravity condition of 1g, or even going from a centrifuge / hypergravity environment into a bed-rest setting? Can such transitions in well-controlled studies bring us closer to understanding the consequences of gravity transitions that the crews will likely experience going to the Moon or to Mars. Is hypergravity a good model to study the effect of re-entry in gravitational environments after long duration space flight? In an ESA -supported Topical Team we address all organ systems known so far to change directly or indirectly by altered gravity conditions. We will identify to which gravity levels the human body can be exposed for longer periods of time and what protocols could be applied to address the questions at hand. We also identify the technology required to ac-complish such long duration hypergravity and re-adaptation studies. Issues like ethics, safety and required logistics should be addressed. As there is limited experience with exposure of hu-man test subjects to prolonged periods of moderately increased g-forces, unexpected harm may occur. Therefore, the information, disclosure and informed consent procedures need special attention. The final outcome of the Topical Team will be a clear answer about the feasibility of the use of hypergravity as a tool and analogue for space research, and if and how hypergravity studies can provide useful knowledge to support future space flight on the one hand and current medical issues in the ageing population (osteoporosis, cardiovascular diseases, obesity) on the other hand.

10 Gbps Shuttle-to-Ground Adjunct Communication Link Capability Experiment

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Ceniceros, J. M.; Sandusky, J. V.; Hemmati, H.

1999-01-01

A 1.2 Gbps space-to-ground laser communication experiment being developed for use on an EXpedite the PRocessing of Experiments to the Space Station (EXPRESS) Pallet Adapter can be adapted to fit the Hitchhiker cross-bay-carrier pallet and upgraded to data rates exceeding 1O Gbps. So modified, this instrument would enable both real-time data delivery and increased data volume for payloads using the Space Shuttle. Applications such as synthetic aperture radar and multispectral imaging collect large data volumes at a high rate and would benefit from the capability for real-time data delivery and from increased data downlink volume. Current shuttle downlink capability is limited to 50 Mbps, forcing such instruments to store large amounts of data for later analysis. While the technology is not yet sufficiently proven to be relied on as the primary communication link, when in view of the ground station it would increase the shuttle downlink rate capability 200 times, with typical total daily downlinks of 200 GB - as much data as the shuttle could downlink if it were able to maintain its maximum data rate continuously for one day. The lasercomm experiment, the Optical Communication Demonstration and High-Rate Link Facility (OCDHRLF), is being developed by the Jet Propulsion Laboratory's (JPL) Optical Communication Group through support from the International Space Station Engineering Research and Technology Development program. It is designed to work in conjunction with the Optical Communication Telescope Laboratory (OCTL) NASA's first optical communication ground station, which is under construction at JPL's Table Mountain Facility near Wrightwood, California. This paper discusses the modifications to the preliminary design of the flight system that would be necessary to adapt it to fit the Hitchhiker Cross-Bay Carrier. It also discusses orbit geometries which are favorable to the OCTL and potential non-NASA ground stations, anticipated burst-error-rates and bit-error-rates, and requirements for data collection on the ground.

Perceived self-orientation and self-motion in microgravity, after landing and during preflight adaptation training

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Harm, D. L.; Parker, D. E.

1993-01-01

The research described in this paper is intended to support development and evaluation of preflight adaptation training (PAT) apparatus and procedures. Successful training depends on appropriate manipulation of visual and inertial stimuli that control perception of self-motion and self-orientation. For one part of this process, astronauts are trained to report their self-motion and self-orientation experiences. Before their space mission, they are exposed to the altered sensory environments produced by the PAT trainers. During and after the mission, they report their motion and orientation experiences. Subsequently, they are again exposed to the PAT trainers and are asked to describe relationships between their experiences in microgravity and following entry and their experiences in the trainers.

Log-polar mapping-based scale space tracking with adaptive target response

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Li, Dongdong; Wen, Gongjian; Kuai, Yangliu; Zhang, Ximing

2017-05-01

Correlation filter-based tracking has exhibited impressive robustness and accuracy in recent years. Standard correlation filter-based trackers are restricted to translation estimation and equipped with fixed target response. These trackers produce an inferior performance when encountered with a significant scale variation or appearance change. We propose a log-polar mapping-based scale space tracker with an adaptive target response. This tracker transforms the scale variation of the target in the Cartesian space into a shift along the logarithmic axis in the log-polar space. A one-dimensional scale correlation filter is learned online to estimate the shift along the logarithmic axis. With the log-polar representation, scale estimation is achieved accurately without a multiresolution pyramid. To achieve an adaptive target response, a variance of the Gaussian function is computed from the response map and updated online with a learning rate parameter. Our log-polar mapping-based scale correlation filter and adaptive target response can be combined with any correlation filter-based trackers. In addition, the scale correlation filter can be extended to a two-dimensional correlation filter to achieve joint estimation of the scale variation and in-plane rotation. Experiments performed on an OTB50 benchmark demonstrate that our tracker achieves superior performance against state-of-the-art trackers.

Cardiovascular physiology - Effects of microgravity

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Convertino, V.; Hoffler, G. W.

1992-01-01

Experiments during spaceflight and its groundbase analog, bedrest, provide consistent data which demonstrate that numerous changes in cardiovascular function occur as part of the physiological adaptation process to the microgravity environment. These include elevated heart rate and venous compliance, lowered blood volume, central venous pressure and stroke volume, and attenuated autonomic reflex functions. Although most of these adaptations are not functionally apparent during microgravity exposure, they manifest themselves during the return to the gravitational challenge of earth's terrestrial environment as orthostatic hypotension and instability, a condition which could compromise safety, health and productivity. Development and application of effective and efficient countermeasures such as saline "loading," intermittent venous pooling, pharmacological treatments, and exercise have become primary emphases of the space life sciences research effort with only limited success. Successful development of countermeasures will require knowledge of the physiological mechanisms underlying cardiovascular adaptation to microgravity which can be obtained only through controlled, parallel groundbased research to complement carefully designed flight experiments. Continued research will provide benefits for both space and clinical applications as well as enhance the basic understanding of cardiovascular homeostasis in humans.

iss056e009782

NASA Image and Video Library

2018-06-11

iss056e009782 (June 11, 2018) --- Expedition 56 Flight Engineer Alexander Gerst of the European Space Agency (ESA) is seated in the Columbus laboratory module participating in the Grip study. Grip is an ESA-sponsored experiment that is researching how the nervous system adapts to microgravity. Observations may improve the design of safer space habitats and help patients on Earth with neurological diseases.

Skylab

NASA Image and Video Library

1971-12-01

Workmen at the Martin Marietta Corporation's Space Center facility in Denver, Colorado, lower the Skylab Multiple Docking Adapter (MDA) flight article into the horizontal rotation fixture in preparation for the crew compartment and function review. Designed and manufactured by the Marshall Space Flight Center and outfitted by Martin Marietta, the MDA housed a number of experiment control and stowage units and provided a docking port for the Apollo Command Module.

Skylab

NASA Image and Video Library

1972-09-01

This September 1972 photograph shows the internal configuration of Skylab's Multiple Docking Adapter (MDA) flight article as it appeared during the Crew Compartment and Function Review at the Martin-Marietta Corporation's Space Center facility in Denver, Colorado. Designed and manufactured by the Marshall Space Flight Center, the MDA housed a number of experiment control and stowage units and provided a docking port for the Apollo Command Module.

Mice in Bion-M 1 space mission: training and selection.

PubMed

Andreev-Andrievskiy, Alexander; Popova, Anfisa; Boyle, Richard; Alberts, Jeffrey; Shenkman, Boris; Vinogradova, Olga; Dolgov, Oleg; Anokhin, Konstantin; Tsvirkun, Darya; Soldatov, Pavel; Nemirovskaya, Tatyana; Ilyin, Eugeniy; Sychev, Vladimir

2014-01-01

After a 16-year hiatus, Russia has resumed its program of biomedical research in space, with the successful 30-day flight of the Bion-M 1 biosatellite (April 19-May 19, 2013). The principal species for biomedical research in this project was the mouse. This paper presents an overview of the scientific goals, the experimental design and the mouse training/selection program. The aim of mice experiments in the Bion-M 1 project was to elucidate cellular and molecular mechanisms, underlying the adaptation of key physiological systems to long-term exposure in microgravity. The studies with mice combined in vivo measurements, both in flight and post-flight (including continuous blood pressure measurement), with extensive in vitro studies carried out shortly after return of the mice and in the end of recovery study. Male C57/BL6 mice group housed in space habitats were flown aboard the Bion-M 1 biosatellite, or remained on ground in the control experiment that replicated environmental and housing conditions in the spacecraft. Vivarium control groups were used to account for housing effects and possible seasonal differences. Mice training included the co-adaptation in housing groups and mice adaptation to paste food diet. The measures taken to co-adapt aggressive male mice in housing groups and the peculiarities of "space" paste food are described. The training program for mice designated for in vivo studies was broader and included behavioral/functional test battery and continuous behavioral measurements in the home-cage. The results of the preliminary tests were used for the selection of homogenous groups. After the flight, mice were in good condition for biomedical studies and displayed signs of pronounced disadaptation to Earth's gravity. The outcomes of the training program for the mice welfare are discussed. We conclude that our training program was effective and that male mice can be successfully employed in space biomedical research.

Post-Flight Back Pain Following International Space Station Missions: Evaluation of Spaceflight Risk Factors

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Laughlin, Mitzi S.; Murray, Jocelyn D.; Wear, Mary L.; Van Baalen, Mary

2016-01-01

Back pain during spaceflight has often been attributed to the lengthening of the spinal column due to the absence of gravity during both short and long-duration missions. Upon landing and re-adaptation to gravity, the spinal column reverts back to its original length thereby causing some individuals to experience pain and muscular spasms, while others experience no ill effects. With International Space Station (ISS) missions, cases of back pain and injury are more common post-flight, but little is known about the potential risk factors.

Between-Trial Forgetting Due to Interference and Time in Motor Adaptation.

PubMed

Kim, Sungshin; Oh, Youngmin; Schweighofer, Nicolas

2015-01-01

Learning a motor task with temporally spaced presentations or with other tasks intermixed between presentations reduces performance during training, but can enhance retention post training. These two effects are known as the spacing and contextual interference effect, respectively. Here, we aimed at testing a unifying hypothesis of the spacing and contextual interference effects in visuomotor adaptation, according to which forgetting between trials due to either spaced presentations or interference by another task will promote between-trial forgetting, which will depress performance during acquisition, but will promote retention. We first performed an experiment with three visuomotor adaptation conditions: a short inter-trial-interval (ITI) condition (SHORT-ITI); a long ITI condition (LONG-ITI); and an alternating condition with two alternated opposite tasks (ALT), with the same single-task ITI as in LONG-ITI. In the SHORT-ITI condition, there was fastest increase in performance during training and largest immediate forgetting in the retention tests. In contrast, in the ALT condition, there was slowest increase in performance during training and little immediate forgetting in the retention tests. Compared to these two conditions, in the LONG-ITI, we found intermediate increase in performance during training and intermediate immediate forgetting. To account for these results, we fitted to the data six possible adaptation models with one or two time scales, and with interference in the fast, or in the slow, or in both time scales. Model comparison confirmed that two time scales and some degree of interferences in either time scale are needed to account for our experimental results. In summary, our results suggest that retention following adaptation is modulated by the degree of between-trial forgetting, which is due to time-based decay in single adaptation task and interferences in multiple adaptation tasks.

An SDR-Based Real-Time Testbed for GNSS Adaptive Array Anti-Jamming Algorithms Accelerated by GPU

PubMed Central

Xu, Hailong; Cui, Xiaowei; Lu, Mingquan

2016-01-01

Nowadays, software-defined radio (SDR) has become a common approach to evaluate new algorithms. However, in the field of Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS) adaptive array anti-jamming, previous work has been limited due to the high computational power demanded by adaptive algorithms, and often lack flexibility and configurability. In this paper, the design and implementation of an SDR-based real-time testbed for GNSS adaptive array anti-jamming accelerated by a Graphics Processing Unit (GPU) are documented. This testbed highlights itself as a feature-rich and extendible platform with great flexibility and configurability, as well as high computational performance. Both Space-Time Adaptive Processing (STAP) and Space-Frequency Adaptive Processing (SFAP) are implemented with a wide range of parameters. Raw data from as many as eight antenna elements can be processed in real-time in either an adaptive nulling or beamforming mode. To fully take advantage of the parallelism resource provided by the GPU, a batched method in programming is proposed. Tests and experiments are conducted to evaluate both the computational and anti-jamming performance. This platform can be used for research and prototyping, as well as a real product in certain applications. PMID:26978363

An SDR-Based Real-Time Testbed for GNSS Adaptive Array Anti-Jamming Algorithms Accelerated by GPU.

PubMed

Xu, Hailong; Cui, Xiaowei; Lu, Mingquan

2016-03-11

Nowadays, software-defined radio (SDR) has become a common approach to evaluate new algorithms. However, in the field of Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS) adaptive array anti-jamming, previous work has been limited due to the high computational power demanded by adaptive algorithms, and often lack flexibility and configurability. In this paper, the design and implementation of an SDR-based real-time testbed for GNSS adaptive array anti-jamming accelerated by a Graphics Processing Unit (GPU) are documented. This testbed highlights itself as a feature-rich and extendible platform with great flexibility and configurability, as well as high computational performance. Both Space-Time Adaptive Processing (STAP) and Space-Frequency Adaptive Processing (SFAP) are implemented with a wide range of parameters. Raw data from as many as eight antenna elements can be processed in real-time in either an adaptive nulling or beamforming mode. To fully take advantage of the parallelism resource provided by the GPU, a batched method in programming is proposed. Tests and experiments are conducted to evaluate both the computational and anti-jamming performance. This platform can be used for research and prototyping, as well as a real product in certain applications.

Adaptive real time selection for quantum key distribution in lossy and turbulent free-space channels

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Vallone, Giuseppe; Marangon, Davide G.; Canale, Matteo; Savorgnan, Ilaria; Bacco, Davide; Barbieri, Mauro; Calimani, Simon; Barbieri, Cesare; Laurenti, Nicola; Villoresi, Paolo

2015-04-01

The unconditional security in the creation of cryptographic keys obtained by quantum key distribution (QKD) protocols will induce a quantum leap in free-space communication privacy in the same way that we are beginning to realize secure optical fiber connections. However, free-space channels, in particular those with long links and the presence of atmospheric turbulence, are affected by losses, fluctuating transmissivity, and background light that impair the conditions for secure QKD. Here we introduce a method to contrast the atmospheric turbulence in QKD experiments. Our adaptive real time selection (ARTS) technique at the receiver is based on the selection of the intervals with higher channel transmissivity. We demonstrate, using data from the Canary Island 143-km free-space link, that conditions with unacceptable average quantum bit error rate which would prevent the generation of a secure key can be used once parsed according to the instantaneous scintillation using the ARTS technique.

Laser Ray Tracing in a Parallel Arbitrary Lagrangian-Eulerian Adaptive Mesh Refinement Hydrocode

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Masters, N D; Kaiser, T B; Anderson, R W

2009-09-28

ALE-AMR is a new hydrocode that we are developing as a predictive modeling tool for debris and shrapnel formation in high-energy laser experiments. In this paper we present our approach to implementing laser ray-tracing in ALE-AMR. We present the equations of laser ray tracing, our approach to efficient traversal of the adaptive mesh hierarchy in which we propagate computational rays through a virtual composite mesh consisting of the finest resolution representation of the modeled space, and anticipate simulations that will be compared to experiments for code validation.

A single-rate context-dependent learning process underlies rapid adaptation to familiar object dynamics.

PubMed

Ingram, James N; Howard, Ian S; Flanagan, J Randall; Wolpert, Daniel M

2011-09-01

Motor learning has been extensively studied using dynamic (force-field) perturbations. These induce movement errors that result in adaptive changes to the motor commands. Several state-space models have been developed to explain how trial-by-trial errors drive the progressive adaptation observed in such studies. These models have been applied to adaptation involving novel dynamics, which typically occurs over tens to hundreds of trials, and which appears to be mediated by a dual-rate adaptation process. In contrast, when manipulating objects with familiar dynamics, subjects adapt rapidly within a few trials. Here, we apply state-space models to familiar dynamics, asking whether adaptation is mediated by a single-rate or dual-rate process. Previously, we reported a task in which subjects rotate an object with known dynamics. By presenting the object at different visual orientations, adaptation was shown to be context-specific, with limited generalization to novel orientations. Here we show that a multiple-context state-space model, with a generalization function tuned to visual object orientation, can reproduce the time-course of adaptation and de-adaptation as well as the observed context-dependent behavior. In contrast to the dual-rate process associated with novel dynamics, we show that a single-rate process mediates adaptation to familiar object dynamics. The model predicts that during exposure to the object across multiple orientations, there will be a degree of independence for adaptation and de-adaptation within each context, and that the states associated with all contexts will slowly de-adapt during exposure in one particular context. We confirm these predictions in two new experiments. Results of the current study thus highlight similarities and differences in the processes engaged during exposure to novel versus familiar dynamics. In both cases, adaptation is mediated by multiple context-specific representations. In the case of familiar object dynamics, however, the representations can be engaged based on visual context, and are updated by a single-rate process.

Skylab

NASA Image and Video Library

1970-01-01

This cutaway drawing details the internal design of the Skylab Multiple Docking Adapter (MDA). The MDA, built under the direction of the Marshall Space Flight Center, housed various Skylab control and experiment units, and provided a docking port for the Apollo Command Module (CM).

Canadian medical experiments on Shuttle Flight 41-G

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Watt, D. G. D.; Money, K. E.; Bondar, R. L.; Thirsk, R. B.; Garneau, M.

1985-01-01

During the 41-G mission, two payload specialist astronauts took part in six Canadian medical experiments designed to measure how the human nervous system adapts to weightlessness, and how this might contribute to space motion sickness. Similar tests conducted pre-flight provided base-line data, and post-flight experiments examined re-adaptation to the ground. No changes were detected in the vestibulo-ocular reflex during this 8-day mission. Pronounced proprioceptive illusions were experienced, especially immediately post-flight. Tactile acuity was normal in the fingers and toes, but the ability to judge limb position was degraded. Estimates of the locations of familiar targets were grossly distorted in the absence of vision. There were no differences in taste thresholds or olfaction. Despite pre-flight tests showing unusual susceptibility to motion sickness, the Canadian payload specialist turned out to be less susceptible than normal on-orbit. Re-adaptation to the normal gravity environment occurred within the first day after landing.

[Some problems of space medicine].

PubMed

Gurovskiĭ, N N; Egorov, A D

1976-01-01

The paper discusses the problems to be resolved by space medicine and the main stages in the development of this branch of science, beginning with the vertical launches of rockets and ending with the flights of orbital stations. On the basis of ground-based simulation experiments and real space flights it presents a classification of the major symptomocomplexes that may occur inflight. The paper describes the main stages of adaptation to weightlessness and physiological changes in the weightless state. The paper also outlines further pathways in the development of space medicine.

Spacelab 3 flight experiment No. 3AFT23: Autogenic-feedback training as a preventive method for space adaptation syndrome

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Cowings, Patricia S.; Toscano, William B.; Kamiya, Joe; Miller, Neal E.; Sharp, Joseph C.

1988-01-01

Space adaptation syndrome is a motion sickness-like disorder which affects up to 50 percent of all people exposed to microgravity in space. This experiment tested a physiological conditioning procedure (Autogenic-Feedback Training, AFT) as an alternative to pharmacological management. Four astronauts participated as subjects in this experiment. Crewmembers A and B served as treatment subjects. Both received preflight training for control of heart rate, respiration rate, peripheral blood volume, and skin conductance. Crewmembers C and D served as controls (i.e., did not receive training). Crewmember A showed reliable control of his own physiological responses, and a significant increase in motion sickness tolerance after training. Crewmember B, however, demonstrated much less control and only a moderate increase in motion sickness tolerance was observed after training. The inflight symptom reports and physiological data recordings revealed that Crewmember A did not experience any severe symptom episodes during the mission, while Crewmember B reported one severe symptom episode. Both control group subjects, C and D (who took antimotion sickness medication), reported multiple symptom episodes on mission day 0. Both inflight data and crew reports indicate that AFT may be an effective countermeasure. Additional data must be obtained inflight (a total of eight treatment and eight control subjects) before final evaluation of this treatment can be made.

Design Process of Flight Vehicle Structures for a Common Bulkhead and an MPCV Spacecraft Adapter

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Aggarwal, Pravin; Hull, Patrick V.

2015-01-01

Design and manufacturing space flight vehicle structures is a skillset that has grown considerably at NASA during that last several years. Beginning with the Ares program and followed by the Space Launch System (SLS); in-house designs were produced for both the Upper Stage and the SLS Multipurpose crew vehicle (MPCV) spacecraft adapter. Specifically, critical design review (CDR) level analysis and flight production drawing were produced for the above mentioned hardware. In particular, the experience of this in-house design work led to increased manufacturing infrastructure for both Marshal Space Flight Center (MSFC) and Michoud Assembly Facility (MAF), improved skillsets in both analysis and design, and hands on experience in building and testing (MSA) full scale hardware. The hardware design and development processes from initiation to CDR and finally flight; resulted in many challenges and experiences that produced valuable lessons. This paper builds on these experiences of NASA in recent years on designing and fabricating flight hardware and examines the design/development processes used, as well as the challenges and lessons learned, i.e. from the initial design, loads estimation and mass constraints to structural optimization/affordability to release of production drawing to hardware manufacturing. While there are many documented design processes which a design engineer can follow, these unique experiences can offer insight into designing hardware in current program environments and present solutions to many of the challenges experienced by the engineering team.

Fundamentals of Space Medicine

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Clément, G.

2003-10-01

As of today, a total of more than 240 human space flights have been completed, involving about 450 astronauts from various countries, for a combined total presence in space of more than 70 years. The seventh long-duration expedition crew is currently in residence aboard the International Space Station, continuing a permanent presence in space that began in October 2000. During that time, investigations have been conducted on both humans and animal models to study the bone demineralization and muscle deconditioning, space motion sickness, the causes and possible treatment of postflight orthostatic intolerance, the changes in immune function, crew and crew-ground interactions, and the medical issues of living in a space environment, such as the effects of radiation or the risk of developing kidney stones. Some results of these investigations have led to fundamental discoveries about the adaptation of the human body to the space environment. Gilles Clément has been active in this research. This book presents in a readable text the findings from the life science experiments conducted during and after space missions. Topics discussed in this book include: adaptation of sensory-motor, cardiovascular, bone and muscle systems to the microgravity of spaceflight; psychological and sociological issues of living in a confined, isolated and stressful environment; operational space medicine, such as crew selection, training and in-flight health monitoring, countermeasures and support; results of space biology experiments on individual cells, plants, and animal models; and the impact of long-duration missions such as the human mission to Mars. The author also provides a detailed description of how to fly a space experiment, based on his own experience with research projects conducted onboard Salyut-7, Mir, Spacelab, and the Space Shuttle. Now is the time to look at the future of human spaceflight and what comes next. The future human exploration of Mars captures the imagination of both the public and the scientific community. Many physiological, psychological, operational, and scientific issues need to be solved before the first crew will explore the enigmatic Red Planet. This book also identifies the showstoppers that can be foreseen and what do we need to learn to understand fully the implications and risks of such a mission. Link: http://www.wkap.nl/prod/b/1-4020-1598-4>

Experiments in Nonlinear Adaptive Control of Multi-Manipulator, Free-Flying Space Robots

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Chen, Vincent Wei-Kang

1992-01-01

Sophisticated robots can greatly enhance the role of humans in space by relieving astronauts of low level, tedious assembly and maintenance chores and allowing them to concentrate on higher level tasks. Robots and astronauts can work together efficiently, as a team; but the robot must be capable of accomplishing complex operations and yet be easy to use. Multiple cooperating manipulators are essential to dexterity and can broaden greatly the types of activities the robot can achieve; adding adaptive control can ease greatly robot usage by allowing the robot to change its own controller actions, without human intervention, in response to changes in its environment. Previous work in the Aerospace Robotics Laboratory (ARL) have shown the usefulness of a space robot with cooperating manipulators. The research presented in this dissertation extends that work by adding adaptive control. To help achieve this high level of robot sophistication, this research made several advances to the field of nonlinear adaptive control of robotic systems. A nonlinear adaptive control algorithm developed originally for control of robots, but requiring joint positions as inputs, was extended here to handle the much more general case of manipulator endpoint-position commands. A new system modelling technique, called system concatenation was developed to simplify the generation of a system model for complicated systems, such as a free-flying multiple-manipulator robot system. Finally, the task-space concept was introduced wherein the operator's inputs specify only the robot's task. The robot's subsequent autonomous performance of each task still involves, of course, endpoint positions and joint configurations as subsets. The combination of these developments resulted in a new adaptive control framework that is capable of continuously providing full adaptation capability to the complex space-robot system in all modes of operation. The new adaptive control algorithm easily handles free-flying systems with multiple, interacting manipulators, and extends naturally to even larger systems. The new adaptive controller was experimentally demonstrated on an ideal testbed in the ARL-A first-ever experimental model of a multi-manipulator, free-flying space robot that is capable of capturing and manipulating free-floating objects without requiring human assistance. A graphical user interface enhanced the robot usability: it enabled an operator situated at a remote location to issue high-level task description commands to the robot, and to monitor robot activities as it then carried out each assignment autonomously.

Skylab

NASA Image and Video Library

1971-07-01

Workmen at the Martin Marietta Corporation's Space Center in Denver, Colorado, position Skylab's Multiple Docking Adapter (MDA) flight article in the horizontal transportation fixture. Designed and manufactured by the Marshall Space Flight Center and outfitted by Martin Marietta, the MDA housed the control units for the Apollo Telescope Mount (ATM), Earth Resources Experiment Package (EREP), and Zero-Gravity Materials Processing Facility and provided a docking port for the Apollo Command Module.

Skylab

NASA Image and Video Library

1971-12-01

This December 1971 photograph shows the internal configuration of Skylab's Multiple Docking Adapter (MDA) flight article (forward view) as it appeared during the crew compartment and function review at the Martin-Marietta Corporation's Space Center Facility in Denver, Colorado. Designed and manufactured by the Marshall Space Flight Center, the MDA housed a number of experiment control and stowage units as well as providing a docking port for the Apollo Command module.

Red ball ranging optimization based on dual camera ranging method

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kuang, Lei; Sun, Weijia; Liu, Jiaming; Tang, Matthew Wai-Chung

2018-05-01

In this paper, the process of positioning and moving to target red ball by NAO robot through its camera system is analyzed and improved using the dual camera ranging method. The single camera ranging method, which is adapted by NAO robot, was first studied and experimented. Since the existing error of current NAO Robot is not a single variable, the experiments were divided into two parts to obtain more accurate single camera ranging experiment data: forward ranging and backward ranging. Moreover, two USB cameras were used in our experiments that adapted Hough's circular method to identify a ball, while the HSV color space model was used to identify red color. Our results showed that the dual camera ranging method reduced the variance of error in ball tracking from 0.68 to 0.20.

Lessons from a Space Analog on Adaptation for Long-Duration Exploration Missions.

PubMed

Anglin, Katlin M; Kring, Jason P

2016-04-01

Exploration missions to asteroids and Mars will bring new challenges associated with communication delays and more autonomy for crews. Mission safety and success will rely on how well the entire system, from technology to the human elements, is adaptable and resilient to disruptive, novel, or potentially catastrophic events. The recent NASA Extreme Environment Missions Operations (NEEMO) 20 mission highlighted this need and produced valuable "lessons learned" that will inform future research on team adaptation and resilience. A team of NASA, industry, and academic members used an iterative process to design a tripod shaped structure, called the CORAL Tower, for two astronauts to assemble underwater with minimal tools. The team also developed assembly procedures, administered training to the crew, and provided support during the mission. During the design, training, and assembly of the Tower, the team learned first-hand how adaptation in extreme environments depends on incremental testing, thorough procedures and contingency plans that predict possible failure scenarios, and effective team adaptation and resiliency for the crew and support personnel. Findings from NEEMO 20 provide direction on the design and testing process for future space systems and crews to maximize adaptation. This experience also underscored the need for more research on team adaptation, particularly how input and process factors affect adaption outcomes, the team adaptation iterative process, and new ways to measure the adaptation process.

Spacelab

NASA Image and Video Library

1992-01-01

The IML-1 mission was the first in a series of Shuttle flights dedicated to fundamental materials and life sciences research with the international partners. The participating space agencies included: NASA, the 14-nation European Space Agency (ESA), the Canadian Space Agency (CSA), The French National Center of Space Studies (CNES), the German Space Agency and the German Aerospace Research Establishment (DAR/DLR), and the National Space Development Agency of Japan (NASDA). Dedicated to the study of life and materials sciences in microgravity, the IML missions explored how life forms adapt to weightlessness and investigated how materials behave when processed in space. Both life and materials sciences benefited from the extended periods of microgravity available inside the Spacelab science module in the cargo bay of the Space Shuttle Orbiter. This photograph shows Astronaut Norman Thagard performing the fluid experiment at the Fluid Experiment System (FES) facility inside the laboratory module. The FES facility had sophisticated optical systems for imaging fluid flows during materials processing, such as experiments to grow crystals from solution and solidify metal-modeling salts. A special laser diagnostic technique recorded the experiments, holograms were made for post-flight analysis, and video was used to view the samples in space and on the ground. Managed by the Marshall Space Flight Center (MSFC), the IML-1 mission was launched on January 22, 1992 aboard the Shuttle Orbiter Discovery (STS-42).

What makes a space invader? Passenger perceptions of personal space invasion in aircraft travel.

PubMed

Lewis, Laura; Patel, Harshada; D'Cruz, Mirabelle; Cobb, Sue

2017-11-01

The invasion of personal space is often a contributory factor to the experience of discomfort in aircraft passengers. This paper presents a questionnaire study which investigated how air travellers are affected by invasions of personal space and how they attempt to adapt to, or counter, these invasions. In support of recent findings on the factors influencing air passenger comfort, the results of this study indicate that the invasion of personal space is not only caused by physical factors (e.g. physical contact with humans or objects), but also other sensory factors such as noise, smells or unwanted eye contact. The findings of this study have implications for the design of shared spaces. Practitioner Summary: This paper presents a questionnaire study which investigated personal space in an aircraft environment. The results highlight the factors which affect the perception of personal space invasion in aircraft and can therefore inform the design of aircraft cabin environments to enhance the passenger experience.

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. - In the Space Station Processing Facility can be seen the U.S. Node 2 (at left) and the Japanese Experiment Module (JEM)’s Pressurized Module (at right). The Italian-built Node 2, the second of three Space Station connecting modules, attaches to the end of the U.S. Lab and will provide attach locations for the Japanese laboratory, European laboratory, the Centrifuge Accommodation Module and, later, Multipurpose Logistics Modules. It will provide the primary docking location for the Shuttle when a pressurized mating adapter is attached to Node 2. Installation of the module will complete the U.S. Core of the ISS. Node 2 is the designated payload for mission STS-120. No orbiter or launch date has been determined yet. The Pressurized Module is the first element of the JEM to be delivered to KSC. The JEM is Japan's primary contribution to the Station. It will enhance the unique research capabilities of the orbiting complex by providing an additional environment for astronauts to conduct science experiments. The JEM also includes an exposed facility (platform) for space environment experiments, a robotic manipulator system, and two logistics modules. The various JEM components will be assembled in space over the course of three Shuttle missions.

NASA Image and Video Library

2003-08-12

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. - In the Space Station Processing Facility can be seen the U.S. Node 2 (at left) and the Japanese Experiment Module (JEM)’s Pressurized Module (at right). The Italian-built Node 2, the second of three Space Station connecting modules, attaches to the end of the U.S. Lab and will provide attach locations for the Japanese laboratory, European laboratory, the Centrifuge Accommodation Module and, later, Multipurpose Logistics Modules. It will provide the primary docking location for the Shuttle when a pressurized mating adapter is attached to Node 2. Installation of the module will complete the U.S. Core of the ISS. Node 2 is the designated payload for mission STS-120. No orbiter or launch date has been determined yet. The Pressurized Module is the first element of the JEM to be delivered to KSC. The JEM is Japan's primary contribution to the Station. It will enhance the unique research capabilities of the orbiting complex by providing an additional environment for astronauts to conduct science experiments. The JEM also includes an exposed facility (platform) for space environment experiments, a robotic manipulator system, and two logistics modules. The various JEM components will be assembled in space over the course of three Shuttle missions.

Expedite the Processing of Unpressurized Payloads to the International Space Station Using the ExPRESS Pallet

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Bacskay, Allen S.; Gilbert, Paul A. (Technical Monitor)

2002-01-01

The Expedite the PRocessing of Experiments to Space Station (ExPRESS) Pallet will be used as an experiment platform for external/unpressurized payloads to be flown aboard the International Space Station (ISS). The purpose of the ExPRESS Pallet is to provide an easy access to the ISS for Scientific Investigators that require an external platform for their experiment hardware. As the name of the ExPRESS Pallet implies, the objective of the ExPRESS program is to provide a simplified integration process in a short time period (24 months) for payloads to be flown on the ISS. The ExPRESS Pallet provides unique opportunities for research across many science disciplines, including earth observation, communications, solar and deep space viewing, and long-term exposure. The ExPRESS Pallet provides access to Ram, Wake, Nadir, Zenith and Earth Limb for viewing and exposure to the space environment. The ExPRESS Pallet will provide standard physical payload interfaces, and a standard integration template. The ExPS consists of the Pallet structure, payload Adapters, a subsystem assembly that includes data controller, power distribution and conversion, and Extra Vehicular Robotics compatibility. The ExPRESS Pallet provides the capability to changeout payloads on-orbit via the ExPRESS Pallet Adapter (ExPA). The following paragraphs will describe the Services and Accommodations available to the Payload developers by the ExPRESS Pallet and a brief description of the Integration process. More detailed information on the ExPRESS Pallet can be found in the ExPRESS Pallet Payload Accommodations Handbook, SSP 52000-PAH-EPP.

Preadaptation to the stimulus rearrangement of weightlessness: Preliminary studies and concepts for trainer designs

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Parker, D. E.; Reschke, M. F.

1988-01-01

An effort to develop preflight adaptation training (PAT) apparatus and procedures to adapt astronauts to the stimulus rearrangement of weightless spaceflight is being pursued. Based on the otolith tilt-translation reinterpretation model of sensory adaptation to weightlessness, two prototype preflight adaptation trainers (PAT) have been developed. These trainers couple pitch movement of the subject with translation of the visual surround. Subjects were exposed to this stimulus rearrangement for periods of 30 m. The hypothesis is that exposure to the rearrangement would attenuate vertical eye movements was supported by two experiments using the Miami University Seesaw (MUS) PAT prototype. The Dynamic Environment Simulator (DES) prototype failed to support this hypothesis; this result is attributed to a pecularity of the DES apparatus. A final experiment demonstrated that changes in vertical eye movements were not a consequence of fixation on an external target during exposure to a control condition. Together these experiments support the view that preflight adaptation training can alter eye movements in a manner consistent with adaptation to weightlessness. Following these initial studies, concepts for development of operational preflight trainers were proposed. The trainers are intended to: demonstrate the stimulus rearrangement of weightlessness; allow astronauts to train in altered sensory environment; modify sensory motor reflexes; and reduce/eliminate space motion sickness symptoms.

Context-Specific Adaptation of Gravity-Dependent Vestibular Reflex Responses (NSBRI Neurovestibular Project 1)

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Shelhamer, Mark; Goldberg, Jefim; Minor, Lloyd B.; Paloski, William H.; Young, Laurence R.; Zee, David S.

1999-01-01

Impairment of gaze and head stabilization reflexes can lead to disorientation and reduced performance in sensorimotor tasks such as piloting of spacecraft. Transitions between different gravitoinertial force (gif) environments - as during different phases of space flight - provide an extreme test of the adaptive capabilities of these mechanisms. We wish to determine to what extent the sensorimotor skills acquired in one gravity environment will transfer to others, and to what extent gravity serves as a context cue for inhibiting such transfer. We use the general approach of adapting a response (saccades, vestibuloocular reflex: VOR, or vestibulocollic reflex: VCR) to a particular change in gain or phase in one gif condition, adapting to a different gain or phase in a second gif condition, and then seeing if gif itself - the context cue - can recall the previously-learned adapted responses. Previous evidence indicates that unless there is specific training to induce context-specificity, reflex adaptation is sequential rather than simultaneous. Various experiments in this project investigate the behavioral properties, neurophysiological basis, and anatomical substrate of context-specific learning, using otolith (gravity) signals as a context cue. In the following, we outline the methods for all experiments in this project, and provide details and results on selected experiments.

Biotechnological experiments in space flights on board of space stations

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Nechitailo, Galina S.

2012-07-01

Space flight conditions are stressful for any plant and cause structural-functional transition due to mobiliation of adaptivity. In space flight experiments with pea tissue, wheat and arabidopsis we found anatomical-morphological transformations and biochemistry of plants. In following experiments, tissue of stevia (Stevia rebaudiana), potato (Solanum tuberosum), callus culture and culture and bulbs of suffron (Crocus sativus), callus culture of ginseng (Panax ginseng) were investigated. Experiments with stevia carried out in special chambers. The duration of experiment was 8-14 days. Board lamp was used for illumination of the plants. After experiment the plants grew in the same chamber and after 50 days the plants were moved into artificial ionexchange soil. The biochemical analysis of plants was done. The total concentration of glycozides and ratio of stevioside and rebauside were found different in space and ground plants. In following generations of stevia after flight the total concentration of stevioside and rebauside remains higher than in ground plants. Experiments with callus culture of suffron carried out in tubes. Duration of space flight experiment was 8-167 days. Board lamp was used for illumination of the plants. We found picrocitina pigment in the space plants but not in ground plants. Tissue culture of ginseng was grown in special container in thermostate under stable temperature of 22 ± 0,5 C. Duration of space experiment was from 8 to 167 days. Biological activity of space flight culutre was in 5 times higher than the ground culture. This difference was observed after recultivation of space flight samples on Earth during year after flight. Callus tissue of potato was grown in tubes in thermostate under stable temperature of 22 ± 0,5 C. Duration of space experiment was from 8 to 14 days. Concentration of regenerates in flight samples was in 5 times higher than in ground samples. The space flight experiments show, that microgravity and other factors of space flight change direction of biological processes, and show a possibility to get special kinds of bioproducts with new properties.

Parameter learning for performance adaptation

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Peek, Mark D.; Antsaklis, Panos J.

1990-01-01

A parameter learning method is introduced and used to broaden the region of operability of the adaptive control system of a flexible space antenna. The learning system guides the selection of control parameters in a process leading to optimal system performance. A grid search procedure is used to estimate an initial set of parameter values. The optimization search procedure uses a variation of the Hooke and Jeeves multidimensional search algorithm. The method is applicable to any system where performance depends on a number of adjustable parameters. A mathematical model is not necessary, as the learning system can be used whenever the performance can be measured via simulation or experiment. The results of two experiments, the transient regulation and the command following experiment, are presented.

Evolving Dispensers: How to Take Benefit from Heritage

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Veilleraud, Fredderic; Larcher, Virginie

2014-06-01

Thanks to its large know-how in the field of accommodation and launch of multiple payloads on civil and military programs, Airbus Defence and Space has developed since 1996 dispensers for various constellations on various launchers.Taking into account time and cost constraints of this market, Airbus D&S early based its solutions on adaptation of previous products enabling to limit engineering and manufacturing effort. Thus, Airbus D&S has developed a family of prequalified technological elements allowing adaptation of design to requirement while limiting drastically qualification need.Doing that, Airbus Defence and Space has also gathered a strong experience on various primary concepts that could be easily tuned and customized to new customer needs.

Astronaut William Pogue using Skylab Viewfinder Tracking System experiment

NASA Image and Video Library

1973-09-10

S73-32854 (10 Sept. 1973) --- Astronaut William R. Pogue, Skylab 4 pilot, uses the Skylab Viewfinder Tracking System (S191 experiment) during a training exercise in the Multiple Docking Adapter (MDA) one-G trainer at Johnson Space Center. In the background is astronaut Gerald P. Carr, seated at the control panel for the Earth Resources Experiments Package (EREP). Carr is Skylab 4 crew commander, and Gibson is science pilot. Photo credit: NASA

Spacelab

NASA Image and Video Library

1992-01-01

This photograph shows activities during the International Microgravity Laboratory-1 (IML-1) mission (STS-42) in the Payload Operations Control Center (POCC) at the Marshall Space Flight Center. Members of the Fluid Experiment System (FES) group monitor the progress of their experiment through video at the POCC. The IML-1 mission was the first in a series of Shuttle flights dedicated to fundamental materials and life sciences research. The mission was to explore, in depth, the complex effects of weightlessness on living organisms and materials processing. The crew conducted experiments on the human nervous system's adaptation to low gravity and the effects on other life forms such as shrimp eggs, lentil seedlings, fruit fly eggs, and bacteria. Low gravity materials processing experiments included crystal growth from a variety of substances such as enzymes, mercury, iodine, and virus. The International space science research organizations that participated in this mission were: The U.S. National Aeronautics and Space Administion, the European Space Agency, the Canadian Space Agency, the French National Center for Space Studies, the German Space Agency, and the National Space Development Agency of Japan. The POCC was the air/ground communication charnel used between astronauts aboard the Spacelab and scientists, researchers, and ground control teams during the Spacelab missions. The facility made instantaneous video and audio communications possible for scientists on the ground to follow the progress and to send direct commands of their research almost as if they were in space with the crew.

Flocculation and aggregation in a microgravity environment (FAME)

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Ansari, Rafat R.; Dhadwal, Harbans S.; Suh, Kwang I.

1994-01-01

An experiment to study flocculation phenomena in the constrained microgravity environment of a space shuttle or space station is described. The small size and light weight experiment easily fits in a Spacelab Glovebox. Using an integrated fiber optic dynamic light scattering (DLS) system we obtain high precision particle size measurements from dispersions of colloidal particles within seconds, needs no onboard optical alignment, no index matching fluid, and offers sample mixing and shear melting capabilities to study aggregation (flocculation and coagulation) phenomena under both quiescent and controlled agitation conditions. The experimental system can easily be adapted for other microgravity experiments requiring the use of DLS. Preliminary results of ground-based study are reported.

Shuttle Hitchhiker Experiment Launcher System (SHELS)

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Daelemans, Gerry

1999-01-01

NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center Shuttle Small Payloads Project (SSPP), in partnership with the United States Air Force and NASA's Explorer Program, is developing a Shuttle based launch system called SHELS (Shuttle Hitchhiker Experiment Launcher System), which shall be capable of launching up to a 400 pound spacecraft from the Shuttle cargo bay. SHELS consists of a Marman band clamp push-plate ejection system mounted to a launch structure; the launch structure is mounted to one Orbiter sidewall adapter beam. Avionics mounted to the adapter beam will interface with Orbiter electrical services and provide optional umbilical services and ejection circuitry. SHELS provides an array of manifesting possibilities to a wide range of satellites.

[Basic results of an experiment with mammals on the Kosmos-782 biosatellite].

PubMed

Gazenko, O G; Genin, A M; Il'in, E A; Portugalov, V V; Serova, L V

1978-01-01

The rat experiments carried out onboard the biosatellite Cosmos-782 contributed to our understanding of mechanisms of animal adaption to prolonged weightlessness. Postflight analysis helped to study nonspecific changes related to the stress-reaction accompanying space flight and return to the Earth gravity as well as specific changes associated with functional unloading of the musculoskeletal system in weightlessness. The flight results confirmed the previously made conclusions concerning possible adaptation of mammals to prolonged weightlessness and lack of pathological changes in vital weightlessness. They included: metabolic and hormonal changes, muscle atrophy, osteoporosis and delayed bone growth, decrease of ATPase activity of myocardial myosin, inhibition of erythropoiesis.

Skylab

NASA Image and Video Library

1971-12-01

This December 1971 photograph shows the internal configuration of Skylab's Multiple Docking Adapter (MDA) as it appeared during the Crew Compartment and Function Review at the Martin-Marietta Corporation's Space Center facility in Denver, Colorado. At left is the control and display console for the Apollo Telescope Mount. Designed and manufactured by the Marshall Space Flight Center, the MDA housed a number of experiment control and stowage units and provided a docking port for the Apollo Command Module.

Concepts and technology development towards a platform for macroscopic quantum experiments in space

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kaltenbaek, Rainer

Tremendous progress has been achieved in space technology over the last decade. This technological heritage promises enabling applications of quantum technology in space already now or in the near future. Heritage in laser and optical technologies from LISA Pathfinder comprises core technologies required for quantum optical experiments. Low-noise micro-thruster technology from GAIA allows achieving an impressive quality of microgravity, and passive radiative cooling approaches as in the James Webb Space Telescope may be adapted for achieving cryogenic temperatures. Developments like these have rendered space an increasingly attractive platform for quantum-enhanced sensing and for fundamental tests of physics using quantum technology. In particular, there already have been significant efforts towards ralizing atom interferometry and atomic clocks in space as well as efforts to harness space as an environment for fundamental tests of physics using quantum optomechanics and high-mass matter-wave interferometry. Here, we will present recent efforts in spacecraft design and technology development towards this latter goal in the context of the mission proposal MAQRO.

Postural Control Disturbances Produced By Exposure to HMD and Dome Vr Systems

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Harm, D. L.; Taylor, L. C.

2005-01-01

Two critical and unresolved human factors issues in VR systems are: 1) potential "cybersickness", a form of motion sickness which is experienced in virtual worlds, and 2) maladaptive sensorimotor performance following exposure to VR systems. Interestingly, these aftereffects are often quite similar to adaptive sensorimotor responses observed in astronauts during and/or following space flight. Most astronauts and cosmonauts experience perceptual and sensorimotor disturbances during and following space flight. All astronauts exhibit decrements in postural control following space flight. It has been suggested that training in virtual reality (VR) may be an effective countermeasure for minimizing perceptual and/or sensorimotor disturbances. People adapt to consistent, sustained alterations of sensory input such as those produced by microgravity, and experimentally-produced stimulus rearrangements (e.g., reversing prisms, magnifying lenses, flight simulators, and VR systems). Adaptation is revealed by aftereffects including perceptual disturbances and sensorimotor control disturbances. The purpose of the current study was to compare disturbances in postural control produced by dome and head-mounted virtual environment displays. Individuals recovered from motion sickness and the detrimental effects of exposure to virtual reality on postural control within one hour. Sickness severity and initial decrements in postural equilibrium decreases over days, which suggests that subjects become dual-adapted over time. These findings provide some direction for developing training schedules for VR users that facilitate adaptation, and address safety concerns about aftereffects.

Muscle damage and adaptation after the second bout of eccentric exercise of the knee extensors.

PubMed

Hassan, E S

2014-10-01

This study examined the muscles ability to adapt to eccentric exercise by the changes in serum myoglobin (Mb), creatine kinase (CK) activity and muscle soreness. The study involved 54 healthy young men from the 23± 2yr age group. These were distributed as subjects for three types of experiments with 18 men in each. Subjects performed 300 maximal eccentric exercises. In experiment I, after performing the first bout of exercise, they were split into three subgroups to perform the second bout after a period of 4, 6, and 8 weeks (WK), respectively. In experiment II, performed the second exercise after a period of 2, 3, and 5 wk, respectively. In experiment III, they performed four exercise bouts spaced 1 wk apart. in experiment II a significant (P<0.05) decrease in muscle soreness, serum Mb and CK was found on exercise bout 2. In experiment III, serum CK, Mb and muscle soreness responses were highest following bout 1. It was concluded that performance of a single exercise bout had a prophylactic effect on muscle soreness and serum protein responses that lasts approximately 2 wk, with the greatest adaptation occurring after one bout.

Passive Thermal Design Approach for the Space Communications and Navigation (SCaN) Testbed Experiment on the International Space Station (ISS)

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Siamidis, John; Yuko, Jim

2014-01-01

The Space Communications and Navigation (SCaN) Program Office at NASA Headquarters oversees all of NASAs space communications activities. SCaN manages and directs the ground-based facilities and services provided by the Deep Space Network (DSN), Near Earth Network (NEN), and the Space Network (SN). Through the SCaN Program Office, NASA GRC developed a Software Defined Radio (SDR) testbed experiment (SCaN testbed experiment) for use on the International Space Station (ISS). It is comprised of three different SDR radios, the Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) radio, Harris Corporation radio, and the General Dynamics Corporation radio. The SCaN testbed experiment provides an on-orbit, adaptable, SDR Space Telecommunications Radio System (STRS) - based facility to conduct a suite of experiments to advance the Software Defined Radio, Space Telecommunications Radio Systems (STRS) standards, reduce risk (Technology Readiness Level (TRL) advancement) for candidate Constellation future space flight hardware software, and demonstrate space communication links critical to future NASA exploration missions. The SCaN testbed project provides NASA, industry, other Government agencies, and academic partners the opportunity to develop and field communications, navigation, and networking technologies in the laboratory and space environment based on reconfigurable, software defined radio platforms and the STRS Architecture.The SCaN testbed is resident on the P3 Express Logistics Carrier (ELC) on the exterior truss of the International Space Station (ISS). The SCaN testbed payload launched on the Japanese Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) H-II Transfer Vehicle (HTV) and was installed on the ISS P3 ELC located on the inboard RAM P3 site. The daily operations and testing are managed out of NASA GRC in the Telescience Support Center (TSC).

Experiments in advanced control concepts for space robotics - An overview of the Stanford Aerospace Robotics Laboratory

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Hollars, M. G.; Cannon, R. H., Jr.; Alexander, H. L.; Morse, D. F.

1987-01-01

The Stanford University Aerospace Robotics Laboratory is actively developing and experimentally testing advanced robot control strategies for space robotic applications. Early experiments focused on control of very lightweight one-link manipulators and other flexible structures. The results are being extended to position and force control of mini-manipulators attached to flexible manipulators and multilink manipulators with flexible drive trains. Experimental results show that end-point sensing and careful dynamic modeling or adaptive control are key to the success of these control strategies. Free-flying space robot simulators that operate on an air cushion table have been built to test control strategies in which the dynamics of the base of the robot and the payload are important.

Adaptive Augmenting Control Flight Characterization Experiment on an F/A-18

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

VanZwieten, Tannen S.; Gilligan, Eric T.; Wall, John H.; Orr, Jeb S.; Miller, Christopher J.; Hanson, Curtis E.

2014-01-01

The NASA Marshall Space Flight Center (MSFC) Flight Mechanics and Analysis Division developed an Adaptive Augmenting Control (AAC) algorithm for launch vehicles that improves robustness and performance by adapting an otherwise welltuned classical control algorithm to unexpected environments or variations in vehicle dynamics. This AAC algorithm is currently part of the baseline design for the SLS Flight Control System (FCS), but prior to this series of research flights it was the only component of the autopilot design that had not been flight tested. The Space Launch System (SLS) flight software prototype, including the adaptive component, was recently tested on a piloted aircraft at Dryden Flight Research Center (DFRC) which has the capability to achieve a high level of dynamic similarity to a launch vehicle. Scenarios for the flight test campaign were designed specifically to evaluate the AAC algorithm to ensure that it is able to achieve the expected performance improvements with no adverse impacts in nominal or nearnominal scenarios. Having completed the recent series of flight characterization experiments on DFRC's F/A-18, the AAC algorithm's capability, robustness, and reproducibility, have been successfully demonstrated. Thus, the entire SLS control architecture has been successfully flight tested in a relevant environment. This has increased NASA's confidence that the autopilot design is ready to fly on the SLS Block I vehicle and will exceed the performance of previous architectures.

Mice in Bion-M 1 Space Mission: Training and Selection

PubMed Central

Andreev-Andrievskiy, Alexander; Popova, Anfisa; Boyle, Richard; Alberts, Jeffrey; Shenkman, Boris; Vinogradova, Olga; Dolgov, Oleg; Anokhin, Konstantin; Tsvirkun, Darya; Soldatov, Pavel; Nemirovskaya, Tatyana; Ilyin, Eugeniy; Sychev, Vladimir

2014-01-01

After a 16-year hiatus, Russia has resumed its program of biomedical research in space, with the successful 30-day flight of the Bion-M 1 biosatellite (April 19–May 19, 2013). The principal species for biomedical research in this project was the mouse. This paper presents an overview of the scientific goals, the experimental design and the mouse training/selection program. The aim of mice experiments in the Bion-M 1 project was to elucidate cellular and molecular mechanisms, underlying the adaptation of key physiological systems to long-term exposure in microgravity. The studies with mice combined in vivo measurements, both in flight and post-flight (including continuous blood pressure measurement), with extensive in vitro studies carried out shortly after return of the mice and in the end of recovery study. Male C57/BL6 mice group housed in space habitats were flown aboard the Bion-M 1 biosatellite, or remained on ground in the control experiment that replicated environmental and housing conditions in the spacecraft. Vivarium control groups were used to account for housing effects and possible seasonal differences. Mice training included the co-adaptation in housing groups and mice adaptation to paste food diet. The measures taken to co-adapt aggressive male mice in housing groups and the peculiarities of “space” paste food are described. The training program for mice designated for in vivo studies was broader and included behavioral/functional test battery and continuous behavioral measurements in the home-cage. The results of the preliminary tests were used for the selection of homogenous groups. After the flight, mice were in good condition for biomedical studies and displayed signs of pronounced disadaptation to Earth's gravity. The outcomes of the training program for the mice welfare are discussed. We conclude that our training program was effective and that male mice can be successfully employed in space biomedical research. PMID:25133741

Dragon Cargo Spacecraft Departs the ISS on This Week @NASA – August 26, 2016

NASA Image and Video Library

2016-08-26

The SpaceX Dragon cargo spacecraft left the International Space Station on August 26. The Dragon departed the station five weeks after delivering almost 5,000 pounds of supplies, experiments and equipment to the orbital complex – including an international docking adapter for use by future American commercial crew spacecraft transporting astronauts to the station. The station’s Canadarm2 robotic arm was used to grapple the Dragon, move it away from the ISS, and release it for its return trip to Earth. The capsule is returning with about 3,000 pounds of cargo and experiments for researchers and investigators. Also, New U.S. Endurance Record in Space, Next U.S. Spacewalk Previewed, Boeing CST-100 Starliner Land Drop Test, SLS Liquid Hydrogen Test Tank Moved, and Celebrating National Parks, from Space!

On the response of halophilic archaea to space conditions.

PubMed

Leuko, Stefan; Rettberg, Petra; Pontifex, Ashleigh L; Burns, Brendan P

2014-02-21

Microorganisms are ubiquitous and can be found in almost every habitat and ecological niche on Earth. They thrive and survive in a broad spectrum of environments and adapt to rapidly changing external conditions. It is of great interest to investigate how microbes adapt to different extreme environments and with modern human space travel, we added a new extreme environment: outer space. Within the last 50 years, technology has provided tools for transporting microbial life beyond Earth's protective shield in order to study in situ responses to selected conditions of space. This review will focus on halophilic archaea, as, due to their ability to survive in extremes, they are often considered a model group of organisms to study responses to the harsh conditions associated with space. We discuss ground-based simulations, as well as space experiments, utilizing archaea, examining responses and/or resistance to the effects of microgravity and UV in particular. Several halophilic archaea (e.g., Halorubrum chaoviator) have been exposed to simulated and actual space conditions and their survival has been determined as well as the protective effects of halite shown. Finally, the intriguing potential of archaea to survive on other planets or embedded in a meteorite is postulated.

On the Response of Halophilic Archaea to Space Conditions

PubMed Central

Leuko, Stefan; Rettberg, Petra; Pontifex, Ashleigh L.; Burns, Brendan P.

2014-01-01

Microorganisms are ubiquitous and can be found in almost every habitat and ecological niche on Earth. They thrive and survive in a broad spectrum of environments and adapt to rapidly changing external conditions. It is of great interest to investigate how microbes adapt to different extreme environments and with modern human space travel, we added a new extreme environment: outer space. Within the last 50 years, technology has provided tools for transporting microbial life beyond Earth’s protective shield in order to study in situ responses to selected conditions of space. This review will focus on halophilic archaea, as, due to their ability to survive in extremes, they are often considered a model group of organisms to study responses to the harsh conditions associated with space. We discuss ground-based simulations, as well as space experiments, utilizing archaea, examining responses and/or resistance to the effects of microgravity and UV in particular. Several halophilic archaea (e.g., Halorubrum chaoviator) have been exposed to simulated and actual space conditions and their survival has been determined as well as the protective effects of halite shown. Finally, the intriguing potential of archaea to survive on other planets or embedded in a meteorite is postulated. PMID:25370029

Spacelab

NASA Image and Video Library

1992-01-01

The IML-1 mission was the first in a series of Shuttle flights dedicated to fundamental materials and life sciences research with the international partners. The participating space agencies included: NASA, the 14-nation European Space Agency (ESA), the Canadian Space Agency (CSA), the French National Center of Space Studies (CNES), the German Space Agency and the German Aerospace Research Establishment (DAR/DLR), and the National Space Development Agency of Japan (NASDA). Dedicated to the study of life and materials sciences in microgravity, the IML missions explored how life forms adapt to weightlessness and investigated how materials behave when processed in space. Both life and materials sciences benefited from the extended periods of microgravity available inside the Spacelab science module in the cargo bay of the Space Shuttle Orbiter. In this photograph, Commander Ronald J. Grabe works with the Mental Workload and Performance Evaluation Experiment (MWPE) in the IML-1 module. This experiment was designed as a result of difficulty experienced by crewmembers working at a computer station on a previous Space Shuttle mission. The problem was due to the workstation's design being based on Earthbound conditions with the operator in a typical one-G standing position. Information gained from this experiment was used to design workstations for future Spacelab missions and the International Space Station. Managed by the Marshall Space Flight Center, IML-1 was launched on January 22, 1992 aboard the Space Shuttle Orbiter Discovery (STS-42 mission).

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. - Astronaut Soichi Noguchi, with the National Space Development Agency of Japan (NASDA), works at a console during a Multi-Element Integrated Test (MEIT) of the U.S. Node 2 and the Japanese Experiment Module (JEM). Noguchi is assigned to mission STS-114 as a mission specialist. Node 2 attaches to the end of the U.S. Lab on the ISS and provides attach locations for the Japanese laboratory, European laboratory, the Centrifuge Accommodation Module and, eventually, Multipurpose Logistics Modules. It will provide the primary docking location for the Shuttle when a pressurized mating adapter is attached to Node 2. Installation of the module will complete the U.S. Core of the ISS. The JEM, developed by NASDA, is Japan's primary contribution to the Station. It will enhance the unique research capabilities of the orbiting complex by providing an additional environment for astronauts to conduct science experiments.

NASA Image and Video Library

2003-09-03

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. - Astronaut Soichi Noguchi, with the National Space Development Agency of Japan (NASDA), works at a console during a Multi-Element Integrated Test (MEIT) of the U.S. Node 2 and the Japanese Experiment Module (JEM). Noguchi is assigned to mission STS-114 as a mission specialist. Node 2 attaches to the end of the U.S. Lab on the ISS and provides attach locations for the Japanese laboratory, European laboratory, the Centrifuge Accommodation Module and, eventually, Multipurpose Logistics Modules. It will provide the primary docking location for the Shuttle when a pressurized mating adapter is attached to Node 2. Installation of the module will complete the U.S. Core of the ISS. The JEM, developed by NASDA, is Japan's primary contribution to the Station. It will enhance the unique research capabilities of the orbiting complex by providing an additional environment for astronauts to conduct science experiments.

Individual Differences in Adaptability to Isolated, Confined, and Extreme Environments.

PubMed

Bartone, Paul T; Krueger, Gerald P; Bartone, Jocelyn V

2018-06-01

Future deep space missions will expose astronauts to more intense stressors than previously encountered. Isolation will be greater and more prolonged, living and work areas more confined, and communications and resupply channels to Earth longer and less reliable. Astronauts will need to function more autonomously, with less guidance and support from Earth. Thus, it is important to select and train astronauts who can adapt and function effectively under extreme and variable conditions. In order to identify factors linked to individual adaptability, we conducted a systematic review of the literature on cognitive and behavioral adaptation to isolated, confined, and extreme (ICE) environments. We searched PubMed, Embase, Web of Science, and PsychINFO databases for studies addressing individual adaptability to ICE environments. Studies were rated for quality and fidelity to long-duration space missions and key results extracted. There were 73 studies that met all inclusion criteria. Adaptability attributes for ICE environments include intelligence, emotional stability, self-control, openness, achievement facets of conscientiousness, optimism, mastery, introversion, hardiness, task-oriented coping, past experience, low need for social support, and adequate sleep. This review identifies individual factors linked to adaptability under ICE conditions. Further studies are needed to verify causal directions and determine the relative importance of these factors.Bartone PT, Krueger GP, Bartone JV. Individual differences in adaptability to isolated, confined, and extreme environments. Aerosp Med Hum Perform. 2018; 89(6):536-546.

[Potentiality of building-up the medical operations system for long-duration space missions by noncontact physiological functions recording during sleep time].

PubMed

Baevskiĭ, R M; Bogomolov, V V; Funtova, I I; Slepchenkova, I N; Chernikova, A G

2009-01-01

Methods of investigating the physiological functions in space crews on extended missions during night sleep are of much fundamental and practical substance. The design of experiment "Sonocard" utilizes the method of seismocardiography. Purpose of the experiment is to validate the procedures of noncontact in-sleep physiological data recoding which are potent to enhance the space crew medical operations system. The experiment was performed systematically by ISS Russian crew members starting from mission-16. The experimental procedure is easy and does not cause discomfort to human subjects. Results of the initial experimental sessions demonstrated that, as on Earth, sleep in microgravity is crucial for the recovery of body functional reserves and that the innovative technology is instrumental in studying the recovery processes as well as person unique patterns of adaptation to extended space mission. It also allows conclusions about sleep quality, mechanisms of recreation, and body functionality. These data may enrich substantially the information used by medical operators of the space missions control centers.

Emblem - NASA Skylab (SL) Program

NASA Image and Video Library

1973-04-25

S73-23952 (May 1973) --- This is the official emblem for the National Aeronautics and Space Administration's (NASA) Skylab Program. The emblem depicts the United States Skylab space station cluster in Earth orbit with the sun in the background. Skylab will evaluate systems and techniques designed to gather information on Earth resources and environmental problems. Solar telescopes will increase man's knowledge of our sun and the multitude of solar influences on Earth environment. Medical experiments will increase knowledge of man himself and his relationship to his earthly environment and adaptability to spaceflight. Additionally, Skylab will experiment with industrial processes which may be enhanced by the unique weightless, vacuum environment of orbital spaceflight. The 100-ton laboratory complex Skylab space station is composed of the Command/Service Module (CSM), Orbital Workshop (OW), Apollo Telescope Mount (ATM), Multiple Docking Adapter (MDA), and Airlock Module (AM). The NASA insignia design for Skylab is reserved for use by the astronauts and for other official use as the NASA Administrator may authorize. Public availability has been approved only in the form of illustrations by the various news media. When and if there is any change in this policy, which we do not anticipate, it will be publicly announced. Photo credit: NASA

OAI and NASA's Scientific and Technical Information.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Nelson, Michael L.; Rocker, JoAnne; Harrison, Terry L.

2003-01-01

Details NASA's (National Aeronautics & Space Administration (USA)) involvement in defining and testing the Open Archives Initiative (OAI) Protocol for Metadata Harvesting (OAI-PMH) and experience with adapting existing NASA distributed searching DLs (digital libraries) to use the OAI-PMH and metadata harvesting. Discusses some new digital…

Skylab

NASA Image and Video Library

1971-08-01

This August 1971 interior photograph of Skylab's Multiple Docking Adapter (MDA) flight article, undergoing outfitting at the Martin-Marietta Corporation's Space Center facility in Denver, Colorado, shows the forward cone area and docking tunnel (center) that attached to the Apollo Command Module. Designed and manufactured by the Marshall Space Flight Center, the MDA housed the control units for the Apollo Telescope Mount, Earth Resources Experiment Package, and Zero-Gravity Materials Processing Facility and provided a docking port for the Apollo Command Module.

Robots that can adapt like animals.

PubMed

Cully, Antoine; Clune, Jeff; Tarapore, Danesh; Mouret, Jean-Baptiste

2015-05-28

Robots have transformed many industries, most notably manufacturing, and have the power to deliver tremendous benefits to society, such as in search and rescue, disaster response, health care and transportation. They are also invaluable tools for scientific exploration in environments inaccessible to humans, from distant planets to deep oceans. A major obstacle to their widespread adoption in more complex environments outside factories is their fragility. Whereas animals can quickly adapt to injuries, current robots cannot 'think outside the box' to find a compensatory behaviour when they are damaged: they are limited to their pre-specified self-sensing abilities, can diagnose only anticipated failure modes, and require a pre-programmed contingency plan for every type of potential damage, an impracticality for complex robots. A promising approach to reducing robot fragility involves having robots learn appropriate behaviours in response to damage, but current techniques are slow even with small, constrained search spaces. Here we introduce an intelligent trial-and-error algorithm that allows robots to adapt to damage in less than two minutes in large search spaces without requiring self-diagnosis or pre-specified contingency plans. Before the robot is deployed, it uses a novel technique to create a detailed map of the space of high-performing behaviours. This map represents the robot's prior knowledge about what behaviours it can perform and their value. When the robot is damaged, it uses this prior knowledge to guide a trial-and-error learning algorithm that conducts intelligent experiments to rapidly discover a behaviour that compensates for the damage. Experiments reveal successful adaptations for a legged robot injured in five different ways, including damaged, broken, and missing legs, and for a robotic arm with joints broken in 14 different ways. This new algorithm will enable more robust, effective, autonomous robots, and may shed light on the principles that animals use to adapt to injury.

Robots that can adapt like animals

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Cully, Antoine; Clune, Jeff; Tarapore, Danesh; Mouret, Jean-Baptiste

2015-05-01

Robots have transformed many industries, most notably manufacturing, and have the power to deliver tremendous benefits to society, such as in search and rescue, disaster response, health care and transportation. They are also invaluable tools for scientific exploration in environments inaccessible to humans, from distant planets to deep oceans. A major obstacle to their widespread adoption in more complex environments outside factories is their fragility. Whereas animals can quickly adapt to injuries, current robots cannot `think outside the box' to find a compensatory behaviour when they are damaged: they are limited to their pre-specified self-sensing abilities, can diagnose only anticipated failure modes, and require a pre-programmed contingency plan for every type of potential damage, an impracticality for complex robots. A promising approach to reducing robot fragility involves having robots learn appropriate behaviours in response to damage, but current techniques are slow even with small, constrained search spaces. Here we introduce an intelligent trial-and-error algorithm that allows robots to adapt to damage in less than two minutes in large search spaces without requiring self-diagnosis or pre-specified contingency plans. Before the robot is deployed, it uses a novel technique to create a detailed map of the space of high-performing behaviours. This map represents the robot's prior knowledge about what behaviours it can perform and their value. When the robot is damaged, it uses this prior knowledge to guide a trial-and-error learning algorithm that conducts intelligent experiments to rapidly discover a behaviour that compensates for the damage. Experiments reveal successful adaptations for a legged robot injured in five different ways, including damaged, broken, and missing legs, and for a robotic arm with joints broken in 14 different ways. This new algorithm will enable more robust, effective, autonomous robots, and may shed light on the principles that animals use to adapt to injury.

Posture, locomotion, spatial orientation, and motion sickness as a function of space flight

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Reschke, M. F.; Bloomberg, J. J.; Harm, D. L.; Paloski, W. H.; Layne, C.; McDonald, V.

1998-01-01

This article summarizes a variety of newly published findings obtained by the Neuroscience Laboratory, Johnson Space Center, and attempts to place this work within a historical framework of previous results on posture, locomotion, motion sickness, and perceptual responses that have been observed in conjunction with space flight. In this context, we have taken the view that correct transduction and integration of signals from all sensory systems is essential to maintaining stable vision, postural and locomotor control, and eye-hand coordination as components of spatial orientation. The plasticity of the human central nervous system allows individuals to adapt to altered stimulus conditions encountered in a microgravity environment. However, until some level of adaptation is achieved, astronauts and cosmonauts often experience space motion sickness, disturbances in motion control and eye-hand coordination, unstable vision, and illusory motion of the self, the visual scene, or both. Many of the same types of disturbances encountered in space flight reappear immediately after crew members return to earth. The magnitude of these neurosensory, sensory-motor and perceptual disturbances, and the time needed to recover from them, tend to vary as a function of mission duration and the space travelers prior experience with the stimulus rearrangement of space flight. To adequately chart the development of neurosensory changes associated with space flight, we recommend development of enhanced eye movement systems and body position measurement. We also advocate the use of a human small radius centrifuge as both a research tool and as a means of providing on-orbit countermeasures that will lessen the impact of living for long periods of time with out exposure to altering gravito-inertial forces. Copyright 1998 Elsevier Science B.V.

Planetary and Space Simulation Facilities (PSI) at DLR

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Panitz, Corinna; Rabbow, E.; Rettberg, P.; Kloss, M.; Reitz, G.; Horneck, G.

2010-05-01

The Planetary and Space Simulation facilities at DLR offer the possibility to expose biological and physical samples individually or integrated into space hardware to defined and controlled space conditions like ultra high vacuum, low temperature and extraterrestrial UV radiation. An x-ray facility stands for the simulation of the ionizing component at the disposal. All of the simulation facilities are required for the preparation of space experiments: - for testing of the newly developed space hardware - for investigating the effect of different space parameters on biological systems as a preparation for the flight experiment - for performing the 'Experiment Verification Tests' (EVT) for the specification of the test parameters - and 'Experiment Sequence Tests' (EST) by simulating sample assemblies, exposure to selected space parameters, and sample disassembly. To test the compatibility of the different biological and chemical systems and their adaptation to the opportunities and constraints of space conditions a profound ground support program has been developed among many others for the ESA facilities of the ongoing missions EXPOSE-R and EXPOSE-E on board of the International Space Station ISS . Several experiment verification tests EVTs and an experiment sequence test EST have been conducted in the carefully equipped and monitored planetary and space simulation facilities PSI of the Institute of Aerospace Medicine at DLR in Cologne, Germany. These ground based pre-flight studies allowed the investigation of a much wider variety of samples and the selection of the most promising organisms for the flight experiment. EXPOSE-E had been attached to the outer balcony of the European Columbus module of the ISS in February 2008 and stayed for 1,5 years in space; EXPOSE-R has been attached to the Russian Svezda module of the ISS in spring 2009 and mission duration will be approx. 1,5 years. The missions will give new insights into the survivability of terrestrial organisms in space and will contribute to the understanding of the organic chemistry processes in space, the biological adaptation strategies to extreme conditions, e.g. on early Earth and Mars, and the distribution of life beyond its planet of origin The results gained during the simulation experiments demonstrated mission preparation as a basic requirement for successful and significant results of every space flight experiment. Hence, the Mission preparation program that was performed in the context of the space missions EXPOSE-E and EXPOSE-R proofed the outstanding importance and accentuated need for ground based experiments before and during a space mission. The facilities are also necessary for the performance of the ground control experiment during the mission, the so-called Mission Simulation Test (MST) under simulated space conditions, by parallel exposure of samples to simulated space parameters according to flight data received by telemetry. Finally the facilities also provide the possibility to simulate the surface and climate conditions of the planet Mars. In this way they offer the possibility to investigate under simulated Mars conditions the chances for development of life on Mars and to gain previous knowledge for the search for life on today's Mars and in this context especially the parameters for a manned mission to Mars. References [1] Rabbow E, Rettberg P, Panitz C, Drescher J, Horneck G, Reitz G (2005) SSIOUX - Space Simulation for Investigating Organics, Evolution and Exobiology, Adv. Space Res. 36 (2) 297-302, doi:10.1016/j.asr.2005.08.040Aman, A. and Bman, B. (1997) JGR, 90,1151-1154. [2] Fekete A, Modos K, Hegedüs M, Kovacs G, Ronto Gy, Peter A, Lammer H, Panitz C (2005) DNA Damage under simulated extraterrestrial conditions in bacteriophage T7 Adv. Space Res. 305-310Aman, A. et al. (1997) Meteoritics & Planet. Sci., 32,A74. [3] Cockell Ch, Schuerger AC, Billi D., Friedmann EI, Panitz C (2005) Effects of a Simulated Martian UV Flux on the Cyanobacterium, Chroococcidiopsis sp. 029, Astrobiology, 5/2 127-140Aman, A. (1996) LPS XXVII, 1344-1 [4] de la Torre Noetzel, R.; Sancho, L.G.; Pintado,A.; Rettberg, Petra; Rabbow, Elke; Panitz,Corinna; Deutschmann, U.; Reina, M.; Horneck, Gerda (2007): BIOPAN experiment LICHENS on the Foton M2 mission Pre-flight verification tests of the Rhizocarpon geographicum-granite ecosystem. COSPAR [Hrsg.]: Advances in Space Research, 40, Elsevier, S. 1665 - 1671, DOI 10.1016/j.asr.2007.02.022

The role of visual context in manual target localization

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Barry, Susan R.

1993-01-01

During space flight and immediately after return to the 1-g environment of earth, astronauts experience perceptual and sensory-motor disturbances. These changes result from adaptation of the astronaut to the microgravity environment of space. During space flight, sensory information from the eyes, limbs, and vestibular organs is reinterpreted by the central nervous system in order to produce appropriate body movements in the microgravity. This adaptation takes several days to develop. Upon return to earth, the changes in the sensory-motor system are no longer appropriate to a 1-g environment. Over several days, the astronaut must re-adapt to the terrestrial environment. Alterations in sensory-motor function may affect eye-head-hand coordination and, thus, the crewmember's ability to manually locate objects in extrapersonal space. Previous reports have demonstrated that crewmembers have difficulty in estimating joint and limb position and in pointing to memorized target positions on orbit and immediately postflight. The ability to point at or reach toward an object or perform other manual tasks is essential for safe Shuttle operation and may be compromised particularly during re-entry and landing sequences and during possible emergency egress from the Shuttle. An understanding of eye-head-hand coordination and the changes produced during space flight is necessary to develop effective countermeasures. This summer's project formed part of the study of the sensory cues use in the manual localization of objects.

Modeling a space-based quantum link that includes an adaptive optics system

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Duchane, Alexander W.; Hodson, Douglas D.; Mailloux, Logan O.

2017-10-01

Quantum Key Distribution uses optical pulses to generate shared random bit strings between two locations. If a high percentage of the optical pulses are comprised of single photons, then the statistical nature of light and information theory can be used to generate secure shared random bit strings which can then be converted to keys for encryption systems. When these keys are incorporated along with symmetric encryption techniques such as a one-time pad, then this method of key generation and encryption is resistant to future advances in quantum computing which will significantly degrade the effectiveness of current asymmetric key sharing techniques. This research first reviews the transition of Quantum Key Distribution free-space experiments from the laboratory environment to field experiments, and finally, ongoing space experiments. Next, a propagation model for an optical pulse from low-earth orbit to ground and the effects of turbulence on the transmitted optical pulse is described. An Adaptive Optics system is modeled to correct for the aberrations caused by the atmosphere. The long-term point spread function of the completed low-earth orbit to ground optical system is explored in the results section. Finally, the impact of this optical system and its point spread function on an overall quantum key distribution system as well as the future work necessary to show this impact is described.

Skylab

NASA Image and Video Library

1972-01-01

This artist's concept is a cutaway illustration of the Skylab with the Command/Service Module being docked to the Multiple Docking Adapter. In an early effort to extend the use of Apollo for further applications, NASA established the Apollo Applications Program (AAP) in August of 1965. The AAP was to include long duration Earth orbital missions during which astronauts would carry out scientific, technological, and engineering experiments in space by utilizing modified Saturn launch vehicles and the Apollo spacecraft. Established in 1970, the Skylab Program was the forerurner of the AAP. The goals of the Skylab were to enrich our scientific knowledge of the Earth, the Sun, the stars, and cosmic space; to study the effects of weightlessness on living organisms, including man; to study the effects of the processing and manufacturing of materials utilizing the absence of gravity; and to conduct Earth resource observations. The Skylab also conducted 19 selected experiments submitted by high school students. Skylab's 3 different 3-man crews spent up to 84 days in Earth orbit. The Marshall Space Flight Center (MSFC) had responsibility for developing and integrating most of the major components of the Skylab: the Orbital Workshop (OWS), Airlock Module (AM), Multiple Docking Adapter (MDA), Apollo Telescope Mount (ATM), Payload Shroud (PS), and most of the experiments. MSFC was also responsible for providing the Saturn IB launch vehicles for three Apollo spacecraft and crews and a Saturn V launch vehicle for the Skylab.

Application of adaptive Kalman filter in vehicle laser Doppler velocimetry

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Fan, Zhe; Sun, Qiao; Du, Lei; Bai, Jie; Liu, Jingyun

2018-03-01

Due to the variation of road conditions and motor characteristics of vehicle, great root-mean-square (rms) error and outliers would be caused. Application of Kalman filter in laser Doppler velocimetry(LDV) is important to improve the velocity measurement accuracy. In this paper, the state-space model is built by using current statistical model. A strategy containing two steps is adopted to make the filter adaptive and robust. First, the acceleration variance is adaptively adjusted by using the difference of predictive observation and measured observation. Second, the outliers would be identified and the measured noise variance would be adjusted according to the orthogonal property of innovation to reduce the impaction of outliers. The laboratory rotating table experiments show that adaptive Kalman filter greatly reduces the rms error from 0.59 cm/s to 0.22 cm/s and has eliminated all the outliers. Road experiments compared with a microwave radar show that the rms error of LDV is 0.0218 m/s, and it proves that the adaptive Kalman filtering is suitable for vehicle speed signal processing.

Intracranial pressure dynamics during simulated microgravity using a new noninvasive ultrasonic technique

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Ueno, T.; Ballard, R. E.; Shuer, L. M.; Yost, W. T.; Cantrell, J. H.; Hargens, A. R.

1998-01-01

It is believed that intracranial pressure (ICP) may be elevated in microgravity because a fluid shift toward the head occurs due to loss of gravitational blood pressures. Elevated ICP may contribute to space adaptation syndrome, because as widely observed in clinical settings, elevated ICP causes headache, nausea, and projectile vomiting, which are similar to symptoms of space adaptation syndrome. However, the hypothesis that ICP is altered in microgravity is difficult to test because of the invasiveness of currently-available techniques. We have developed a new ultrasonic technique, which allows us to record ICP waveforms noninvasively. The present study was designed to understand postural effects on ICP and assess the feasibility of our new device in future flight experiments.

Endocrine and metabolic changes in payload specialist (L-1)

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Matsui, Nobuo

1993-01-01

The endocrine system plays an important role in the adaptation to unusual environments by secreting hormones to control metabolism. Since human beings have long evolved on the surface of the Earth under a gravity environment, the weightless environment must be quite unusual for them. The purpose of this experiment is to study the mechanisms of human adaptation to a weightless environment from endocrine and metabolic changes. Our study plan is focused on four major physiological changes which were reported during past space flights or which may be expected to occur under that condition: (1) hormone and metabolic changes associated with fluid shift; (2) bone demineralization and muscle atrophy; (3) altered circadian rhythm; and (4) stress reaction during space flight.

Neural networks for simultaneous classification and parameter estimation in musical instrument control

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lee, Michael; Freed, Adrian; Wessel, David

1992-08-01

In this report we present our tools for prototyping adaptive user interfaces in the context of real-time musical instrument control. Characteristic of most human communication is the simultaneous use of classified events and estimated parameters. We have integrated a neural network object into the MAX language to explore adaptive user interfaces that considers these facets of human communication. By placing the neural processing in the context of a flexible real-time musical programming environment, we can rapidly prototype experiments on applications of adaptive interfaces and learning systems to musical problems. We have trained networks to recognize gestures from a Mathews radio baton, Nintendo Power GloveTM, and MIDI keyboard gestural input devices. In one experiment, a network successfully extracted classification and attribute data from gestural contours transduced by a continuous space controller, suggesting their application in the interpretation of conducting gestures and musical instrument control. We discuss network architectures, low-level features extracted for the networks to operate on, training methods, and musical applications of adaptive techniques.

A map of local adaptation in Arabidopsis thaliana.

PubMed

Fournier-Level, A; Korte, A; Cooper, M D; Nordborg, M; Schmitt, J; Wilczek, A M

2011-10-07

Local adaptation is critical for species persistence in the face of rapid environmental change, but its genetic basis is not well understood. Growing the model plant Arabidopsis thaliana in field experiments in four sites across the species' native range, we identified candidate loci for local adaptation from a genome-wide association study of lifetime fitness in geographically diverse accessions. Fitness-associated loci exhibited both geographic and climatic signatures of local adaptation. Relative to genomic controls, high-fitness alleles were generally distributed closer to the site where they increased fitness, occupying specific and distinct climate spaces. Independent loci with different molecular functions contributed most strongly to fitness variation in each site. Independent local adaptation by distinct genetic mechanisms may facilitate a flexible evolutionary response to changing environment across a species range.

SL2-04-118

NASA Image and Video Library

1973-06-01

SL2-04-118 (June 1973) --- A color photograph of the San Francisco Bay, California area, taken from the Skylab space station in Earth orbit. (The picture should be held with the clouds and Pacific Ocean on the left.) Note the thickly populated and highly developed area around the bay. Among the cities visible are San Francisco, Oakland, Berkeley and San Jose. This view extends eastward to show a portion of the San Joaquin Valley. This photograph was taken by one of the six lenses of the Itek-furnished S190-A Multispectral Photographic Facility Experiment in the Multiple Docking Adapter of the space station. Type SO-356 film was used. The S190-A experiment is part of the Skylab Earth Resources Experiments Package (EREP). Photo credit: NASA

Description of International Caenorhabditis elegans Experiment first flight (ICE-FIRST)

PubMed Central

Szewczyk, N.J.; Tillman, J.; Conley, C.A.; Granger, L.; Segalat, L.; Higashitani, A.; Honda, S.; Honda, Y.; Kagawa, H.; Adachi, R.; Higashibata, A.; Fujimoto, N.; Kuriyama, K.; Ishioka, N.; Fukui, K.; Baillie, D.; Rose, A.; Gasset, G.; Eche, B.; Chaput, D.; Viso, M.

2008-01-01

Traveling, living and working in space is now a reality. The number of people and length of time in space is increasing. With new horizons for exploration it becomes more important to fully understand and provide countermeasures to the effects of the space environment on the human body. In addition, space provides a unique laboratory to study how life and physiologic functions adapt from the cellular level to that of the entire organism. Caenorhabditis elegans is a genetic model organism used to study physiology on Earth. Here we provide a description of the rationale, design, methods, and space culture validation of the ICE-FIRST payload, which engaged C. elegans researchers from four nations. Here we also show C. elegans growth and development proceeds essentially normally in a chemically defined liquid medium on board the International Space Station (10.9 day round trip). By setting flight constraints first and bringing together established C. elegans researchers second, we were able to use minimal stowage space to successfully return a total of 53 independent samples, each containing more than a hundred individual animals, to investigators within one year of experiment concept. We believe that in the future, bringing together individuals with knowledge of flight experiment operations, flight hardware, space biology, and genetic model organisms should yield similarly successful payloads. PMID:22146801

Flowering in space

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zheng, Hui Qiong

2018-05-01

The reproductive success of plants is often dependent on their flowering time being adapted to the terrestrial environment, in which gravity remain constant. Whether plants can follow the same rule to determine their flowering time under microgravity in space is unknown. Although numerous attempts have been made to grow a plant through a complete life cycle in space, apparently no published information exists concerning the flowering control of plants under microgravity in space. Here, we focused on two aspects. Firstly the environmental and intrinsic factors under microgravity related to flowering control. Secondly, the plant-derived regulators are involved in flowering control under microgravity condition. The potential environmental and intrinsic factors affect plant flowering under microgravity may include light, biological circadian clock as well as long-distance signaling, while the plant-derived flowering regulators in response to microgravity could include gibberellic acid, ethylene, microRNA and sugar. The results we have obtained from the space experiments on board the Chinese recoverable satellites (the SJ-8 and the SJ-10) and the experiment on the Chinese space lab TG-2 are also introduced. We conclude by suggesting that long-term space experiments from successive generations and a systematic analysis of regulatory networks at the molecular level is needed to understand the mechanism of plant flowering control under microgravity conditions in space.

Description of International Caenorhabditis elegans Experiment first flight (ICE-FIRST)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Szewczyk, N. J.; Tillman, J.; Conley, C. A.; Granger, L.; Segalat, L.; Higashitani, A.; Honda, S.; Honda, Y.; Kagawa, H.; Adachi, R.; Higashibata, A.; Fujimoto, N.; Kuriyama, K.; Ishioka, N.; Fukui, K.; Baillie, D.; Rose, A.; Gasset, G.; Eche, B.; Chaput, D.; Viso, M.

2008-09-01

Traveling, living and working in space is now a reality. The number of people and length of time in space is increasing. With new horizons for exploration it becomes more important to fully understand and provide countermeasures to the effects of the space environment on the human body. In addition, space provides a unique laboratory to study how life and physiologic functions adapt from the cellular level to that of the entire organism. Caenorhabditis elegans is a genetic model organism used to study physiology on Earth. Here we provide a description of the rationale, design, methods, and space culture validation of the ICE-FIRST payload, which engaged C. elegans researchers from four nations. Here we also show C. elegans growth and development proceeds essentially normally in a chemically defined liquid medium on board the International Space Station (10.9 day round trip). By setting flight constraints first and bringing together established C. elegans researchers second, we were able to use minimal stowage space to successfully return a total of 53 independent samples, each containing more than a hundred individual animals, to investigators within one year of experiment concept. We believe that in the future, bringing together individuals with knowledge of flight experiment operations, flight hardware, space biology, and genetic model organisms should yield similarly successful payloads.

Description of International Caenorhabditis elegans Experiment first flight (ICE-FIRST).

PubMed

Szewczyk, N J; Tillman, J; Conley, C A; Granger, L; Segalat, L; Higashitani, A; Honda, S; Honda, Y; Kagawa, H; Adachi, R; Higashibata, A; Fujimoto, N; Kuriyama, K; Ishioka, N; Fukui, K; Baillie, D; Rose, A; Gasset, G; Eche, B; Chaput, D; Viso, M

2008-09-15

Traveling, living and working in space is now a reality. The number of people and length of time in space is increasing. With new horizons for exploration it becomes more important to fully understand and provide countermeasures to the effects of the space environment on the human body. In addition, space provides a unique laboratory to study how life and physiologic functions adapt from the cellular level to that of the entire organism. Caenorhabditis elegans is a genetic model organism used to study physiology on Earth. Here we provide a description of the rationale, design, methods, and space culture validation of the ICE-FIRST payload, which engaged C. elegans researchers from four nations. Here we also show C. elegans growth and development proceeds essentially normally in a chemically defined liquid medium on board the International Space Station (10.9 day round trip). By setting flight constraints first and bringing together established C. elegans researchers second, we were able to use minimal stowage space to successfully return a total of 53 independent samples, each containing more than a hundred individual animals, to investigators within one year of experiment concept. We believe that in the future, bringing together individuals with knowledge of flight experiment operations, flight hardware, space biology, and genetic model organisms should yield similarly successful payloads.

Synthesis of ethological studies on behavioural adaptation of the astronaut to space flight conditions

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Tafforin, Carole

The motor behaviour of the astronaut as revealed in his movement, posture and orientation is treated as observable evidence of the subject's adaptation to space flight conditions. In addition to the conservative physiological homeostasies, the quantitative description of the astronaut's motor activity in microgravity is postulated in terms of an innovative regulation, within a temporal dynamic. The proposed ethological method consists of first drawing up a specific behavioural repertoire and then of using video recordings of space missions to describe each of the behavioural units observed in the ongoing flux context in which it occurred. Finally the data is quantified into frequencies of occurrence, transition and association and completed with factorial correlation analysis. Comparison of ground training ( g = 1) and space flight ( g = 0) between the first and last day of a mission up to return to Earth gravity simulated by an anti-orthostatic decubitus experiment, reveals the nature of the adaptive strategies implemented. These strategies are evidence of changes in the behavioural repertoire including the search for predominantly visual environmental cues and the progression of motor skill during the flight. The pre-flight period is defined as a phase involving automizing of motor patterns and the post-flight period as rehabituation of strategies which have already been acquired. The phenomena observed are discussed in terms of the new spatial representation and the body image, constructed by the astronaut during his adaptation. They are considered to be optimizing for the subject's relation to his environment.

Adaptive Modeling of the International Space Station Electrical Power System

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Thomas, Justin Ray

2007-01-01

Software simulations provide NASA engineers the ability to experiment with spacecraft systems in a computer-imitated environment. Engineers currently develop software models that encapsulate spacecraft system behavior. These models can be inaccurate due to invalid assumptions, erroneous operation, or system evolution. Increasing accuracy requires manual calibration and domain-specific knowledge. This thesis presents a method for automatically learning system models without any assumptions regarding system behavior. Data stream mining techniques are applied to learn models for critical portions of the International Space Station (ISS) Electrical Power System (EPS). We also explore a knowledge fusion approach that uses traditional engineered EPS models to supplement the learned models. We observed that these engineered EPS models provide useful background knowledge to reduce predictive error spikes when confronted with making predictions in situations that are quite different from the training scenarios used when learning the model. Evaluations using ISS sensor data and existing EPS models demonstrate the success of the adaptive approach. Our experimental results show that adaptive modeling provides reductions in model error anywhere from 80% to 96% over these existing models. Final discussions include impending use of adaptive modeling technology for ISS mission operations and the need for adaptive modeling in future NASA lunar and Martian exploration.

Psychophysical chromatic mechanisms in macaque monkey.

PubMed

Stoughton, Cleo M; Lafer-Sousa, Rosa; Gagin, Galina; Conway, Bevil R

2012-10-24

Chromatic mechanisms have been studied extensively with psychophysical techniques in humans, but the number and nature of the mechanisms are still controversial. Appeals to monkey neurophysiology are often used to sort out the competing claims and to test hypotheses arising from the experiments in humans, but psychophysical chromatic mechanisms have never been assessed in monkeys. Here we address this issue by measuring color-detection thresholds in monkeys before and after chromatic adaptation, employing a standard approach used to determine chromatic mechanisms in humans. We conducted separate experiments using adaptation configured as either flickering full-field colors or heterochromatic gratings. Full-field colors would favor activity within the visual system at or before the arrival of retinal signals to V1, before the spatial transformation of color signals by the cortex. Conversely, gratings would favor activity within the cortex where neurons are often sensitive to spatial chromatic structure. Detection thresholds were selectively elevated for the colors of full-field adaptation when it modulated along either of the two cardinal chromatic axes that define cone-opponent color space [L vs M or S vs (L + M)], providing evidence for two privileged cardinal chromatic mechanisms implemented early in the visual-processing hierarchy. Adaptation with gratings produced elevated thresholds for colors of the adaptation regardless of its chromatic makeup, suggesting a cortical representation comprised of multiple higher-order mechanisms each selective for a different direction in color space. The results suggest that color is represented by two cardinal channels early in the processing hierarchy and many chromatic channels in brain regions closer to perceptual readout.

Cell biology and biotechnology research for exploration of the Moon and Mars

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Pellis, N.; North, R.

Health risks generated by human long exposure to radiation, microgravity, and unknown factors in the planetary environment are the major unresolved issues for human space exploration. A complete characterization of human and other biological systems adaptation processes to long-duration space missions is necessary for the development of countermeasures. The utilization of cell and engineered tissue cultures in space research and exploration complements research in human, animal, and plant subjects. We can bring a small number of humans, animals, or plants to the ISS, Moon, and Mars. However, we can investigate millions of their cells during these missions. Furthermore, many experiments can not be performed on humans, e.g. radiation exposure, cardiac muscle. Cells from critical tissues and tissue constructs per se are excellent subjects for experiments that address underlying mechanisms important to countermeasures. The development of cell tissue engineered for replacement, implantation of biomaterial to induce tissue regeneration (e.g. absorbable collagen matrix for guiding tissue regeneration in periodontal surgery), and immunoisolation (e.g. biopolymer coating on transplanted tissues to ward off immunological rejection) are good examples of cell research and biotechnology applications. NASA Cell Biology and Biotechnology research include Bone/Muscle and Cardiovascular cell culture and tissue engineering; Environmental Health and Life Support Systems; Immune System; Radiation; Gravity Thresholds ; and Advanced Biotechnology Development to increase the understanding of animal and plant cell adaptive behavior when exposed to space, and to advance technologies that facilitates exploration. Cell systems can be used to investigate processes related to food, microbial proliferation, waste management, biofilms and biomaterials. The NASA Cell Science Program has the advantage of conducting research in microgravity based on significantly small resources, and the ability to conduct experiments in the early phase of the development of requirements for exploration. Supporting the NASA concept of stepping stones, we believe that ground based, International Space Station, robotic and satellite missions offer the ideal environment to perform experiments and secure answers necessary for human exploration.

SL3-108-01288

NASA Image and Video Library

1973-07-01

SL3-108-1288 (July-Sept. 1973) --- Astronaut Owen K. Garriott, science pilot of the Skylab 3 mission, is stationed at the Apollo Telescope Mount (ATM) console in the Multiple Docking Adapter (MDA) of the Skylab space station in Earth orbit. This picture was taken with a handheld 35mm Nikon camera. Astronauts Garriott, Alan L. Bean and Jack R. Lousma remained with the Skylab space station cluster in orbit for 59 days conducting numerous medical, scientific and technological experiments. In orbit the MDA functions as a major experiment control center for solar observations. From this console the astronauts actively control the ATM solar physics telescopes. Photo credit: NASA

Planetary and Space Simulation Facilities PSI at DLR for Astrobiology

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Rabbow, E.; Rettberg, P.; Panitz, C.; Reitz, G.

2008-09-01

Ground based experiments, conducted in the controlled planetary and space environment simulation facilities PSI at DLR, are used to investigate astrobiological questions and to complement the corresponding experiments in LEO, for example on free flying satellites or on space exposure platforms on the ISS. In-orbit exposure facilities can only accommodate a limited number of experiments for exposure to space parameters like high vacuum, intense radiation of galactic and solar origin and microgravity, sometimes also technically adapted to simulate extraterrestrial planetary conditions like those on Mars. Ground based experiments in carefully equipped and monitored simulation facilities allow the investigation of the effects of simulated single environmental parameters and selected combinations on a much wider variety of samples. In PSI at DLR, international science consortia performed astrobiological investigations and space experiment preparations, exposing organic compounds and a wide range of microorganisms, reaching from bacterial spores to complex microbial communities, lichens and even animals like tardigrades to simulated planetary or space environment parameters in pursuit of exobiological questions on the resistance to extreme environments and the origin and distribution of life. The Planetary and Space Simulation Facilities PSI of the Institute of Aerospace Medicine at DLR in Köln, Germany, providing high vacuum of controlled residual composition, ionizing radiation of a X-ray tube, polychromatic UV radiation in the range of 170-400 nm, VIS and IR or individual monochromatic UV wavelengths, and temperature regulation from -20°C to +80°C at the sample size individually or in selected combinations in 9 modular facilities of varying sizes are presented with selected experiments performed within.

Generalized sidelobe canceller beamforming method for ultrasound imaging.

PubMed

Wang, Ping; Li, Na; Luo, Han-Wu; Zhu, Yong-Kun; Cui, Shi-Gang

2017-03-01

A modified generalized sidelobe canceller (IGSC) algorithm is proposed to enhance the resolution and robustness against the noise of the traditional generalized sidelobe canceller (GSC) and coherence factor combined method (GSC-CF). In the GSC algorithm, weighting vector is divided into adaptive and non-adaptive parts, while the non-adaptive part does not block all the desired signal. A modified steer vector of the IGSC algorithm is generated by the projection of the non-adaptive vector on the signal space constructed by the covariance matrix of received data. The blocking matrix is generated based on the orthogonal complementary space of the modified steer vector and the weighting vector is updated subsequently. The performance of IGSC was investigated by simulations and experiments. Through simulations, IGSC outperformed GSC-CF in terms of spatial resolution by 0.1 mm regardless there is noise or not, as well as the contrast ratio respect. The proposed IGSC can be further improved by combining with CF. The experimental results also validated the effectiveness of the proposed algorithm with dataset provided by the University of Michigan.

Monitoring and Correcting Autonomic Function Aboard Mir: NASA Technology Used in Space and on Earth to Facilitate Adaptation

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Cowings, P.; Toscano, W.; Taylor, B.; DeRoshia, C.; Kornilova, L.; Koslovskaya, I.; Miller, N.

1999-01-01

The broad objective of the research was to study individual characteristics of human adaptation to long duration spaceflight and possibilities of their correction using autonomic conditioning. The changes in autonomic state during adaptation to microgravity can have profound effects on the operational efficiency of crewmembers and may result in debilitating biomedical symptoms. Ground-based and inflight experiment results showed that certain responses of autonomic nervous system were correlated with, or consistently preceded, reports of performance decrements or the symptoms. Autogenic-Feedback-Training Exercise (AFTE) is a physiological conditioning method that has been used to train people to voluntary control several of their own physiological responses. The specific objectives were: 1) To study human autonomic nervous system (ANS) responses to sustained exposure to microgravity; 2) To study human behavior/performance changes related to physiology; 3) To evaluate the effectiveness of preflight autonomic conditioning (AFTE) for facilitating adaptation to space and readaptation to Earth; and 4) To archive these data for the NASA Life Sciences Data Archive and thereby make this information available to the international scientific community.

Use of an adaptable cell culture kit for performing lymphocyte and monocyte cell cultures in microgravity

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Hatton, J. P.; Lewis, M. L.; Roquefeuil, S. B.; Chaput, D.; Cazenave, J. P.; Schmitt, D. A.

1998-01-01

The results of experiments performed in recent years on board facilities such as the Space Shuttle/Spacelab have demonstrated that many cell systems, ranging from simple bacteria to mammalian cells, are sensitive to the microgravity environment, suggesting gravity affects fundamental cellular processes. However, performing well-controlled experiments aboard spacecraft offers unique challenges to the cell biologist. Although systems such as the European 'Biorack' provide generic experiment facilities including an incubator, on-board 1-g reference centrifuge, and contained area for manipulations, the experimenter must still establish a system for performing cell culture experiments that is compatible with the constraints of spaceflight. Two different cell culture kits developed by the French Space Agency, CNES, were recently used to perform a series of experiments during four flights of the 'Biorack' facility aboard the Space Shuttle. The first unit, Generic Cell Activation Kit 1 (GCAK-1), contains six separate culture units per cassette, each consisting of a culture chamber, activator chamber, filtration system (permitting separation of cells from supernatant in-flight), injection port, and supernatant collection chamber. The second unit (GCAK-2) also contains six separate culture units, including a culture, activator, and fixation chambers. Both hardware units permit relatively complex cell culture manipulations without extensive use of spacecraft resources (crew time, volume, mass, power), or the need for excessive safety measures. Possible operations include stimulation of cultures with activators, separation of cells from supernatant, fixation/lysis, manipulation of radiolabelled reagents, and medium exchange. Investigations performed aboard the Space Shuttle in six different experiments used Jurkat, purified T-cells or U937 cells, the results of which are reported separately. We report here the behaviour of Jurkat and U937 cells in the GCAK hardware in ground-based investigations simulating the conditions expected in the flight experiment. Several parameters including cell concentration, time between cell loading and activation, and storage temperature on cell survival were examined to characterise cell response and optimise the experiments to be flown aboard the Space Shuttle. Results indicate that the objectives of the experiments could be met with delays up to 5 days between cell loading into the hardware and initial in flight experiment activation, without the need for medium exchange. Experiment hardware of this kind, which is adaptable to a wide range of cell types and can be easily interfaced to different spacecraft facilities, offers the possibility for a wide range of experimenters successfully and easily to utilise future flight opportunities.

Temporal BYY encoding, Markovian state spaces, and space dimension determination.

PubMed

Xu, Lei

2004-09-01

As a complementary to those temporal coding approaches of the current major stream, this paper aims at the Markovian state space temporal models from the perspective of the temporal Bayesian Ying-Yang (BYY) learning with both new insights and new results on not only the discrete state featured Hidden Markov model and extensions but also the continuous state featured linear state spaces and extensions, especially with a new learning mechanism that makes selection of the state number or the dimension of state space either automatically during adaptive learning or subsequently after learning via model selection criteria obtained from this mechanism. Experiments are demonstrated to show how the proposed approach works.

Radiation Hardening by Software Techniques on FPGAs: Flight Experiment Evaluation and Results

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Schmidt, Andrew G.; Flatley, Thomas

2017-01-01

We present our work on implementing Radiation Hardening by Software (RHBSW) techniques on the Xilinx Virtex5 FPGAs PowerPC 440 processors on the SpaceCube 2.0 platform. The techniques have been matured and tested through simulation modeling, fault emulation, laser fault injection and now in a flight experiment, as part of the Space Test Program- Houston 4-ISS SpaceCube Experiment 2.0 (STP-H4-ISE 2.0). This work leverages concepts such as heartbeat monitoring, control flow assertions, and checkpointing, commonly used in the High Performance Computing industry, and adapts them for use in remote sensing embedded systems. These techniques are extremely low overhead (typically <1.3%), enabling a 3.3x gain in processing performance as compared to the equivalent traditionally radiation hardened processor. The recently concluded STP-H4 flight experiment was an opportunity to upgrade the RHBSW techniques for the Virtex5 FPGA and demonstrate them on-board the ISS to achieve TRL 7. This work details the implementation of the RHBSW techniques, that were previously developed for the Virtex4-based SpaceCube 1.0 platform, on the Virtex5-based SpaceCube 2.0 flight platform. The evaluation spans the development and integration with flight software, remotely uploading the new experiment to the ISS SpaceCube 2.0 platform, and conducting the experiment continuously for 16 days before the platform was decommissioned. The experiment was conducted on two PowerPCs embedded within the Virtex5 FPGA devices and the experiment collected 19,400 checkpoints, processed 253,482 status messages, and incurred 0 faults. These results are highly encouraging and future work is looking into longer duration testing as part of the STP-H5 flight experiment.

Ambulatory Feedback System

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Finger, Herbert; Weeks, Bill

1985-01-01

This presentation discusses instrumentation that will be used for a specific event, which we hope will carry on to future events within the Space Shuttle program. The experiment is the Autogenic Feedback Training Experiment (AFTE) scheduled for Spacelab 3, currently scheduled to be launched in November, 1984. The objectives of the AFTE are to determine the effectiveness of autogenic feedback in preventing or reducing space adaptation syndrome (SAS), to monitor and record in-flight data from the crew, to determine if prediction criteria for SAS can be established, and, finally, to develop an ambulatory instrument package to mount the crew throughout the mission. The purpose of the Ambulatory Feedback System (AFS) is to record the responses of the subject during a provocative event in space and provide a real-time feedback display to reinforce the training.

CCS-MIP: Low cost Customizable Control Centre

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Labezin, Christian; Vielcanet, Pierre

1994-01-01

The positioning and station keeping of French national satellites are among the main missions of CNES French Space Agency CNES. The related experience and skills of the Toulouse Space Centre are reknown and often required at international level for a wide range of missions. CISI, a software engineering company, has been contributing during the last 20 years to the development of the French space programs, particularly in the field of space missions ground control segments. The CCS-MIP system, presented here, is a satellite positioning and station-keeping system designed to answer the CNES multi-mission needs, easily adaptable for a wide range of applications.

Sector-Based Detection for Hands-Free Speech Enhancement in Cars

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lathoud, Guillaume; Bourgeois, Julien; Freudenberger, Jürgen

2006-12-01

Adaptation control of beamforming interference cancellation techniques is investigated for in-car speech acquisition. Two efficient adaptation control methods are proposed that avoid target cancellation. The "implicit" method varies the step-size continuously, based on the filtered output signal. The "explicit" method decides in a binary manner whether to adapt or not, based on a novel estimate of target and interference energies. It estimates the average delay-sum power within a volume of space, for the same cost as the classical delay-sum. Experiments on real in-car data validate both methods, including a case with[InlineEquation not available: see fulltext.] km/h background road noise.

Japanese flowering cherry tree as a woody plant candidate grown in space

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Tomita-Yokotani, K.; Yoshida, S.; Hashimoto, H.; Nyunoya, H.; Funada, R.; Katayama, T.; Suzuki, T.; Honma, T.; Nagatomo, M.; Nakamura, T.

We are proposing to raise woody plant in space for several applications Japanese flowering cherry tree is a candidate to do wood science in space Mechanism of sensing gravity and controlling shape of tree has been studied quite extensively Cherry mutants associated with gravity are telling responsible plant hormones and molecular machinery for plant adaptation against action of gravity Space experiment using our wood model contribute to understand molecular and cellular process of gravitropism in plant Tree is considered to be an important member in space agriculture to produce excess oxygen wooden materials for constructing living environment and provide biomass for cultivating mushrooms and insects Furthermore trees and their flowers improve quality of life under stressful environment in outer space

Predicting Short-Term Remembering as Boundedly Optimal Strategy Choice.

PubMed

Howes, Andrew; Duggan, Geoffrey B; Kalidindi, Kiran; Tseng, Yuan-Chi; Lewis, Richard L

2016-07-01

It is known that, on average, people adapt their choice of memory strategy to the subjective utility of interaction. What is not known is whether an individual's choices are boundedly optimal. Two experiments are reported that test the hypothesis that an individual's decisions about the distribution of remembering between internal and external resources are boundedly optimal where optimality is defined relative to experience, cognitive constraints, and reward. The theory makes predictions that are tested against data, not fitted to it. The experiments use a no-choice/choice utility learning paradigm where the no-choice phase is used to elicit a profile of each participant's performance across the strategy space and the choice phase is used to test predicted choices within this space. They show that the majority of individuals select strategies that are boundedly optimal. Further, individual differences in what people choose to do are successfully predicted by the analysis. Two issues are discussed: (a) the performance of the minority of participants who did not find boundedly optimal adaptations, and (b) the possibility that individuals anticipate what, with practice, will become a bounded optimal strategy, rather than what is boundedly optimal during training. Copyright © 2015 Cognitive Science Society, Inc.

Skylab

NASA Image and Video Library

1971-12-01

This interior photograph of Skylab's multiple docking adapter (MDA) flight article, then undergoing outfitting at the Martin Marietta Corporation's Space Center facility in Denver, Colorado, shows the forward cone area and docking turnel (center) that attached to the Apollo Command Module. Designed and manufactured by the Marshall Space Flight Center, the MDA housed the control units for the Apollo Telescope Mount (ATM), Earth Resources Experiment Package (EREP), and Zero-Gravity Materials Processing Facility and provided a docking port for the Apollo Command Module.

Social learning solves the problem of narrow-peaked search landscapes: experimental evidence in humans.

PubMed

Acerbi, Alberto; Tennie, Claudio; Mesoudi, Alex

2016-09-01

The extensive use of social learning is considered a major reason for the ecological success of humans. Theoretical considerations, models and experiments have explored the evolutionary basis of social learning, showing the conditions under which learning from others is more adaptive than individual learning. Here we present an extension of a previous experimental set-up, in which individuals go on simulated 'hunts' and their success depends on the features of a 'virtual arrowhead' they design. Individuals can modify their arrowhead either by individual trial and error or by copying others. We study how, in a multimodal adaptive landscape, the smoothness of the peaks influences learning. We compare narrow peaks, in which solutions close to optima do not provide useful feedback to individuals, to wide peaks, where smooth landscapes allow an effective hill-climbing individual learning strategy. We show that individual learning is more difficult in narrow-peaked landscapes, but that social learners perform almost equally well in both narrow- and wide-peaked search spaces. There was a weak trend for more copying in the narrow than wide condition, although as in previous experiments social information was generally underutilized. Our results highlight the importance of tasks' design space when studying the adaptiveness of high-fidelity social learning.

Space Adaptation Back Pain: A Retrospective Study

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Kerstman, E. L.; Scheuring, R. A.; Barnes, M. G.; DeKorse, T. B.; Saile, L. G.

2008-01-01

Back pain is frequently reported by astronauts during the early phase of space flight as they adapt to the microgravity environment. However, the epidemiology of space adaptation back pain has not been well defined. The purpose of this retrospective study was to develop a case definition of space adaptation back pain, determine the incidence of space adaptation back pain, and determine the effectiveness of available treatments. Medical records from the Mercury, Apollo, Apollo-Soyuz Test Project (ASTP), Skylab, Mir, International Space Station (ISS), and Shuttle programs were reviewed. All episodes of in-flight back pain that met the criteria for space adaptation back pain were recorded. Pain characteristics, including intensity, location, and duration of the pain were noted. The effectiveness of specific treatments also was recorded. The incidence of space adaptation back pain among astronauts was determined to be 53% (384/722). Most of the affected astronauts reported mild pain (85%). Moderate pain was reported by 11% of the affected astronauts and severe pain was reported by only 4% of the affected astronauts. The most effective treatments were fetal positioning (91% effective) and the use of analgesic medications (85% effective). This retrospective study aids in the development of a case definition of space adaptation back pain and examines the epidemiology of space adaptation back pain. Space adaptation back pain is usually mild and self-limited. However, there is a risk of functional impairment and mission impact in cases of moderate or severe pain that do not respond to currently available treatments. Therefore, the development of preventive measures and more effective treatments should be pursued.

Teaching through Trade Books: Adaptations for Survival

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Royce, Christine Anne

2017-01-01

This column includes activities inspired by children's literature. This month's issue has students experience nature by examining how seeds are transported from one location to another or consider what it takes for organisms to survive in an environment. Both activities allow elementary-age children to think about how outdoor spaces can be…

SKYLAB (SL)-4 - CREW TRAINING (ORBITAL WORKSTATION [OWS]) - JSC

NASA Image and Video Library

1973-08-22

S73-32847 (10 Sept. 1973) --- Astronaut Gerald P. Carr, Skylab 4 commander, changes a dial on the control and display panel for the Earth Resources Experiments package (EREP) during a training exercise in the Multiple Docking Adapter (MDA) one-G trainer at Johnson Space Center. Photo credit: NASA

Spacelab

NASA Image and Video Library

1970-11-01

At Marshall Space Flight Center, Skylab's Multiple Docking Adapter (MDA) flight article undergoes center-of-gravity testing. Developed and fabricated by MSFC, the MDA housed the control units for the Apollo Telescope Mount (ATM), Earth Resources Experiment Package (EREP), and the Zero-Gravity Material Processing Facility and provided a docking port for the Apollo Command Module.

Skylab

NASA Image and Video Library

1972-01-01

This cutaway drawing details the major characteristics of the Skylab Multiple Docking Adapter (MDA). The MDA, built under the direction of the Marshall Space Flight Center, housed the control units for the Apollo Telescope Mount (ATM), Earth Resources Experiment Package (EREP), and Zero-Gravity Materials Processing Facility, and provided a docking port for the Apollo Command Module (CM).

Experimental study of adaptive pointing and tracking for large flexible space structures

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Boussalis, D.; Bayard, D. S.; Ih, C.; Wang, S. J.; Ahmed, A.

1991-01-01

This paper describes an experimental study of adaptive pointing and tracking control for flexible spacecraft conducted on a complex ground experiment facility. The algorithm used in this study is based on a multivariable direct model reference adaptive control law. Several experimental validation studies were performed earlier using this algorithm for vibration damping and robust regulation, with excellent results. The current work extends previous studies by addressing the pointing and tracking problem. As is consistent with an adaptive control framework, the plant is assumed to be poorly known to the extent that only system level knowledge of its dynamics is available. Explicit bounds on the steady-state pointing error are derived as functions of the adaptive controller design parameters. It is shown that good tracking performance can be achieved in an experimental setting by adjusting adaptive controller design weightings according to the guidelines indicated by the analytical expressions for the error.

Weak and Dynamic GNSS Signal Tracking Strategies for Flight Missions in the Space Service Volume

PubMed Central

Jing, Shuai; Zhan, Xingqun; Liu, Baoyu; Chen, Maolin

2016-01-01

Weak-signal and high-dynamics are of two primary concerns of space navigation using GNSS (Global Navigation Satellite System) in the space service volume (SSV). The paper firstly defines a reference assumption third-order phase-locked loop (PLL) as the baseline of an onboard GNSS receiver, and proves the incompetence of this conventional architecture. Then an adaptive four-state Kalman filter (KF)-based algorithm is introduced to realize the optimization of loop noise bandwidth, which can adaptively regulate its filter gain according to the received signal power and line-of-sight (LOS) dynamics. To overcome the matter of losing lock in weak-signal and high-dynamic environments, an open loop tracking strategy aided by an inertial navigation system (INS) is recommended, and the traditional maximum likelihood estimation (MLE) method is modified in a non-coherent way by reconstructing the likelihood cost function. Furthermore, a typical mission with combined orbital maneuvering and non-maneuvering arcs is taken as a destination object to test the two proposed strategies. Finally, the experiment based on computer simulation identifies the effectiveness of an adaptive four-state KF-based strategy under non-maneuvering conditions and the virtue of INS-assisted methods under maneuvering conditions. PMID:27598164

Weak and Dynamic GNSS Signal Tracking Strategies for Flight Missions in the Space Service Volume.

PubMed

Jing, Shuai; Zhan, Xingqun; Liu, Baoyu; Chen, Maolin

2016-09-02

Weak-signal and high-dynamics are of two primary concerns of space navigation using GNSS (Global Navigation Satellite System) in the space service volume (SSV). The paper firstly defines a reference assumption third-order phase-locked loop (PLL) as the baseline of an onboard GNSS receiver, and proves the incompetence of this conventional architecture. Then an adaptive four-state Kalman filter (KF)-based algorithm is introduced to realize the optimization of loop noise bandwidth, which can adaptively regulate its filter gain according to the received signal power and line-of-sight (LOS) dynamics. To overcome the matter of losing lock in weak-signal and high-dynamic environments, an open loop tracking strategy aided by an inertial navigation system (INS) is recommended, and the traditional maximum likelihood estimation (MLE) method is modified in a non-coherent way by reconstructing the likelihood cost function. Furthermore, a typical mission with combined orbital maneuvering and non-maneuvering arcs is taken as a destination object to test the two proposed strategies. Finally, the experiment based on computer simulation identifies the effectiveness of an adaptive four-state KF-based strategy under non-maneuvering conditions and the virtue of INS-assisted methods under maneuvering conditions.

NASA Astronauts on Soyuz: Experience and Lessons for the Future

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

2010-01-01

The U. S., Russia, and, China have each addressed the question of human-rating spacecraft. NASA's operational experience with human-rating primarily resides with Mercury, Gemini, Apollo, Space Shuttle, and International Space Station. NASA s latest developmental experience includes Constellation, X38, X33, and the Orbital Space Plane. If domestic commercial crew vehicles are used to transport astronauts to and from space, Soyuz is another example of methods that could be used to human-rate a spacecraft and to work with commercial spacecraft providers. For Soyuz, NASA's normal assurance practices were adapted. Building on NASA's Soyuz experience, this report contends all past, present, and future vehicles rely on a range of methods and techniques for human-rating assurance, the components of which include: requirements, conceptual development, prototype evaluations, configuration management, formal development reviews (safety, design, operations), component/system ground-testing, integrated flight tests, independent assessments, and launch readiness reviews. When constraints (cost, schedule, international) limit the depth/breadth of one or more preferred assurance means, ways are found to bolster the remaining areas. This report provides information exemplifying the above safety assurance model for consideration with commercial or foreign-government-designed spacecraft. Topics addressed include: U.S./Soviet-Russian government/agency agreements and engineering/safety assessments performed with lessons learned in historic U.S./Russian joint space ventures

CPG-inspired workspace trajectory generation and adaptive locomotion control for quadruped robots.

PubMed

Liu, Chengju; Chen, Qijun; Wang, Danwei

2011-06-01

This paper deals with the locomotion control of quadruped robots inspired by the biological concept of central pattern generator (CPG). A control architecture is proposed with a 3-D workspace trajectory generator and a motion engine. The workspace trajectory generator generates adaptive workspace trajectories based on CPGs, and the motion engine realizes joint motion imputes. The proposed architecture is able to generate adaptive workspace trajectories online by tuning the parameters of the CPG network to adapt to various terrains. With feedback information, a quadruped robot can walk through various terrains with adaptive joint control signals. A quadruped platform AIBO is used to validate the proposed locomotion control system. The experimental results confirm the effectiveness of the proposed control architecture. A comparison by experiments shows the superiority of the proposed method against the traditional CPG-joint-space control method.

Adaptive control of large space structures using recursive lattice filters

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Goglia, G. L.

1985-01-01

The use of recursive lattice filters for identification and adaptive control of large space structures was studied. Lattice filters are used widely in the areas of speech and signal processing. Herein, they are used to identify the structural dynamics model of the flexible structures. This identified model is then used for adaptive control. Before the identified model and control laws are integrated, the identified model is passed through a series of validation procedures and only when the model passes these validation procedures control is engaged. This type of validation scheme prevents instability when the overall loop is closed. The results obtained from simulation were compared to those obtained from experiments. In this regard, the flexible beam and grid apparatus at the Aerospace Control Research Lab (ACRL) of NASA Langley Research Center were used as the principal candidates for carrying out the above tasks. Another important area of research, namely that of robust controller synthesis, was investigated using frequency domain multivariable controller synthesis methods.

San Francisco and Bay Area, CA, USA

NASA Image and Video Library

1973-06-22

SL2-03-118 (June 1973) --- An infrared photograph of the San Francisco Bay, California area, taken from the Skylab 1/2 space station in Earth orbit. THE PICTURE SHOULD BE HELD WITH THE CLOUDS AND PACIFIC OCEAN ON THE LEFT. This photograph was taken by one of the six lenses of the Itek-furnished S190-A Multispectral Photographic Facility Experiment in the Multiple Docking Adapter of the space station. Type 2443 film was used. Note the thickly populated and highly developed area around the bay. Among the cities visible in this photograph are San Francisco, Oakland, Berkeley and San Jose. This view extends eastward to show a portion of the San Joaquin Valley. The S190-A experiment is part of the Skylab Earth Resources Experiment Package (EREP). Photo credit: NASA

Space colonization - Some physiological perspectives

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Winkler, L. H.

1978-01-01

Physiological criteria determining the design of the habitat for a space colony with 10,000 people are discussed. Centrifugally generated earth-normal gravity, maximum ionizing radiation dose standards less than or equal to 0.5 rem/year (obtained with passive shielding), and an atmosphere with reduced nitrogen partial pressures were established as design requirements for the habitat. However, further research is needed to determine whether humans experience complete adaptation to weightlessness and whether there are long-term effects of breathing various atmospheric mixtures and pressures.

On The Behavior of Subgradient Projections Methods for Convex Feasibility Problems in Euclidean Spaces

PubMed Central

Butnariu, Dan; Censor, Yair; Gurfil, Pini; Hadar, Ethan

2010-01-01

We study some methods of subgradient projections for solving a convex feasibility problem with general (not necessarily hyperplanes or half-spaces) convex sets in the inconsistent case and propose a strategy that controls the relaxation parameters in a specific self-adapting manner. This strategy leaves enough user-flexibility but gives a mathematical guarantee for the algorithm’s behavior in the inconsistent case. We present numerical results of computational experiments that illustrate the computational advantage of the new method. PMID:20182556

On The Behavior of Subgradient Projections Methods for Convex Feasibility Problems in Euclidean Spaces.

PubMed

Butnariu, Dan; Censor, Yair; Gurfil, Pini; Hadar, Ethan

2008-07-03

We study some methods of subgradient projections for solving a convex feasibility problem with general (not necessarily hyperplanes or half-spaces) convex sets in the inconsistent case and propose a strategy that controls the relaxation parameters in a specific self-adapting manner. This strategy leaves enough user-flexibility but gives a mathematical guarantee for the algorithm's behavior in the inconsistent case. We present numerical results of computational experiments that illustrate the computational advantage of the new method.

SKYLAB (SL) PRIME CREW - BLDG. 5 - JSC

NASA Image and Video Library

1973-03-20

S73-20759 (1 March 1973) --- Astronaut Charles Conrad Jr., commander of the first manned Skylab mission, takes items from the M512 materials processing equipment storage assembly during Skylab training at Johnson Space Center. Conrad is standing in the Multiple Docking Adapter (MDA) trainer in the JSC Mission Simulation and Training Facility. The assembly holds equipment designed to explore space manufacturing capability in a weightless state. Conrad is holding one of the experiment parts in his left hand. Photo credit: NASA

Space adaptation syndrome: Incidence and operational implications for the space transportation system program

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Homick, J. L.; Reschke, M. F.; Vanderploeg, J. M.

1984-01-01

Better methods for the prediction, prevention, and treatment of the space adaptation syndome (SAS) were developed. A systematic, long range program of operationally oriented data collection on all individuals flying space shuttle missions was initiated. Preflight activities include the use of a motion experience questionnaire, laboratory tests of susceptibility to motion sickness induced by Coriolis stimuli and determinations of antimotion sickness drug efficacy and side effects. During flight, each crewmember is required to provide a daily report of symptom status, use of medications, and other vestibular related sensations. Additional data are obtained postflight. During the first nine shuttle missions, the reported incidence of SAS has been48%. Self-induced head motions and unusual visual orientation attitudes appear to be the principal triggering stimuli. Antimotion sickness medication, was of limited therapeutic value. Complete recovery from symptoms occurred by mission day three or four. Also of relevance is the lack of a statistically significant correlation between the ground based Coriolis test and SAS. The episodes of SAS have resulted in no impact to shuttle mission objectives and, no significant impact to mission timelines.

Behavior and Performance Project

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Washburn, David A.; Rumbaugh, Duane M.; Shlyk, Galina; Vassilieva, Oxana; Richardson, W. Kirk

1998-01-01

Behavior is an overt manifestation of underlying biology. As such, alterations in biological systems that result from spaceflight would be expected to evidence themselves in subtle or even pronounced changes in the behavior of that organism. These alterations in visible behavior may then indicate or even be diagnostic of alterations in the physical well-being of humans and other animals as they adapt to space environments or readapt to Earth--alterations that might not otherwise be detected without relatively invasive and frequently expensive procedures. Moreover, behavior and performance constitute the central standard for evaluating the mission success of spaceflight ventures. The success or failure of any excursion into space is primarily indexed by the ability of astronauts and cosmonauts to perform the tasks and experiments of any particular mission, to land a re-entry vehicle after extended exposure to microgravity (as with the space shuttle), or to make time-critical and life-saving repairs or other decisions while in orbit (as with the recent Mir events). Thus, understanding the effects spaceflight on behavior and performance is inherently important, in addition to those insights that behavior can provide about the physiological consequences of space adaptation.

SHARPI: Solar High Angular Resolution Photometric Imager

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Rabin, D.; Davila, J.; Content, D.; Keski-Kuha, R.; Oegerle, William (Technical Monitor)

2002-01-01

Observing the lower solar atmosphere with enough linear resolution (< 100 km) to study individual magnetic flux tubes and other features on scales comparable to the photon mean free path has proven to be a challenging and elusive goal. Space-borne instruments based on conventional heavy optics turned out to be too expensive, and adaptive optics on the ground made slow progress for many years. Nevertheless, the scientific case for high-resolution imaging and magnetography has only become more compelling over the last ten years. Today, ground-based adaptive optics is a promising approach for small fields of view at visible wavelengths. Space experiments will need to employ lightweight optics and low cost platforms. The Sunrise balloon experiment is one example. We describe a concept for a sounding rocket experiment that will achieve 0.1-arcsecond imaging using a lightweight, ultraprecise 55-cm mirror in the far ultraviolet (160 nm continuum, Lyman alpha, and possibly C IV 155 nm). The f/1.2 parabolic primary mirror is entering the final stages of production. The mirror is a ULE honeycomb design with front and back face sheets. The front sheet will be figured to 6.3 nm rms with microroughness 1 nm or better. For the initial proof of concept, we describe a no-frills, high-cadence imager aboard a Black Brant sounding rocket. Development of lightweight UV/EUV optics at Goddard Space Flight Center has been supported by the Internal Research and Development program.

Application of Temperature-Controlled Thermal Atomization for Printing Electronics in Space

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Wu, Chih-Hao; Thompson, Furman V.

2017-01-01

Additive Manufacturing (AM) is a technology that builds three dimensional objects by adding material layer-upon-layer throughout the fabrication process. The Electrical, Electronic and Electromechanical (EEE) parts packaging group at Marshall Space Flight Center (MSFC) is investigating how various AM and 3D printing processes can be adapted to the microgravity environment of space to enable on demand manufacturing of electronics. The current state-of-the art processes for accomplishing the task of printing electronics through non-contact, direct-write means rely heavily on the process of atomization of liquid inks into fine aerosols to be delivered ultimately to a machine's print head and through its nozzle. As a result of cumulative International Space Station (ISS) research into the behaviors of fluids in zero-gravity, our experience leads us to conclude that the direct adaptation of conventional atomization processes will likely fall short and alternative approaches will need to be explored. In this report, we investigate the development of an alternative approach to atomizing electronic materials by way of thermal atomization, to be used in place of conventional aerosol generation and delivery processes for printing electronics in space.

Human migration to space: Alternative technological approaches for long-term adaptation to extraterrestrial environments and the implications for human evolution

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lockard, Elizabeth Song

As humans embark upon the next phase of Space exploration---establishing human outposts in low-Earth orbit, on the Moon, and on Mars---the scope of human factors must expand beyond the meager requirements for short-term missions to Space to include issues of comfort and well-being necessary for long-term durations. However, to habitate---to dwell in a place---implies more than creature comforts in order to adapt. Human factors research must also include a phenomenological perspective---an understanding of how we experience the places we live in---in order for a community to be robust and to thrive. The first phase of migration will be an especially tenuous one requiring intensive technological intervention. The modes by which those technologies are implemented will have significant bearing on the process of human adaptation: the nature of the mediation can be either one of domination, subordination, avoidance, or integration. Ultimately, adaptation is best ensured if symbiotic processes of negotiation and cooperation between subject and environment are espoused over acts of conquest or acquiescence. The adaptive mechanisms we choose to develop and employ will have wider implications for long-range human evolution. The transformations we will undergo will be influenced by both the initial decision to migrate to Space (technological), as well as the actual conditions of Space (environmental). Migration to extraterrestrial environments will be unequivocally the most profound catalyst for evolution in the history of humankind---not only for the human species itself but also for the new environments we will eventually inhabit. At the same time, we also find ourselves---via a new generation of bio-, nano-, and digital technologies---in the position to consciously and willfully direct our own evolution. Technology has always been transformative, but in the not-so-distant future, we will soon possess the capacity to radically re-invent ourselves in almost any way conceivable. The discourse on human evolution in Space must be situated in the confluence of these two variables.

KSC-98pc389

NASA Image and Video Library

1998-03-23

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, Fla. -- The Space Shuttle Columbia continues its morning rollout from the Vehicle Assembly Building to Launch Pad 39B in preparation for the STS-90 mission. The Neurolab experiments are primary payload on this nearly 17-day space flight. Investigations during the Neurolab mission will focus on the effects of microgravity on the nervous system. Specifically, experiments will study the adaptation of the vestibular system, the central nervous system, and the pathways that control the ability to sense location in the absence of gravity, as well as the effect of microgravity on a developing nervous system. The crew of STS-90, slated for launch April 16 at 2:19 p.m. EDT, includes Commander Richard Searfoss, Pilot Scott Altman, Mission Specialists Richard Linnehan, Dafydd (Dave) Williams, M.D., and Kathryn (Kay) Hire, and Payload Specialists Jay Buckey, M.D., and James Pawelczyk, Ph.D

KSC-98pc388

NASA Image and Video Library

1998-03-23

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -- The Space Shuttle Columbia continues its rollout from the Vehicle Assembly Building to Launch Pad 39B in preparation for the STS-90 mission. The Neurolab experiments are the primary payload on this nearly 17-day space flight. Investigations during the Neurolab mission will focus on the effects of microgravity on the nervous system. Specifically, experiments will study the adaptation of the vestibular system, the central nervous system, and the pathways that control the ability to sense location in the absence of gravity, as well as the effect of microgravity on a developing nervous system. The crew of STS-90, slated for launch April 16 at 2:19 p.m. EDT, includes Commander Richard Searfoss, Pilot Scott Altman, Mission Specialists Richard Linnehan, Dafydd (Dave) Williams, M.D., and Kathryn (Kay) Hire, and Payload Specialists Jay Buckey, M.D., and James Pawelczyk, Ph.D

KSC-98pc387

NASA Image and Video Library

1998-03-23

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -- The Space Shuttle Columbia begins its rollout from the Vehicle Assembly Building to Launch Pad 39B in preparation for the STS-90 mission. The Neurolab experiments are the primary payload on this nearly 17-day space flight. Investigations during the Neurolab mission will focus on the effects of microgravity on the nervous system. Specifically, experiments will study the adaptation of the vestibular system, the central nervous system, and the pathways that control the ability to sense location in the absence of gravity, as well as the effect of microgravity on a developing nervous system. The crew of STS-90, slated for launch April 16 at 2:19 p.m. EDT, includes Commander Richard Searfoss, Pilot Scott Altman, Mission Specialists Richard Linnehan, Dafydd (Dave) Williams, M.D., and Kathryn (Kay) Hire, and Payload Specialists Jay Buckey, M.D., and James Pawelczyk, Ph.D

Adaptive optics compensation of orbital angular momentum beams with a modified Gerchberg-Saxton-based phase retrieval algorithm

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Chang, Huan; Yin, Xiao-li; Cui, Xiao-zhou; Zhang, Zhi-chao; Ma, Jian-xin; Wu, Guo-hua; Zhang, Li-jia; Xin, Xiang-jun

2017-12-01

Practical orbital angular momentum (OAM)-based free-space optical (FSO) communications commonly experience serious performance degradation and crosstalk due to atmospheric turbulence. In this paper, we propose a wave-front sensorless adaptive optics (WSAO) system with a modified Gerchberg-Saxton (GS)-based phase retrieval algorithm to correct distorted OAM beams. We use the spatial phase perturbation (SPP) GS algorithm with a distorted probe Gaussian beam as the only input. The principle and parameter selections of the algorithm are analyzed, and the performance of the algorithm is discussed. The simulation results show that the proposed adaptive optics (AO) system can significantly compensate for distorted OAM beams in single-channel or multiplexed OAM systems, which provides new insights into adaptive correction systems using OAM beams.

Space Technology Research Vehicle (STRV)-2 program

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Shoemaker, James; Brooks, Paul; Korevaar, Eric J.; Arnold, Graham S.; Das, Alok; Stubstad, John; Hay, R. G.

2000-11-01

The STRV-2 program is the second in a series of three collaborative flight test programs between the U.S. Ballistic Missile Defense Organization (BMDO) and the United Kingdom (UK) Minstry of Defence (MoD). The STRV-2 Experiment Module contains five major experiments to provide proof-of-concept data on system design, data on the mid-earth orbit (MEO) space environment, and data on durability of materials and components operating in the MEO environment. The UK Defence Evaluation and Research Agency (DERA) has provided a mid- wavelength infrared (MWIF) imager to evaluate passive detection of aircraft from space. BMDO, in conjunction with the US Air Force Research Laboratory (AFRL) and the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA), have provided experiments to evaluate use of adaptive structures for vibration suppression, to investigate the use of high bandwidth laser communications to transmit data from space to ground or airborne receivers, to study the durability of materials and components in the MEO space environment, and to measure radiation and micrometeoroid/debris fluence. These experiments are mounted on all- composite structure. This structure provides a significant reduction in weight and cost over comparable aluminum designs while maintaining the high stiffness required by optical payloads. In 1994, STRV-2 was manifested for launch by the DOD Space Test Program. STRV-2, the primary payload on the Tri-Service eXperiment (TSX)-5 spacecraft, was successfully launched on 7 June 2000 on a Pegasus XL from Vandenbery AFB, CA. The STRV-2 program, like the companion STRV-1 program, validates the viability of multi-national, multi-agency collaborations to provide cost effective acquisition of space test data. The experimental data to be obtained will reduce future satellite risk and provide guidelines for further system development.

KSC00pp1463

NASA Image and Video Library

2000-10-01

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -- For STS-92 Mission Specialist Koichi Wakata of Japan, arrival at KSC for launch of Space Shuttle Discovery on Oct. 5 is a thumbs-up experience. He and other crew members Commander Brian Duffy, Pilot Pamela Ann Melroy and Mission Specialists Leroy Chiao, Peter J.K. “Jeff” Wisoff, Michael E. Lopez-Alegria and William S. McArthur Jr. expressed their eagerness to launch to a waiting group of media at the Shuttle Landing Facility. The mission is the fifth flight for the construction of the International Space Station. The payload includes the Integrated Truss Structure Z-1 and the third Pressurized Mating Adapter. During the 11-day mission, four extravehicular activities (EVAs), or space walks, are planned

KSC-00pp1463

NASA Image and Video Library

2000-10-01

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -- For STS-92 Mission Specialist Koichi Wakata of Japan, arrival at KSC for launch of Space Shuttle Discovery on Oct. 5 is a thumbs-up experience. He and other crew members Commander Brian Duffy, Pilot Pamela Ann Melroy and Mission Specialists Leroy Chiao, Peter J.K. “Jeff” Wisoff, Michael E. Lopez-Alegria and William S. McArthur Jr. expressed their eagerness to launch to a waiting group of media at the Shuttle Landing Facility. The mission is the fifth flight for the construction of the International Space Station. The payload includes the Integrated Truss Structure Z-1 and the third Pressurized Mating Adapter. During the 11-day mission, four extravehicular activities (EVAs), or space walks, are planned

Growth of 48 built environment bacterial isolates on board the International Space Station (ISS)

PubMed Central

Neches, Russell Y.; Lang, Jenna M.; Brown, Wendy E.; Severance, Mark; Cavalier, Darlene

2016-01-01

Background. While significant attention has been paid to the potential risk of pathogenic microbes aboard crewed spacecraft, the non-pathogenic microbes in these habitats have received less consideration. Preliminary work has demonstrated that the interior of the International Space Station (ISS) has a microbial community resembling those of built environments on Earth. Here we report the results of sending 48 bacterial strains, collected from built environments on Earth, for a growth experiment on the ISS. This project was a component of Project MERCCURI (Microbial Ecology Research Combining Citizen and University Researchers on ISS). Results. Of the 48 strains sent to the ISS, 45 of them showed similar growth in space and on Earth using a relative growth measurement adapted for microgravity. The vast majority of species tested in this experiment have also been found in culture-independent surveys of the ISS. Only one bacterial strain showed significantly different growth in space. Bacillus safensis JPL-MERTA-8-2 grew 60% better in space than on Earth. Conclusions. The majority of bacteria tested were not affected by conditions aboard the ISS in this experiment (e.g., microgravity, cosmic radiation). Further work on Bacillus safensis could lead to interesting insights on why this strain grew so much better in space. PMID:27019789

Growth of 48 built environment bacterial isolates on board the International Space Station (ISS).

PubMed

Coil, David A; Neches, Russell Y; Lang, Jenna M; Brown, Wendy E; Severance, Mark; Cavalier, Darlene; Eisen, Jonathan A

2016-01-01

Background. While significant attention has been paid to the potential risk of pathogenic microbes aboard crewed spacecraft, the non-pathogenic microbes in these habitats have received less consideration. Preliminary work has demonstrated that the interior of the International Space Station (ISS) has a microbial community resembling those of built environments on Earth. Here we report the results of sending 48 bacterial strains, collected from built environments on Earth, for a growth experiment on the ISS. This project was a component of Project MERCCURI (Microbial Ecology Research Combining Citizen and University Researchers on ISS). Results. Of the 48 strains sent to the ISS, 45 of them showed similar growth in space and on Earth using a relative growth measurement adapted for microgravity. The vast majority of species tested in this experiment have also been found in culture-independent surveys of the ISS. Only one bacterial strain showed significantly different growth in space. Bacillus safensis JPL-MERTA-8-2 grew 60% better in space than on Earth. Conclusions. The majority of bacteria tested were not affected by conditions aboard the ISS in this experiment (e.g., microgravity, cosmic radiation). Further work on Bacillus safensis could lead to interesting insights on why this strain grew so much better in space.

Long-term biological investigations in space.

PubMed

Lotz, R G; Fuchs, H; Bertsche, U

1975-01-01

Missions in space within the next two decades will be of longer duration than those carried out up to the present time, and the effects of such long-term flights on biological organisms are unknown. Results of biological experiments that have been performed to date cannot be extrapolated to results in future flights because of the unknown influence of adaptation over a long period of time. Prior experiments with Axolotl, fishes, and vertebrates by our research team (in part with sounding rockets) showed that these specimens did not appear to be suitable for long-term missions on which minimization of expense, technique, and energy is required. Subsequent investigations have shown the suitability of the leech (Hirudo medicinalis), which consumes blood of mammals up to ten times its own weight (1 g) and can live more than 2 years without further food supply. Emphasis in the experiments with Hirudo medicinalis is placed on metabolic rhythm and motility. Resorption and diffusion in tissue, development, and growth under long-term effects of cosmic proton radiation and zero-gravity are other focal points. The constancy of cellular life in the mature animals is a point in favor of these specimens. We have also taken into account the synergistic effects of the space environment on the problems just mentioned. The life-support system constructed for the leech has been tested successfully in four sounding rocket flights and, on that basis, has been prepared for a long-term mission. Long-term investigations out of the terrestrial biosphere will provide us with information concerning the degree of adaptation of certain physiological and biochemical functions and as to what extent biological readjustment or repair processes can occur under the specific stress conditions of space flight.

Study of large adaptive arrays for space technology applications

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Berkowitz, R. S.; Steinberg, B.; Powers, E.; Lim, T.

1977-01-01

The research in large adaptive antenna arrays for space technology applications is reported. Specifically two tasks were considered. The first was a system design study for accurate determination of the positions and the frequencies of sources radiating from the earth's surface that could be used for the rapid location of people or vehicles in distress. This system design study led to a nonrigid array about 8 km in size with means for locating the array element positions, receiving signals from the earth and determining the source locations and frequencies of the transmitting sources. It is concluded that this system design is feasible, and satisfies the desired objectives. The second task was an experiment to determine the largest earthbound array which could simulate a spaceborne experiment. It was determined that an 800 ft array would perform indistinguishably in both locations and it is estimated that one several times larger also would serve satisfactorily. In addition the power density spectrum of the phase difference fluctuations across a large array was measured. It was found that the spectrum falls off approximately as f to the minus 5/2 power.

An adaptive paradigm for human space settlement

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Smith, Cameron M.

2016-02-01

Because permanent space settlement will be multigenerational it will have to be viable on ecological timescales so far unfamiliar to those planning space exploration. Long-term viability will require evolutionary and adaptive planning. Adaptations in the natural world provide many lessons for such planning, but implementing these lessons will require a new, evolutionary paradigm for envisioning and carrying out Earth-independent space settlement. I describe some of these adaptive lessons and propose some cognitive shifts required to implement them in a genuinely evolutionary approach to human space settlement.

Data Analysis of a Space Experiment: Common Software Tackles Uncommon Task

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Wilkinson, R. Allen

1998-01-01

Presented here are the software adaptations developed by laboratory scientists to process the space experiment data products from three experiments on two International Microgravity Laboratory Missions (IML-1 and IML-2). The challenge was to accommodate interacting with many types of hardware and software developed by both European Space Agency (ESA) and NASA aerospace contractors, where data formats were neither commercial nor familiar to scientists. Some of the data had been corrupted by bit shifting of byte boundaries. Least-significant/most-significant byte swapping also occurred as might be expected for the various hardware platforms involved. The data consisted of 20 GBytes per experiment of both numerical and image data. A significant percentage of the bytes were consumed in NASA formatting with extra layers of packetizing structure. It was provided in various pieces to the scientists on magnetic tapes, Syquest cartridges, DAT tapes, CD-ROMS, analog video tapes, and by network FIP. In this paper I will provide some science background and present the software processing used to make the data useful in the months after the missions.

Spacelab Life Sciences 1 - Dedicated life sciences mission

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Womack, W. D.

1990-01-01

The Spacelab Life Sciences 1 (SLS-1) mission is discussed, and an overview of the SLS-1 Spacelab configuration is shown. Twenty interdisciplinary experiments, planned for this mission, are intended to explore the early stages of human and animal physiological adaptation to space flight conditions. Biomedical and gravitational biology experiments include cardiovascular and cardiopulmonary deconditioning, altered vestibular functions, altered metabolic functions (including altered fluid-electrolyte regulation), muscle atrophy, bone demineralization, decreased red blood cell mass, and altered immunologic responses.

Humans in Space: Summarizing the Medico-Biological Results of the Space Shuttle Program

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Risin, Diana; Stepaniak, P. C.; Grounds, D. J.

2011-01-01

As we celebrate the 50th anniversary of Gagarin's flight that opened the era of Humans in Space we also commemorate the 30th anniversary of the Space Shuttle Program (SSP) which was triumphantly completed by the flight of STS-135 on July 21, 2011. These were great milestones in the history of Human Space Exploration. Many important questions regarding the ability of humans to adapt and function in space were answered for the past 50 years and many lessons have been learned. Significant contribution to answering these questions was made by the SSP. To ensure the availability of the Shuttle Program experiences to the international space community NASA has made a decision to summarize the medico-biological results of the SSP in a fundamental edition that is scheduled to be completed by the end of 2011 beginning 2012. The goal of this edition is to define the normal responses of the major physiological systems to short-duration space flights and provide a comprehensive source of information for planning, ensuring successful operational activities and for management of potential medical problems that might arise during future long-term space missions. The book includes the following sections: 1. History of Shuttle Biomedical Research and Operations; 2. Medical Operations Overview Systems, Monitoring, and Care; 3. Biomedical Research Overview; 4. System-specific Adaptations/Responses, Issues, and Countermeasures; 5. Multisystem Issues and Countermeasures. In addition, selected operational documents will be presented in the appendices. The chapters are written by well-recognized experts in appropriate fields, peer reviewed, and edited by physicians and scientists with extensive expertise in space medical operations and space-related biomedical research. As Space Exploration continues the major question whether humans are capable of adapting to long term presence and adequate functioning in space habitats remains to be answered We expect that the comprehensive review of the medico-biological results of the SSP along with the data collected during the missions on the space stations (Mir and ISS) provides a good starting point in seeking the answer to this question.

Effects of space flight on locomotor control

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Bloomberg, Jacob J.; Layne, Charles S.; McDonald, P. Vernon; Peters, Brian T.; Huebner, William P.; Reschke, Millard F.; Berthoz, Alain; Glasauer, Stefan; Newman, Dava; Jackson, D. Keoki

1999-01-01

In the microgravity environment of spaceflight, the relationship between sensory input and motor output is altered. During prolonged missions, neural adaptive processes come into play to recalibrate central nervous system function, thereby permitting new motor control strategies to emerge in the novel sensory environment of microgravity. However, the adaptive state achieved during spaceflight is inappropriate for a unit gravity environment and leads to motor control alterations upon return to Earth that include disturbances in locomotion. Indeed, gait and postural instabilities following the return to Earth have been reported in both U.S. astronauts and Russian cosmonauts even after short duration (5- to 10-day) flights. After spaceflight, astronauts may: (1) experience the sensation of turning while attempting to walk a straight path, (2) encounter sudden loss of postural stability, especially when rounding corners, (3) perceive exaggerated pitch and rolling head movements during walking, (4) experience sudden loss of orientation in unstructured visual environments, or (5) experience significant oscillopsia during locomotion.

SLS-1 flight experiments preliminary significant results

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

1992-01-01

Spacelab Life Sciences-1 (SLS-1) is the first of a series of dedicated life sciences Spacelab missions designed to investigate the mechanisms involved in the physiological adaptation to weightlessness and the subsequent readaptation to 1 gravity (1 G). Hypotheses generated from the physiological effects observed during earlier missions led to the formulation of several integrated experiments to determine the underlying mechanisms responsible for the observed phenomena. The 18 experiments selected for flight on SLS-1 investigated the cardiovascular, cardiopulmonary, regulatory physiology, musculoskeletal, and neuroscience disciplines in both human and rodent subjects. The SLS-1 preliminary results gave insight to the mechanisms involved in the adaptation to the microgravity environment and readaptation when returning to Earth. The experimental results will be used to promote health and safety for future long duration space flights and, as in the past, will be applied to many biomedical problems encountered here on Earth.

Microsome-associated proteome modifications of Arabidopsis seedlings grown on board the International Space Station reveal the possible effect on plants of space stresses other than microgravity.

PubMed

Mazars, Christian; Brière, Christian; Grat, Sabine; Pichereaux, Carole; Rossignol, Michel; Pereda-Loth, Veronica; Eche, Brigitte; Boucheron-Dubuisson, Elodie; Le Disquet, Isabel; Medina, Francisco-Javier; Graziana, Annick; Carnero-Diaz, Eugénie

2014-01-01

Growing plants in space for using them in bioregenerative life support systems during long-term human spaceflights needs improvement of our knowledge in how plants can adapt to space growth conditions. In a previous study performed on board the International Space Station (GENARA A experiment STS-132) we evaluate the global changes that microgravity can exert on the membrane proteome of Arabidopsis seedlings. Here we report additional data from this space experiment, taking advantage of the availability in the EMCS of a centrifuge to evaluate the effects of cues other than microgravity on the relative distribution of membrane proteins. Among the 1484 membrane proteins quantified, 227 proteins displayed no abundance differences between µ g and 1 g in space, while their abundances significantly differed between 1 g in space and 1 g on ground. A majority of these proteins (176) were over-represented in space samples and mainly belong to families corresponding to protein synthesis, degradation, transport, lipid metabolism, or ribosomal proteins. In the remaining set of 51 proteins that were under-represented in membranes, aquaporins and chloroplastic proteins are majority. These sets of proteins clearly appear as indicators of plant physiological processes affected in space by stressful factors others than microgravity.

Microsome-associated proteome modifications of Arabidopsis seedlings grown on board the International Space Station reveal the possible effect on plants of space stresses other than microgravity.

PubMed

Mazars, Christian; Brière, Christian; Grat, Sabine; Pichereaux, Carole; Rossignol, Michel; Pereda-Loth, Veronica; Eche, Brigitte; Boucheron-Dubuisson, Elodie; Le Disquet, Isabel; Medina, Francisco-Javier; Graziana, Annick; Carnero-Diaz, Eugénie

2014-07-16

Growing plants in space for using them in bioregenerative life support systems during long-term human spaceflights needs improvement of our knowledge in how plants can adapt to space growth conditions. In a previous study performed on board the International Space Station (GENARA A experiment STS-132) we evaluate the global changes that microgravity can exert on the membrane proteome of Arabidopsis seedlings. Here we report additional data from this space experiment, taking advantage of the availability in the EMCS of a centrifuge to evaluate the effects of cues other than microgravity on the relative distribution of membrane proteins. Among the 1484 membrane proteins quantified, 227 proteins displayed no abundance differences between µ g and 1 g in space, while their abundances significantly differed between 1 g in space and 1 g on ground. A majority of these proteins (176) were over-represented in space samples and mainly belong to families corresponding to protein synthesis, degradation, transport, lipid metabolism, or ribosomal proteins. In the remaining set of 51 proteins that were under-represented in membranes, aquaporins and chloroplastic proteins are majority. These sets of proteins clearly appear as indicators of plant physiological processes affected in space by stressful factors others than microgravity.

Characterization, performance and optimization of PVDF as a piezoelectric film for advanced space mirror concepts.

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Jones, Gary D.; Assink, Roger Alan; Dargaville, Tim Richard

2005-11-01

Piezoelectric polymers based on polyvinylidene fluoride (PVDF) are of interest for large aperture space-based telescopes as adaptive or smart materials. Dimensional adjustments of adaptive polymer films depend on controlled charge deposition. Predicting their long-term performance requires a detailed understanding of the piezoelectric material features, expected to suffer due to space environmental degradation. Hence, the degradation and performance of PVDF and its copolymers under various stress environments expected in low Earth orbit has been reviewed and investigated. Various experiments were conducted to expose these polymers to elevated temperature, vacuum UV, {gamma}-radiation and atomic oxygen. The resulting degradative processes were evaluated. Themore » overall materials performance is governed by a combination of chemical and physical degradation processes. Molecular changes are primarily induced via radiative damage, and physical damage from temperature and atomic oxygen exposure is evident as depoling, loss of orientation and surface erosion. The effects of combined vacuum UV radiation and atomic oxygen resulted in expected surface erosion and pitting rates that determine the lifetime of thin films. Interestingly, the piezo responsiveness in the underlying bulk material remained largely unchanged. This study has delivered a comprehensive framework for material properties and degradation sensitivities with variations in individual polymer performances clearly apparent. The results provide guidance for material selection, qualification, optimization strategies, feedback for manufacturing and processing, or alternative materials. Further material qualification should be conducted via experiments under actual space conditions.« less

Positive psychological outcomes of spaceflight: an empirical study.

PubMed

Ihle, Eva C; Ritsher, Jennifer B; Kanas, Nick

2006-02-01

Anecdotes from astronauts and cosmonauts suggest that spaceflight can be an enriching experience with enduring positive effects. These positive mental health effects may help protect flight crews from the psychological stress inherent in such high-risk missions. The goal of this study was to identify areas of personal growth likely to result from traveling in space and explore how they were patterned. We developed a Positive Effects of Being in Space (PEBS) Questionnaire, which included a section adapted from the Post-Traumatic Growth Inventory (PTGI) as well as original items addressing experiences unique to spaceflight. We sent the anonymous questionnaire to 175 astronauts and cosmonauts who had flown on at least 1 mission; completed surveys were returned by 39 individuals. Every respondent had a positive reaction to being in space, the strongest of which related to the Earth's beauty and fragility. Respondents reported changes in both attitudes and behaviors. Respondents appeared to cluster into two groups based on the intensity of their reported changes. Response patterns did not vary by demographic group, number of missions flown, or total elapsed time in space. Overall, our findings support the idea that being in space is a meaningful experience that makes an enduring positive impression on astronauts and cosmonauts. An enhanced understanding of the salutogenic effects of space travel will contribute to the education, training, and support of future space crewmembers.

The Role of Motor Learning in Spatial Adaptation near a Tool

PubMed Central

Brown, Liana E.; Doole, Robert; Malfait, Nicole

2011-01-01

Some visual-tactile (bimodal) cells have visual receptive fields (vRFs) that overlap and extend moderately beyond the skin of the hand. Neurophysiological evidence suggests, however, that a vRF will grow to encompass a hand-held tool following active tool use but not after passive holding. Why does active tool use, and not passive holding, lead to spatial adaptation near a tool? We asked whether spatial adaptation could be the result of motor or visual experience with the tool, and we distinguished between these alternatives by isolating motor from visual experience with the tool. Participants learned to use a novel, weighted tool. The active training group received both motor and visual experience with the tool, the passive training group received visual experience with the tool, but no motor experience, and finally, a no-training control group received neither visual nor motor experience using the tool. After training, we used a cueing paradigm to measure how quickly participants detected targets, varying whether the tool was placed near or far from the target display. Only the active training group detected targets more quickly when the tool was placed near, rather than far, from the target display. This effect of tool location was not present for either the passive-training or control groups. These results suggest that motor learning influences how visual space around the tool is represented. PMID:22174944

STS-40 Spacelab Life Sciences 1 (SLS-1): The first dedicated spacelab life sciences mission

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

1991-01-01

Successful exploration of space depends on the health and well-being of people who travel and work there. For this reason, the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) has dedicated several Space Shuttle missions to examine how living and working in space affects the human body. Spacelab Life Sciences 1 (SLS-1) is the first of these missions. The main purpose of the SLS-1 mission is to study the mechanisms, magnitudes, and time courses of certain physiological changes that occur during space flight and to investigate the consequences of the body's adaptation to microgravity and readjustment to gravity upon return to Earth. How does space flight influence the heart and circulatory system, metabolic processes, the muscles and bones, and the cells? If responses to weightlessness are undesirable, how can they be prevented or controlled? Will the human body maintain its physical and chemical equilibrium during months aboard a space station and years-long missions to Mars? When crews return to Earth, what can they expect to experience as their bodies readjust to Earth's gravity? With the SLS-1 experiments, NASA is addressing some of these questions. Various aspects of the SLS-1 are discussed.

Skylab: A beginning. [astronaut performance in extended space exploration

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Dietlein, L. F.

1974-01-01

Skylab biomedical experience indicates that man adapts well to and functions effectively in the space environment for time periods approaching three months. Appropriate dietary intake coupled with adequate, programmed exercise, sleep, work and recreation periods are essential to crew health and well being. No untoward physiological responses have been noted that would preclude longer duration space flights, but more research is required in order to understand the mechanisms involved in the observed responses. Remedial or preventive measures may be required for Mars-type missions, and further study of man in earth orbit for an uninterrupted six-month period should ideally precede this Mars-type mission.

The opportunities for space biology research on the Space Station

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Ballard, Rodney W.; Souza, Kenneth A.

1987-01-01

The life sciences research facilities for the Space Station are being designed to accommodate both animal and plant specimens for long durations studies. This will enable research on how living systems adapt to microgravity, how gravity has shaped and affected life on earth, and further the understanding of basic biological phenomena. This would include multigeneration experiments on the effects of microgravity on the reproduction, development, growth, physiology, behavior, and aging of organisms. To achieve these research goals, a modular habitat system and on-board variable gravity centrifuges, capable of holding various animal, plant, cells and tissues, is proposed for the science laboratory.

Handling Qualities Evaluations of Low Complexity Model Reference Adaptive Controllers for Reduced Pitch and Roll Damping Scenarios

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Hanson, Curt; Schaefer, Jacob; Burken, John J.; Johnson, Marcus; Nguyen, Nhan

2011-01-01

National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) researchers have conducted a series of flight experiments designed to study the effects of varying levels of adaptive controller complexity on the performance and handling qualities of an aircraft under various simulated failure or damage conditions. A baseline, nonlinear dynamic inversion controller was augmented with three variations of a model reference adaptive control design. The simplest design consisted of a single adaptive parameter in each of the pitch and roll axes computed using a basic gradient-based update law. A second design was built upon the first by increasing the complexity of the update law. The third and most complex design added an additional adaptive parameter to each axis. Flight tests were conducted using NASA s Full-scale Advanced Systems Testbed, a highly modified F-18 aircraft that contains a research flight control system capable of housing advanced flight controls experiments. Each controller was evaluated against a suite of simulated failures and damage ranging from destabilization of the pitch and roll axes to significant coupling between the axes. Two pilots evaluated the three adaptive controllers as well as the non-adaptive baseline controller in a variety of dynamic maneuvers and precision flying tasks designed to uncover potential deficiencies in the handling qualities of the aircraft, and adverse interactions between the pilot and the adaptive controllers. The work was completed as part of the Integrated Resilient Aircraft Control Project under NASA s Aviation Safety Program.

Spacelab

NASA Image and Video Library

1992-01-29

This photograph shows activities during the International Microgravity Laboratory-1 (IML-1) mission (STS-42) in the Payload Operations Control Center (POCC) at the Marshall Space Flight Center. The IML-1 mission was the first in a series of Shuttle flights dedicated to fundamental materials and life sciences research. The mission was to explore, in depth, the complex effects of weightlessness on living organisms and materials processing. The crew conducted experiments on the human nervous system's adaptation to low gravity and the effects on other life forms such as shrimp eggs, lentil seedlings, fruit fly eggs, and bacteria. Low gravity materials processing experiments included crystal growth from a variety of substances such as enzymes, mercury, iodine, and virus. The International space science research organizations that participated in this mission were: The U.S. National Aeronautics and Space Administration, the European Space Agency, the Canadian Space Agency, the French National Center for Space Studies, the German Space Agency, and the National Space Development Agency of Japan. The POCC was the air/ground communication charnel used between the astronauts aboard the Spacelab and scientists, researchers, and ground control teams during the Spacelab missions. The facility made instantaneous video and audio communications possible for scientists on the ground to follow the progress and to send direct commands of their research almost as if they were in space with the crew.

Space Station Freedom Gateway to the Future

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

1992-01-01

The first inhabited outpost on the frontier of space will be a place to live, work, and discover. Experiments conducted on Freedom will advance scientific knowledge about our world, our environment, and ourselves. We will learn how to adapt to the space environment and to build and operate new spacecraft with destinations far beyond Earth, continuing the tradition of exploration that began with a journey to the Moon. What we learn from living and working on Freedom will strengthen our expertise in science and engineering, promote national research and development initiatives and inspire another generation of Americans to push forward and onward. On the eve of the 21st century, Space Station Freedom will be our gateway to the future. This material covers gateways to space, research, discovery, utilization, benefits, and NASA.

KSC-98pc402

NASA Image and Video Library

1998-03-23

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -- The Space Shuttle Columbia continues its morning rollout from the Vehicle Assembly Building to Launch Pad 39B in preparation for the STS-90 mission. The Neurolab experiments are the primary payload on this nearly 17-day space flight. Investigations during the Neurolab mission will focus on the effects of microgravity on the nervous system. Specifically, experiments will study the adaptation of the vestibular system, the central nervous system, and the pathways that control the ability to sense location in the absence of gravity, as well as the effect of microgravity on a developing nervous system. The crew of STS-90, slated for launch April 16 at 2:19 p.m. EDT, includes Commander Richard Searfoss, Pilot Scott Altman, Mission Specialists Richard Linnehan, Dafydd (Dave) Williams, M.D., and Kathryn (Kay) Hire, and Payload Specialists Jay Buckey, M.D., and James Pawelczyk, Ph.D

KSC-98pc390

NASA Image and Video Library

1998-03-23

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -- The Space Shuttle Columbia continues its morning rollout from the Vehicle Assembly Building to Launch Pad 39B in preparation for the STS-90 mission. The Neurolab experiments are the primary payload on this nearly 17-day space flight. Investigations during the Neurolab mission will focus on the effects of microgravity on the nervous system. Specifically, experiments will study the adaptation of the vestibular system, the central nervous system, and the pathways that control the ability to sense location in the absence of gravity, as well as the effect of microgravity on a developing nervous system. The crew of STS-90, slated for launch April 16 at 2:19 p.m. EDT, includes Commander Richard Searfoss, Pilot Scott Altman, Mission Specialists Richard Linnehan, Dafydd (Dave) Williams, M.D., and Kathryn (Kay) Hire, and Payload Specialists Jay Buckey, M.D., and James Pawelczyk, Ph.D

KSC-98pc403

NASA Image and Video Library

1998-03-23

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -- The Space Shuttle Columbia continues its morning rollout past the newly opened tour stop, the Launch Complex 39 Observation Gantry, to Launch Pad 39B in preparation for the STS-90 mission. The Neurolab experiments are the primary payload on this nearly 17-day space flight. Investigations during the Neurolab mission will focus on the effects of microgravity on the nervous system. Specifically, experiments will study the adaptation of the vestibular system, the central nervous system, and the pathways that control the ability to sense location in the absence of gravity, as well as the effect of microgravity on a developing nervous system. The crew of STS-90, slated for launch April 16 at 2:19 p.m. EDT, includes Commander Richard Searfoss, Pilot Scott Altman, Mission Specialists Richard Linnehan, Dafydd (Dave) Williams, M.D., and Kathryn (Kay) Hire, and Payload Specialists Jay Buckey, M.D., and James Pawelczyk, Ph.D

Neurosciences research in space - Future directions

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Sulzman, Frank M.; Wolfe, James W.

1991-01-01

In order to gain a better understanding of the effects of long-duration space missions on the central nervous system, near-term research, to take place from 1990-1995, will be directed at investigating the acute effects of microgravity and the 'space adaptation syndrome'. These include experiments scheduled for the Spacelab Life Sciences 1 which is designed to evaluate changes in the visual, vestibular, and proprioceptive systems. An extensive series of experiments, collectively termed Microgravity Vestibular Investigations (MVI), is also planned for the IML-1 mission to be flown in 1992. The IML-2 mission will emphasize behavior and performance, biological rhythms, and further vestibular studies. Mid-term goals, projected to be achieved from 1995-2000, include the use of new technology such as magnetic recording techniques. Long-term goals are also discussed including studies dealing with neuronal plasticity and sensory substitution, augmentation, and robotic telepresence.

The Impact of Density and Ratio on Object-Ensemble Representation in Human Anterior-Medial Ventral Visual Cortex

PubMed Central

Cant, Jonathan S.; Xu, Yaoda

2015-01-01

Behavioral research has demonstrated that observers can extract summary statistics from ensembles of multiple objects. We recently showed that a region of anterior-medial ventral visual cortex, overlapping largely with the scene-sensitive parahippocampal place area (PPA), participates in object-ensemble representation. Here we investigated the encoding of ensemble density in this brain region using fMRI-adaptation. In Experiment 1, we varied density by changing the spacing between objects and found no sensitivity in PPA to such density changes. Thus, density may not be encoded in PPA, possibly because object spacing is not perceived as an intrinsic ensemble property. In Experiment 2, we varied relative density by changing the ratio of 2 types of objects comprising an ensemble, and observed significant sensitivity in PPA to such ratio change. Although colorful ensembles were shown in Experiment 2, Experiment 3 demonstrated that sensitivity to object ratio change was not driven mainly by a change in the ratio of colors. Thus, while anterior-medial ventral visual cortex is insensitive to density (object spacing) changes, it does code relative density (object ratio) within an ensemble. Object-ensemble processing in this region may thus depend on high-level visual information, such as object ratio, rather than low-level information, such as spacing/spatial frequency. PMID:24964917

Making Sense of the Past Creates Space for the Baby: Perinatal Child-Parent Psychotherapy for Pregnant Women with Childhood Trauma

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Narayan, Angela J.; Bucio, Griselda Oliver; Rivera, Luisa M.; Lieberman, Alicia F.

2016-01-01

Childhood experiences of interpersonal trauma often leave a legacy of painful emotions and memories that can be especially destructive when adults transition to parenthood. In this article, the authors present a promising treatment approach, Perinatal Child-Parental Psychotherapy (P-CPP), adapted from evidence-based Child-Parent Psychotherapy…

Lightweight Helmet For Eye/Balance Studies

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Mcstravick, M. Catherine; Proctor, David R.; Wood, Scott J.

1988-01-01

Lightweight helmet serves as mounting platform for stimulus and sensor modules in experiments on role of vestibulo-ocular reflex in motion sickness and space-adaptation syndrome. Fitted liner and five inflatable air bladders stabilize helmet with respect to subject's head. Personal bite board attached to chin-bar assembly makes hard palate in subject's mouth serve as final position reference for helmet.

Skylab experiments. Volume 6: Mechanics. [Skylab program accomplishments for high school level education

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

1973-01-01

Skylab program activities are presented in a form adapted to instruction of high school students. The overall goals of the program are discussed. The specific accomplishments of the mechanics investigations are described. The subjects involved are as follows: (1) evaluation of mobility aids, (2) mass measurement devices, and (3) space guidance crew/vehicle disturbances.

A Smart Sensor Web for Ocean Observation: Integrated Acoustics, Satellite Networking, and Predictive Modeling

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Arabshahi, P.; Chao, Y.; Chien, S.; Gray, A.; Howe, B. M.; Roy, S.

2008-12-01

In many areas of Earth science, including climate change research, there is a need for near real-time integration of data from heterogeneous and spatially distributed sensors, in particular in-situ and space- based sensors. The data integration, as provided by a smart sensor web, enables numerous improvements, namely, 1) adaptive sampling for more efficient use of expensive space-based sensing assets, 2) higher fidelity information gathering from data sources through integration of complementary data sets, and 3) improved sensor calibration. The specific purpose of the smart sensor web development presented here is to provide for adaptive sampling and calibration of space-based data via in-situ data. Our ocean-observing smart sensor web presented herein is composed of both mobile and fixed underwater in-situ ocean sensing assets and Earth Observing System (EOS) satellite sensors providing larger-scale sensing. An acoustic communications network forms a critical link in the web between the in-situ and space-based sensors and facilitates adaptive sampling and calibration. After an overview of primary design challenges, we report on the development of various elements of the smart sensor web. These include (a) a cable-connected mooring system with a profiler under real-time control with inductive battery charging; (b) a glider with integrated acoustic communications and broadband receiving capability; (c) satellite sensor elements; (d) an integrated acoustic navigation and communication network; and (e) a predictive model via the Regional Ocean Modeling System (ROMS). Results from field experiments, including an upcoming one in Monterey Bay (October 2008) using live data from NASA's EO-1 mission in a semi closed-loop system, together with ocean models from ROMS, are described. Plans for future adaptive sampling demonstrations using the smart sensor web are also presented.

Spread and SpreadRecorder An Architecture for Data Distribution

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Wright, Ted

2006-01-01

The Space Acceleration Measurement System (SAMS) project at the NASA Glenn Research Center (GRC) has been measuring the microgravity environment of the space shuttle, the International Space Station, MIR, sounding rockets, drop towers, and aircraft since 1991. The Principle Investigator Microgravity Services (PIMS) project at NASA GRC has been collecting, analyzing, reducing, and disseminating over 3 terabytes of collected SAMS and other microgravity sensor data to scientists so they can understand the disturbances that affect their microgravity science experiments. The years of experience with space flight data generation, telemetry, operations, analysis, and distribution give the SAMS/ PIMS team a unique perspective on space data systems. In 2005, the SAMS/PIMS team was asked to look into generalizing their data system and combining it with the nascent medical instrumentation data systems being proposed for ISS and beyond, specifically the Medical Computer Interface Adapter (MCIA) project. The SpreadRecorder software is a prototype system developed by SAMS/PIMS to explore ways of meeting the needs of both the medical and microgravity measurement communities. It is hoped that the system is general enough to be used for many other purposes.

Adaptive Control for Microgravity Vibration Isolation System

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Yang, Bong-Jun; Calise, Anthony J.; Craig, James I.; Whorton, Mark S.

2005-01-01

Most active vibration isolation systems that try to a provide quiescent acceleration environment for space science experiments have utilized linear design methods. In this paper, we address adaptive control augmentation of an existing classical controller that employs a high-gain acceleration feedback together with a low-gain position feedback to center the isolated platform. The control design feature includes parametric and dynamic uncertainties because the hardware of the isolation system is built as a payload-level isolator, and the acceleration Sensor exhibits a significant bias. A neural network is incorporated to adaptively compensate for the system uncertainties, and a high-pass filter is introduced to mitigate the effect of the measurement bias. Simulations show that the adaptive control improves the performance of the existing acceleration controller and keep the level of the isolated platform deviation to that of the existing control system.

Life-Saving Space Technology Explained

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

2000-01-01

Dr. Harry Whelan, a pediatric Neurologist at the Medical Hospital of Wisconsin in Milwaukee and professor of Neurology at the Medical College of Wisconsin, explains the operation of light-emitting diodes (LEDs) developed for use in space plant growth experiments and now adapted for use in photodynamic therapy, a technique in which light from the LEDs activates light-sensitive, tumor-treating drugs. The technique has been used in at least two surgeries on brain tumors. The LED project was one of several NASA exhibits at AirVenture 2000 sponsored by the Experimental Aircraft Association in Oshkosh, WI.

Space Activities for the Visually Impaired

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ries, J. G.; Baguio, M.

2005-12-01

To a visually impaired person celestial objects or concepts of space exploration are likely to be more abstract than to other people, but they encounter news about the universe through their daily life. A partnership between Texas Space Grant Consortium, The University of Texas at Austin, and the Texas School for the Blind and Visually Impaired provided the opportunity to assist visually impaired students increase their understanding of astronomy and space science. The activities helped visually impaired students activity engage in inquiry-based, hands-on astronomy activities. The experiences provided during the educator workshops, adapted instructional classroom activities, and tactile learning aids will be shared in the hopes that others may be able to incorporate these lessons into their regular teaching activities.

Adaptation and visual salience

PubMed Central

McDermott, Kyle C.; Malkoc, Gokhan; Mulligan, Jeffrey B.; Webster, Michael A.

2011-01-01

We examined how the salience of color is affected by adaptation to different color distributions. Observers searched for a color target on a dense background of distractors varying along different directions in color space. Prior adaptation to the backgrounds enhanced search on the same background while adaptation to orthogonal background directions slowed detection. Advantages of adaptation were seen for both contrast adaptation (to different color axes) and chromatic adaptation (to different mean chromaticities). Control experiments, including analyses of eye movements during the search, suggest that these aftereffects are unlikely to reflect simple learning or changes in search strategies on familiar backgrounds, and instead result from how adaptation alters the relative salience of the target and background colors. Comparable effects were observed along different axes in the chromatic plane or for axes defined by different combinations of luminance and chromatic contrast, consistent with visual search and adaptation mediated by multiple color mechanisms. Similar effects also occurred for color distributions characteristic of natural environments with strongly selective color gamuts. Our results are consistent with the hypothesis that adaptation may play an important functional role in highlighting the salience of novel stimuli by discounting ambient properties of the visual environment. PMID:21106682

Space Biology Meets Astrobiology: Critical Synergies and Concerns

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Boston, Penelope J.; Kirven-Brooks, Melissa

2016-01-01

The broad fields of space biology and astrobiology share much in common in terms of science questions, approaches, and goals. However, historical circumstances and funding agency practices have frequently resulted in a wide separation between the two related areas. Is this a good thing? We believe that it is not, and that much is to be gained in each field from sharing ideas, resources, and perhaps projects between investigators traditionally working in one discipline or the other. Some of the strengths that the Space Biology community offers include sophistication and experience in flying experiments on space missions. In turn, Astrobiology has focused heavily on ground-based and field research. Challenging physical and chemical conditions experienced in space and on other planets partially overlap, and much can be gleaned from the body of work of each community along these topical lines. A combination of these areas of expertise and experience could result in major advances to all involved. When possible, avoiding having to reinvent methods or approaches already used by a sister community can result in greater efficiencies of resource use. We will discuss some case studies where we believe there are significant overlaps including adaptation to a variety of environmental stresses, extremophiles as potential flight organisms, microfluidics as applied to planetary environment simulations, and others.

[Tumor segmentation of brain MRI with adaptive bandwidth mean shift].

PubMed

Hou, Xiaowen; Liu, Qi

2014-10-01

In order to get the adaptive bandwidth of mean shift to make the tumor segmentation of brain magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) to be more accurate, we in this paper present an advanced mean shift method. Firstly, we made use of the space characteristics of brain image to eliminate the impact on segmentation of skull; and then, based on the characteristics of spatial agglomeration of different tissues of brain (includes tumor), we applied edge points to get the optimal initial mean value and the respectively adaptive bandwidth, in order to improve the accuracy of tumor segmentation. The results of experiment showed that, contrast to the fixed bandwidth mean shift method, the method in this paper could segment the tumor more accurately.

Adaptive frequency-domain equalization in digital coherent optical receivers.

PubMed

Faruk, Md Saifuddin; Kikuchi, Kazuro

2011-06-20

We propose a novel frequency-domain adaptive equalizer in digital coherent optical receivers, which can reduce computational complexity of the conventional time-domain adaptive equalizer based on finite-impulse-response (FIR) filters. The proposed equalizer can operate on the input sequence sampled by free-running analog-to-digital converters (ADCs) at the rate of two samples per symbol; therefore, the arbitrary initial sampling phase of ADCs can be adjusted so that the best symbol-spaced sequence is produced. The equalizer can also be configured in the butterfly structure, which enables demultiplexing of polarization tributaries apart from equalization of linear transmission impairments. The performance of the proposed equalization scheme is verified by 40-Gbits/s dual-polarization quadrature phase-shift keying (QPSK) transmission experiments.

Virtual Reality as a Medium for Sensorimotor Adaptation Training and Spaceflight Countermeasures

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Madansingh, S.; Bloomberg, J. J.

2014-01-01

Astronauts experience a profound sensorimotor adaptation during transition to and from the microgravity environment of space. With the upcoming shift to extra-long duration missions (upwards of 1 year) aboard the International Space Station, the immediate risks to astronauts during these transitory periods become more important than ever to understand and prepare for. Recent advances in virtual reality technology enable everyday adoption of these tools for entertainment and use in training. Embedding an individual in a virtual environment (VE) allows the ability to change the perception of visual flow, elicit automatic motor behavior and produce sensorimotor adaptation, not unlike those required during long duration microgravity exposure. The overall goal of this study is to determine the feasibility of present head mounted display technology (HMD) to produce reliable visual flow information and the expected adaptation associated with virtual environment manipulation to be used in future sensorimotor adaptability countermeasures. To further understand the influence of visual flow on gait adaptation during treadmill walking, a series of discordant visual flow manipulations in a virtual environment are proposed. Six healthy participants (3 male and 3 female) will observe visual flow information via HMD (Oculus Rift DK2) while walking on an instrumented treadmill at their preferred walking speed. Participants will be immersed in a series of VE's resembling infinite hallways with different visual characteristics: an office hallway, a hallway with pillars and the hallway of a fictional spacecraft. Participants will perform three trials of 10 min. each, which include walking on the treadmill while receiving congruent or incongruent visual information via the HMD. In the first trial, participants will experience congruent visual information (baseline) where the hallway is perceived to move at the same rate as their walking speed. The final two trials will be randomized among participants where the hallway is perceived to move at either half (0.5x) or twice (2.0x) their preferred walking speed. Participants will remain on the treadmill between trials and will not be warned of the upcoming change to visual flow to minimize preparatory adjustments. Stride length, step frequency and dual-support time will be quantified during each trial. We hypothesize that participants will experience a rapid modification in gait performance during periods of adaptive change, expressed as a decrease in step length, an increase in step frequency and an increase in dual-support time, followed by a period of adaptation where these movement parameters will return to near-baseline levels. As stride length, step frequency and dual support times return to baseline values, an adaptation time constant will be derived to establish individual time-to-adapt (TTA). HMD technology represents a paradigm shift in sensorimotor adaptation training where gait adaptability can be stressed using off-the-shelf consumer products and minimal experimental equipment, allowing for greater training flexibility in astronaut and terrestrial applications alike.

Adaptive fuzzy controller for thermal comfort inside the air-conditioned automobile chamber

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Tong, L.; Yu, B.; Chen, Z.

1999-07-01

In order to meet the passengers' demand for thermal comfort, the adaptive fuzzy logic control design methodology is applied for the automobile airconditioner system. In accordance with the theory of air flow and heat transfer, the air temperature field inside the airconditioned automobile chamber is simulated by a set of simplified half-empirical formula. Then, instead of PMV (Predicted Mean Vote) criterion, RIV (Real Individual Vote) criterion is adopted as the base of the control for passengers' thermal comfort. The proposed controller is applied to the air temperature regulation at the individual passenger position. The control procedure is based on partitioningmore » the state space of the system into cell-groups and fuzzily quantificating the state space into these cells. When the system model has some parameter perturbation, the controller can also adjust its control parameters to compensate for the perturbation and maintain the good performance. The learning procedure shows its ideal effect in both computer simulation and experiments. The final results demonstrate the ideal performance of this adaptive fuzzy controller.« less

Expression of stress/defense-related genes in barley grown under space environment

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sugimoto, Manabu; Shagimardanova, Elena; Gusev, Oleg; Bingham, Gail; Levinskikh, Margarita; Sychev, Vladimir

Plants are exposed to the extreme environment in space, especially space radiation is suspected to induce oxidative stress by generating high-energy free radicals and microgravity would enhance the effect of space radiation, however, current understandings of plant growth and responses on this synergistic effect of radiation and microgravity is limited to a few experiments. In this study, expression of stress/defense-related genes in barley grown under space environment was analyzed by RT-PCR and DNA microarray experiments to understand plant responses and adaptation to space environment and to develop the space stress-tolerant plants. The seeds of barley, Hordeum vulgare L. cv. Haruna nijo, kept in the international space station (ISS) over 4 months, were germinated after 3 days of irrigation in LADA plant growth chamber onboard Russian segment of ISS and the final germination ratio was over 90 %. The height of plants was about 50 to 60 cm and flag leaf has been opened after 26 days of irrigation under 24 hr lighting, showing the similar growth to ground-grown barley. Expression levels of stress/defense-related genes in space-grown barley were compared to those in ground-grown barley by semi-quantitative RT-PCR. In 17 stress/defense-related genes that are up-regulated by oxidative stress or other abiotic stress, only catalase, pathogenesis-related protein 13, chalcone synthase, and phenylalanine ammonia-lyase genes were increased in space-grown barley. DNA microarrya analysis with the GeneChip Barley Genome Array showed the similar expression profiles of the stress/defense-related genes to those by RT-PCR experiment, suggesting that the barley germinated and grown in LADA onboard ISS is not damaged by space environment, especially oxidative stress induced by space radiation and microgravity.

Wave-filter-based approach for generation of a quiet space in a rectangular cavity

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Iwamoto, Hiroyuki; Tanaka, Nobuo; Sanada, Akira

2018-02-01

This paper is concerned with the generation of a quiet space in a rectangular cavity using active wave control methodology. It is the purpose of this paper to present the wave filtering method for a rectangular cavity using multiple microphones and its application to an adaptive feedforward control system. Firstly, the transfer matrix method is introduced for describing the wave dynamics of the sound field, and then feedforward control laws for eliminating transmitted waves is derived. Furthermore, some numerical simulations are conducted that show the best possible result of active wave control. This is followed by the derivation of the wave filtering equations that indicates the structure of the wave filter. It is clarified that the wave filter consists of three portions; modal group filter, rearrangement filter and wave decomposition filter. Next, from a numerical point of view, the accuracy of the wave decomposition filter which is expressed as a function of frequency is investigated using condition numbers. Finally, an experiment on the adaptive feedforward control system using the wave filter is carried out, demonstrating that a quiet space is generated in the target space by the proposed method.

Gravity as a Strong Prior: Implications for Perception and Action.

PubMed

Jörges, Björn; López-Moliner, Joan

2017-01-01

In the future, humans are likely to be exposed to environments with altered gravity conditions, be it only visually (Virtual and Augmented Reality), or visually and bodily (space travel). As visually and bodily perceived gravity as well as an interiorized representation of earth gravity are involved in a series of tasks, such as catching, grasping, body orientation estimation and spatial inferences, humans will need to adapt to these new gravity conditions. Performance under earth gravity discrepant conditions has been shown to be relatively poor, and few studies conducted in gravity adaptation are rather discouraging. Especially in VR on earth, conflicts between bodily and visual gravity cues seem to make a full adaptation to visually perceived earth-discrepant gravities nearly impossible, and even in space, when visual and bodily cues are congruent, adaptation is extremely slow. We invoke a Bayesian framework for gravity related perceptual processes, in which earth gravity holds the status of a so called "strong prior". As other strong priors, the gravity prior has developed through years and years of experience in an earth gravity environment. For this reason, the reliability of this representation is extremely high and overrules any sensory information to its contrary. While also other factors such as the multisensory nature of gravity perception need to be taken into account, we present the strong prior account as a unifying explanation for empirical results in gravity perception and adaptation to earth-discrepant gravities.

Economy of middeck payloads

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Michel, E. L.; Huffstetler, W. J.

1986-01-01

The utilization of the middeck, designed as the crew quarters, for experiments is examined. The dimensions of the middeck's standard lockers, double lockers, adapter plates, and the galley, which are applicable for experiments, are described. The utilities available for middeck payloads include ac and dc electrical power supply, active and passive cooling, vacuum/vent line connections, and data handling, and four basic payload configurations are possible. The development of a middeck accommodations rack to make payload space more flexible and to enable an optimum number and variety of experiments to be flown is proposed. Diagrams of the orbiter's middeck and experimental designs are provided.

Assessing Individual Differences in Adaptation to Extreme Environments: A 36-Hour Sleep Deprivation Study

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Martinez, Jacqueline; Cowings, Patricia S.; Toscano, William B.

2012-01-01

In space, astronauts may experience effects of cumulative sleep loss due to demanding work schedules that can result in cognitive performance impairments, mood state deteriorations, and sleep-wake cycle disruption. Individuals who experience sleep deprivation of six hours beyond normal sleep times experience detrimental changes in their mood and performance states. Hence, the potential for life threatening errors increases exponentially with sleep deprivation. We explored the effects of 36-hours of sleep deprivation on cognitive performance, mood states, and physiological responses to identify which metrics may best predict fatigue induced performance decrements of individuals.

Using a "time machine" to test for local adaptation of aquatic microbes to temporal and spatial environmental variation.

PubMed

Fox, Jeremy W; Harder, Lawrence D

2015-01-01

Local adaptation occurs when different environments are dominated by different specialist genotypes, each of which is relatively fit in its local conditions and relatively unfit under other conditions. Analogously, ecological species sorting occurs when different environments are dominated by different competing species, each of which is relatively fit in its local conditions. The simplest theory predicts that spatial, but not temporal, environmental variation selects for local adaptation (or generates species sorting), but this prediction is difficult to test. Although organisms can be reciprocally transplanted among sites, doing so among times seems implausible. Here, we describe a reciprocal transplant experiment testing for local adaptation or species sorting of lake bacteria in response to both temporal and spatial variation in water chemistry. The experiment used a -80°C freezer as a "time machine." Bacterial isolates and water samples were frozen for later use, allowing transplantation of older isolates "forward in time" and newer isolates "backward in time." Surprisingly, local maladaptation predominated over local adaptation in both space and time. Such local maladaptation may indicate that adaptation, or the analogous species sorting process, fails to keep pace with temporal fluctuations in water chemistry. This hypothesis could be tested with more finely resolved temporal data. © 2014 The Author(s). Evolution © 2014 The Society for the Study of Evolution.

Evolutionary and plastic responses of freshwater invertebrates to climate change: realized patterns and future potential.

PubMed

Stoks, Robby; Geerts, Aurora N; De Meester, Luc

2014-01-01

We integrated the evidence for evolutionary and plastic trait changes in situ in response to climate change in freshwater invertebrates (aquatic insects and zooplankton). The synthesis on the trait changes in response to the expected reductions in hydroperiod and increases in salinity indicated little evidence for adaptive, plastic, and genetic trait changes and for local adaptation. With respect to responses to temperature, there are many studies on temporal trait changes in phenology and body size in the wild that are believed to be driven by temperature increases, but there is a general lack of rigorous demonstration whether these trait changes are genetically based, adaptive, and causally driven by climate change. Current proof for genetic trait changes under climate change in freshwater invertebrates stems from a limited set of common garden experiments replicated in time. Experimental thermal evolution experiments and common garden warming experiments associated with space-for-time substitutions along latitudinal gradients indicate that besides genetic changes, also phenotypic plasticity and evolution of plasticity are likely to contribute to the observed phenotypic changes under climate change in aquatic invertebrates. Apart from plastic and genetic thermal adjustments, also genetic photoperiod adjustments are widespread and may even dominate the observed phenological shifts.

Advantage of Animal Models with Metabolic Flexibility for Space Research Beyond Low Earth Orbit

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Griko, Yuri V.; Rask, Jon C.; Raychev, Raycho

2017-01-01

As the world's space agencies and commercial entities continue to expand beyond Low Earth Orbit (LEO), novel approaches to carry out biomedical experiments with animals are required to address the challenge of adaptation to space flight and new planetary environments. The extended time and distance of space travel along with reduced involvement of Earth-based mission support increases the cumulative impact of the risks encountered in space. To respond to these challenges, it becomes increasingly important to develop the capability to manage an organism's self-regulatory control system, which would enable survival in extraterrestrial environments. To significantly reduce the risk to animals on future long duration space missions, we propose the use of metabolically flexible animal models as "pathfinders," which are capable of tolerating the environmental extremes exhibited in spaceflight, including altered gravity, exposure to space radiation, chemically reactive planetary environments and temperature extremes. In this report we survey several of the pivotal metabolic flexibility studies and discuss the importance of utilizing animal models with metabolic flexibility with particular attention given to the ability to suppress the organism's metabolism in spaceflight experiments beyond LEO. The presented analysis demonstrates the adjuvant benefits of these factors to minimize damage caused by exposure to spaceflight and extreme planetary environments. Examples of microorganisms and animal models with dormancy capabilities suitable for space research are considered in the context of their survivability under hostile or deadly environments outside of Earth. Potential steps toward implementation of metabolic control technology in spaceflight architecture and its benefits for animal experiments and manned space exploration missions are discussed.

Advantage of Animal Models with Metabolic Flexibility for Space Research Beyond Low Earth Orbit

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Griko, Yuri V.; Rask, Jon C.; Raychev, Raycho

2017-01-01

As the worlds space agencies and commercial entities continue to expand beyond Low Earth Orbit (LEO), novel approaches to carry out biomedical experiments with animals are required to address the challenge of adaptation to space flight and new planetary environments. The extended time and distance of space travel along with reduced involvement of Earth-based mission support increases the cumulative impact of the risks encountered in space. To respond to these challenges, it becomes increasingly important to develop the capability to manage an organisms self-regulatory control system, which would enable survival in extraterrestrial environments. To significantly reduce the risk to animals on future long duration space missions, we propose the use of metabolically flexible animal models as pathfinders, which are capable of tolerating the environmental extremes exhibited in spaceflight, including altered gravity, exposure to space radiation, chemically reactive planetary environments and temperature extremes.In this report we survey several of the pivotal metabolic flexibility studies and discuss the importance of utilizing animal models with metabolic flexibility with particular attention given to the ability to suppress the organism's metabolism in spaceflight experiments beyond LEO. The presented analysis demonstrates the adjuvant benefits of these factors to minimize damage caused by exposure to spaceflight and extreme planetary environments. Examples of microorganisms and animal models with dormancy capabilities suitable for space research are considered in the context of their survivability under hostile or deadly environments outside of Earth. Potential steps toward implementation of metabolic control technology in spaceflight architecture and its benefits for animal experiments and manned space exploration missions are discussed.

Astronaut Owen Garriott lies in Lower Body Negative Pressure Device

NASA Image and Video Library

1973-08-06

SL3-108-1278 (July-September 1973) --- Scientist-astronaut Owen K. Garriott, science pilot of the Skylab 3 mission, lies in the Lower Body Negative Pressure Device in the work and experiments area of the Orbital Workshop (OWS) crew quarters of the Skylab space station cluster in Earth orbit. This picture was taken with a hand-held 35mm Nikon camera. Astronauts Garriott, Alan L. Bean and Jack R. Lousma remained with the Skylab space station in orbit for 59 days conducting numerous medical, scientific and technological experiments. The LBNPD (MO92) Experiment is to provide information concerning the time course of cardiovascular adaptation during flight, and to provide in-flight data for predicting the degree of orthostatic intolerance and impairment of physical capacity to be expected upon return to Earth environment. The bicycle ergometer is in the right foreground. Photo credit: NASA

Spacelab Science Results Study. Volume 1; External Observations

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Naumann, Robert J. (Compiler)

1999-01-01

Some of the 36 Spacelab missions were more or less dedicated to specific scientific disciplines, while other carried a eclectic mixture of experiments ranging from astrophysics to life sciences. However, the experiments can be logically classified into two general categories; those that make use of the Shuttle as an observing platform for external phenomena (including those which use the Shuttle in an interactive mode) and those which use the Shuttle as a microgravity laboratory. This first volume of this Spacelab Science Results study will be devoted to experiments of the first category. The disciplines included are Astrophysics, Solar Physics, Space Plasma Physics, Atmospheric Sciences, and Earth Sciences. Because of the large number of microgravity investigations, Volume 2 will be devoted to Microgravity Sciences, which includes Fluid Physics, Combustion Science, Materials Science, and Biotechnology, and Volume 3 will be devoted to Space Life Sciences, which studies the response and adaptability of living organisms to the microgravity environment.

SL2-06-102

NASA Image and Video Library

1973-06-01

SL2-06-102 (June 1973) --- A black and white photograph of the San Francisco Bay California area, taken from the Skylab 1-2 space station cluster in Earth orbit. THE PICTURE SHOULD BE HELD WITH THE CLOUDS AND PACIFIC OCEAN ON THE LEFT. This photograph was taken by one of six lenses of the Itek-furnished S190-A Multispectral Photographic Facility Experiment in the Multiple Docking Adapter of the space station. Note the thickly populated and highly developed area around the Bay. Among the cities visible in this photograph are San Francisco, Oakland, Berkeley and San Jose. This view extends eastward to show a portion of the San Joaquin Valley. The S190-A experiment is part of the Skylab Earth Resources Experiments Package (EREP). Type SO-022 film was used. This station covered the spectral region from 0.5 to 0.6 micrometers. Photo credit: NASA

SL2-05-102

NASA Image and Video Library

1973-06-01

SL2-05-102 (June 1973) --- A black and white photograph of the San Francisco Bay California area, taken from the Skylab 1-2 space station cluster in Earth orbit. THE PICTURE SHOULD BE HELD WITH THE CLOUDS AND PACIFIC OCEAN ON THE LEFT. This photograph was taken by one of six lenses of the Itek-furnished S190-A Multispectral Photographic Facility Experiment in the Multiple Docking Adapter of the space station. Note the thickly populated and highly developed area around the Bay. Among the cities visible in this photograph are San Francisco, Oakland, Berkeley and San Jose. This view extends eastward to show a portion of the San Joaquin Valley. The S190-A experiment is part of the Skylab Earth Resources Experiments Package (EREP). Type SO-022 film was used. This station covered the spectral region from 0.6 to .07 micrometers. Photo credit: NASA

Lake Powell, Colorado River, Utah and Grand Canyon, Arizona

NASA Image and Video Library

1973-06-22

SL2-04-018 (June 1973) --- A vertical view of the Arizona-Utah border area showing the Colorado River and Grand Canyon photographed from the Skylab 1/2 space station in Earth orbit. This picture was taken by one of the six lenses of the Itek-furnished S190-A Multispectral Photographic Facility Experiment in the Multiple Docking Adapter of the space station. Type S0-356 film was used. The row of white clouds extend north-south over the dark colored Kaibab Plateau. The junction of the Colorado and Little Colorado rivers is in the southwest corner of the picture. The body of water is Lake Powell on the Colorado River upstream from the Grand Canyon. The lone peak at the eastern edge of the photograph south of Colorado River is the 10,416-foot Navajo Mountain. The S190-A experiment is part of the Skylab Earth Resources Experiments Package(EREP). Photo credit: NASA

Coherent free space optics communications over the maritime atmosphere with use of adaptive optics for beam wavefront correction.

PubMed

Li, Ming; Cvijetic, Milorad

2015-02-20

We evaluate the performance of the coherent free space optics (FSO) employing quadrature array phase-shift keying (QPSK) modulation over the maritime atmosphere with atmospheric turbulence compensated by use of adaptive optics (AO). We have established a comprehensive FSO channel model for maritime conditions and also made a comprehensive comparison of performance between the maritime and terrestrial atmospheric links. The FSO links are modeled based on the intensity attenuation resulting from scattering and absorption effects, the log-amplitude fluctuations, and the phase distortions induced by turbulence. The obtained results show that the FSO system performance measured by the bit-error-rate (BER) can be significantly improved when the optimization of the AO system is achieved. Also, we find that the higher BER is observed in the maritime FSO channel with atmospheric turbulence, as compared to the terrestrial FSO systems if they experience the same turbulence strength.

Using Multi-modal Sensing for Human Activity Modeling in the Real World

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Harrison, Beverly L.; Consolvo, Sunny; Choudhury, Tanzeem

Traditionally smart environments have been understood to represent those (often physical) spaces where computation is embedded into the users' surrounding infrastructure, buildings, homes, and workplaces. Users of this "smartness" move in and out of these spaces. Ambient intelligence assumes that users are automatically and seamlessly provided with context-aware, adaptive information, applications and even sensing - though this remains a significant challenge even when limited to these specialized, instrumented locales. Since not all environments are "smart" the experience is not a pervasive one; rather, users move between these intelligent islands of computationally enhanced space while we still aspire to achieve a more ideal anytime, anywhere experience. Two key technological trends are helping to bridge the gap between these smart environments and make the associated experience more persistent and pervasive. Smaller and more computationally sophisticated mobile devices allow sensing, communication, and services to be more directly and continuously experienced by user. Improved infrastructure and the availability of uninterrupted data streams, for instance location-based data, enable new services and applications to persist across environments.

[Research activities of cosmonauts in long-duration orbital missions].

PubMed

2012-01-01

The paper presents the view of space medicine and human factor experts on the problems of cosmonaut's research activities. Readiness of ISS crewmembers for conducting experiments and research equipment handling depends on the pre-flight training quality and course of adaptation to the flight conditions, the latter of particular criticality for participation in human use tests as an object.

Psychobiology and Food Perception

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Neilson, A.

1985-01-01

Psychobiology is a scientific discipline which encompasses the phenomena known to be important as regards nutrition and food consumption in space. Specifically, it includes those areas of biology which are clearly related to behavior, human subjective experience and problems of coping and adapting to stress. Taste and odor perception; perception (knowledge gaps); perception (needs); food preference and menu selection; and choosing of acceptable diets are discussed.

"I Wish That I Could Belong": An Intercultural Play about Adapting to Life in the US

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Gabay, Lea

2014-01-01

This article provides an in-depth analysis of a play that I wrote centering on 4 international students' experiences studying and living in the US. It consists of 5 scenes, which delve into the topics of cultural differences, first impressions of the US, university systems, friendship, time and personal space, stereotyping and discrimination, and…

Reducing costs of managing and accessing navigation and ancillary data by relying on the extensive capabilities of NASA's spice system

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Semenov, Boris V.; Acton, Charles H., Jr.; Bachman, Nathaniel J.; Elson, Lee S.; Wright, Edward D.

2005-01-01

The SPICE system of navigation and ancillary data possesses a number of traits that make its use in modern space missions of all types highly cost efficient. The core of the system is a software library providing API interfaces for storing and retrieving such data as trajectories, orientations, time conversions, and instrument geometry parameters. Applications used at any stage of a mission life cycle can call SPICE APIs to access this data and compute geometric quantities required for observation planning, engineering assessment and science data analysis. SPICE is implemented in three different languages, supported on 20+ computer environments, and distributed with complete source code and documentation. It includes capabilities that are extensively tested by everyday use in many active projects and are applicable to all types of space missions - flyby, orbiters, observatories, landers and rovers. While a customer's initial SPICE adaptation for the first mission or experiment requires a modest effort, this initial effort pays off because adaptation for subsequent missions/experiments is just a small fraction of the initial investment, with the majority of tools based on SPICE requiring no or very minor changes.

Development of a Countermeasure to Mitigate Postflight Locomotor Dysfunction

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Bloomberg, J. J.; Mulavara, A. P.; Peters, B. T.; Cohen, H. S.; Richards, J. T.; Miller, C. A.; Brady, R.; Warren, L. E.; Ruttley, T. M.

2006-01-01

Astronauts returning from space flight experience locomotor dysfunction following their return to Earth. Our laboratory is currently developing a gait adaptability training program that is designed to facilitate recovery of locomotor function following a return to a gravitational environment. The training program exploits the ability of the sensorimotor system to generalize from exposure to multiple adaptive challenges during training so that the gait control system essentially learns to learn and therefore can reorganize more rapidly when faced with a novel adaptive challenge. Evidence for the potential efficacy of an adaptive generalization gait training program can be obtained from numerous studies in the motor learning literature which have demonstrated that systematically varying the conditions of training enhances the ability of the performer to learn and retain a novel motor task. These variable practice training approaches have been used in applied contexts to improve motor skills required in a number of different sports. The central nervous system (CNS) can produce voluntary movement in an almost infinite number of ways. For example, locomotion can be achieved with many different combinations of joint angles, muscle activation patterns and forces. The CNS can exploit these degrees of freedom to enhance motor response adaptability during periods of adaptive flux like that encountered during a change in gravitational environment. Ultimately, the functional goal of an adaptive generalization countermeasure is not necessarily to immediately return movement patterns back to normal. Rather the training regimen should facilitate the reorganization of available sensory and motor subsystems to achieve safe and effective locomotion as soon as possible after long duration space flight. Indeed, this approach has been proposed as a basic feature underlying effective neurological rehabilitation. We have previously confirmed that subjects participating in an adaptive generalization training program using a variety of visuomotor distortions and throwing as the dependent measure can learn to enhance their ability to adapt to a novel sensorimotor environment (Roller et al., 2001). Importantly, this increased adaptability was retained even one month after completion of the training period. Adaptive generalization has been observed in a variety of other tasks requiring sensorimotor transformations including manual control tasks and reaching (Bock et al., 2001, Seidler, 2003) and obstacle avoidance during walking (Lam and Dietz, 2004). Taken together, the evidence suggests that a training regimen exposing crewmembers to variation in locomotor conditions, with repeated transitions among states, may enhance their ability to learn how to reassemble appropriate locomotor patterns upon return from microgravity. We believe exposure to this type of training will extend crewmembers locomotor behavioral repertoires, facilitating the return of functional mobility after long duration space flight. In other words, our proposed training protocol will compel subjects to develop new behavioral solutions under varying sensorimotor demands. Over time subjects will learn to create appropriate locomotor solution more rapidly enabling acquisition of mobility sooner after long-duration space flight. A gait adaptability training program can be superimposed on nominal treadmill exercise activities thus ensuring that no additional crew time is required to perform this type of training regimen and that it can be implemented with current in-flight exercise systems available on the International Space Station.

The method for measuring the groove density of variable-line-space gratings with elimination of the eccentricity effect

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Wang, Qingbo; Liu, Zhengkun, E-mail: zhkliu@ustc.edu.cn; Chen, Huoyao

2015-02-15

To eliminate the eccentricity effect, a new method for measuring the groove density of a variable-line-space grating was adapted. Based on grating equation, groove density is calculated by measuring the internal angles between zeroth-order and first-order diffracted light for two different wavelengths with the same angle of incidence. The measurement system mainly includes two laser sources, a phase plate, plane mirror, and charge coupled device. The measurement results of a variable-line-space grating demonstrate that the experiment data agree well with theoretical values, and the value of measurement error (ΔN/N) is less than 2.72 × 10{sup −4}.

Fire safety concerns in space operations

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Friedman, Robert

1987-01-01

This paper reviews the state-of-the-art in fire control techniques and identifies important issues for continuing research, technology, and standards. For the future permanent orbiting facility, the space station, fire prevention and control calls for not only more stringent fire safety due to the long-term and complex missions, but also for simplified and flexible safety rules to accommodate the variety of users. Future research must address a better understanding of the microgravity space environment as it influences fire propagation and extinction and the application of the technology of fire detection, extinguishment, and material assessment. Spacecraft fire safety should also consider the adaptation of methods and concepts derived from aircraft and undersea experience.

Using Science Data and Models for Space Weather Forecasting - Challenges and Opportunities

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Hesse, Michael; Pulkkinen, Antti; Zheng, Yihua; Maddox, Marlo; Berrios, David; Taktakishvili, Sandro; Kuznetsova, Masha; Chulaki, Anna; Lee, Hyesook; Mullinix, Rick;

Ground-based training for the stimulus rearrangement encountered during spaceflight

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Reschke, M. F.; Parker, D. E.; Harm, D. L.; Michaud, L.

1988-01-01

Approximately 65-70% of the crew members now experience motion sickness of some degree during the first 72 h of orbital flight on the Space Shuttle. Lack of congruence among signals from spatial orientation systems leads to sensory conflict, which appears to be the basic cause of space motion sickness. A project to develop training devices and procedures to preadapt astronauts to the stimulus rearrangements of microgravity is currently being pursued. The preflight adaptation trainers (PATs) are intended to: demonstrate sensory phenomena likely to be experienced in flight, allow astronauts to train preflight in an altered sensory environment, alter sensory-motor reflexes, and alleviate or shorten the duration of space motion sickness. Four part-task PATs are anticipated. The trainers are designed to evoke two adaptation processes, sensory compensation and sensory reinterpretation, which are necessary to maintain spatial orientation in a weightless environment. Recent investigations using one of the trainers indicate that self-motion perception of linear translation is enhanced when body tilt is combined with visual surround translation, and that a 270 degrees phase angle relationship between tilt and surround motion produces maximum translation perception.

Basis adaptation and domain decomposition for steady partial differential equations with random coefficients

DOE PAGES

Tipireddy, R.; Stinis, P.; Tartakovsky, A. M.

2017-09-04

In this paper, we present a novel approach for solving steady-state stochastic partial differential equations (PDEs) with high-dimensional random parameter space. The proposed approach combines spatial domain decomposition with basis adaptation for each subdomain. The basis adaptation is used to address the curse of dimensionality by constructing an accurate low-dimensional representation of the stochastic PDE solution (probability density function and/or its leading statistical moments) in each subdomain. Restricting the basis adaptation to a specific subdomain affords finding a locally accurate solution. Then, the solutions from all of the subdomains are stitched together to provide a global solution. We support ourmore » construction with numerical experiments for a steady-state diffusion equation with a random spatially dependent coefficient. Lastly, our results show that highly accurate global solutions can be obtained with significantly reduced computational costs.« less

Basis adaptation and domain decomposition for steady-state partial differential equations with random coefficients

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Tipireddy, R.; Stinis, P.; Tartakovsky, A. M.

We present a novel approach for solving steady-state stochastic partial differential equations (PDEs) with high-dimensional random parameter space. The proposed approach combines spatial domain decomposition with basis adaptation for each subdomain. The basis adaptation is used to address the curse of dimensionality by constructing an accurate low-dimensional representation of the stochastic PDE solution (probability density function and/or its leading statistical moments) in each subdomain. Restricting the basis adaptation to a specific subdomain affords finding a locally accurate solution. Then, the solutions from all of the subdomains are stitched together to provide a global solution. We support our construction with numericalmore » experiments for a steady-state diffusion equation with a random spatially dependent coefficient. Our results show that highly accurate global solutions can be obtained with significantly reduced computational costs.« less

Development of a Countermeasure to Enhance Postflight Locomotor Adaptability

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Bloomberg, Jacob J.

2006-01-01

Astronauts returning from space flight experience locomotor dysfunction following their return to Earth. Our laboratory is currently developing a gait adaptability training program that is designed to facilitate recovery of locomotor function following a return to a gravitational environment. The training program exploits the ability of the sensorimotor system to generalize from exposure to multiple adaptive challenges during training so that the gait control system essentially learns to learn and therefore can reorganize more rapidly when faced with a novel adaptive challenge. We have previously confirmed that subjects participating in adaptive generalization training programs using a variety of visuomotor distortions can enhance their ability to adapt to a novel sensorimotor environment. Importantly, this increased adaptability was retained even one month after completion of the training period. Adaptive generalization has been observed in a variety of other tasks requiring sensorimotor transformations including manual control tasks and reaching (Bock et al., 2001, Seidler, 2003) and obstacle avoidance during walking (Lam and Dietz, 2004). Taken together, the evidence suggests that a training regimen exposing crewmembers to variation in locomotor conditions, with repeated transitions among states, may enhance their ability to learn how to reassemble appropriate locomotor patterns upon return from microgravity. We believe exposure to this type of training will extend crewmembers locomotor behavioral repertoires, facilitating the return of functional mobility after long duration space flight. Our proposed training protocol will compel subjects to develop new behavioral solutions under varying sensorimotor demands. Over time subjects will learn to create appropriate locomotor solution more rapidly enabling acquisition of mobility sooner after long-duration space flight. Our laboratory is currently developing adaptive generalization training procedures and the associated flight hardware to implement such a training program during regular inflight treadmill operations. A visual display system will provide variation in visual flow patterns during treadmill exercise. Crewmembers will be exposed to a virtual scene that can translate and rotate in six-degrees-of freedom during their regular treadmill exercise period. Associated ground based studies are focused on determining optimal combinations of sensory manipulations (visual flow, body loading and support surface variation) and training schedules that will produce the greatest potential for adaptive flexibility in gait function during exposure to challenging and novel environments. An overview of our progress in these areas will be discussed during the presentation.

DVB-S2 Experiment over NASA's Space Network

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Downey, Joseph A.; Evans, Michael A.; Tollis, Nicholas S.

2017-01-01

The commercial DVB-S2 standard was successfully demonstrated over NASAs Space Network (SN) and the Tracking Data and Relay Satellite System (TDRSS) during testing conducted September 20-22nd, 2016. This test was a joint effort between NASA Glenn Research Center (GRC) and Goddard Space Flight Center (GSFC) to evaluate the performance of DVB-S2 as an alternative to traditional NASA SN waveforms. Two distinct sets of tests were conducted: one was sourced from the Space Communication and Navigation (SCaN) Testbed, an external payload on the International Space Station, and the other was sourced from GRCs S-band ground station to emulate a Space Network user through TDRSS. In both cases, a commercial off-the-shelf (COTS) receiver made by Newtec was used to receive the signal at White Sands Complex. Using SCaN Testbed, peak data rates of 5.7 Mbps were demonstrated. Peak data rates of 33 Mbps were demonstrated over the GRC S-band ground station through a 10MHz channel over TDRSS, using 32-amplitude phase shift keying (APSK) and a rate 89 low density parity check (LDPC) code. Advanced features of the DVB-S2 standard were evaluated, including variable and adaptive coding and modulation (VCMACM), as well as an adaptive digital pre-distortion (DPD) algorithm. These features provided additional data throughput and increased link performance reliability. This testing has shown that commercial standards are a viable, low-cost alternative for future Space Network users.

Adaptive control applied to Space Station attitude control system

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Lam, Quang M.; Chipman, Richard; Hu, Tsay-Hsin G.; Holmes, Eric B.; Sunkel, John

1992-01-01

This paper presents an adaptive control approach to enhance the performance of current attitude control system used by the Space Station Freedom. The proposed control law was developed based on the direct adaptive control or model reference adaptive control scheme. Performance comparisons, subject to inertia variation, of the adaptive controller and the fixed-gain linear quadratic regulator currently implemented for the Space Station are conducted. Both the fixed-gain and the adaptive gain controllers are able to maintain the Station stability for inertia variations of up to 35 percent. However, when a 50 percent inertia variation is applied to the Station, only the adaptive controller is able to maintain the Station attitude.

Perceived Spaciousness and Preference in Sequential Experience.

PubMed

Bokharaei, Saleheh; Nasar, Jack L

2016-11-01

We assessed the perceived spaciousness and preference for a destination space in relation to six attributes (size, lighting, window size, texture, wall mural, and amount of furniture) of it and of the space experienced before it. Studies have examined effects of these attributes but not for dynamic experience or preference. We created 24 virtual reality walks between each possible pair of two levels of each attribute. For each destination space, 31 students (13 men, 18 women) rated spaciousness and 30 students (16 men, 14 women) rated preference. We conducted separate 2 × 2 repeated-measure ANOVAs across each condition for perceived spaciousness and preference. Participants judged the space that was larger, was more brightly lit, with a larger window, or with less furniture as the more spacious. These attributes also increased preference. Consonant with adaptation-level theory, participants judged offices as higher in spaciousness and preference if preceded by a space that was smaller, was more dimly lit, or had smaller windows. The findings suggest that perceived spaciousness varies with size, lightness, window size, and amount of furniture but that perception also depends on the size, lightness, and size of the space experienced before. Designers could use the findings to manipulate features to make a space appear larger or more desirable. © 2016, Human Factors and Ergonomics Society.

A numerical study of adaptive space and time discretisations for Gross–Pitaevskii equations

PubMed Central

Thalhammer, Mechthild; Abhau, Jochen

2012-01-01

As a basic principle, benefits of adaptive discretisations are an improved balance between required accuracy and efficiency as well as an enhancement of the reliability of numerical computations. In this work, the capacity of locally adaptive space and time discretisations for the numerical solution of low-dimensional nonlinear Schrödinger equations is investigated. The considered model equation is related to the time-dependent Gross–Pitaevskii equation arising in the description of Bose–Einstein condensates in dilute gases. The performance of the Fourier-pseudo spectral method constrained to uniform meshes versus the locally adaptive finite element method and of higher-order exponential operator splitting methods with variable time stepsizes is studied. Numerical experiments confirm that a local time stepsize control based on a posteriori local error estimators or embedded splitting pairs, respectively, is effective in different situations with an enhancement either in efficiency or reliability. As expected, adaptive time-splitting schemes combined with fast Fourier transform techniques are favourable regarding accuracy and efficiency when applied to Gross–Pitaevskii equations with a defocusing nonlinearity and a mildly varying regular solution. However, the numerical solution of nonlinear Schrödinger equations in the semi-classical regime becomes a demanding task. Due to the highly oscillatory and nonlinear nature of the problem, the spatial mesh size and the time increments need to be of the size of the decisive parameter 0<ε≪1, especially when it is desired to capture correctly the quantitative behaviour of the wave function itself. The required high resolution in space constricts the feasibility of numerical computations for both, the Fourier pseudo-spectral and the finite element method. Nevertheless, for smaller parameter values locally adaptive time discretisations facilitate to determine the time stepsizes sufficiently small in order that the numerical approximation captures correctly the behaviour of the analytical solution. Further illustrations for Gross–Pitaevskii equations with a focusing nonlinearity or a sharp Gaussian as initial condition, respectively, complement the numerical study. PMID:25550676

A numerical study of adaptive space and time discretisations for Gross-Pitaevskii equations.

PubMed

Thalhammer, Mechthild; Abhau, Jochen

2012-08-15

As a basic principle, benefits of adaptive discretisations are an improved balance between required accuracy and efficiency as well as an enhancement of the reliability of numerical computations. In this work, the capacity of locally adaptive space and time discretisations for the numerical solution of low-dimensional nonlinear Schrödinger equations is investigated. The considered model equation is related to the time-dependent Gross-Pitaevskii equation arising in the description of Bose-Einstein condensates in dilute gases. The performance of the Fourier-pseudo spectral method constrained to uniform meshes versus the locally adaptive finite element method and of higher-order exponential operator splitting methods with variable time stepsizes is studied. Numerical experiments confirm that a local time stepsize control based on a posteriori local error estimators or embedded splitting pairs, respectively, is effective in different situations with an enhancement either in efficiency or reliability. As expected, adaptive time-splitting schemes combined with fast Fourier transform techniques are favourable regarding accuracy and efficiency when applied to Gross-Pitaevskii equations with a defocusing nonlinearity and a mildly varying regular solution. However, the numerical solution of nonlinear Schrödinger equations in the semi-classical regime becomes a demanding task. Due to the highly oscillatory and nonlinear nature of the problem, the spatial mesh size and the time increments need to be of the size of the decisive parameter [Formula: see text], especially when it is desired to capture correctly the quantitative behaviour of the wave function itself. The required high resolution in space constricts the feasibility of numerical computations for both, the Fourier pseudo-spectral and the finite element method. Nevertheless, for smaller parameter values locally adaptive time discretisations facilitate to determine the time stepsizes sufficiently small in order that the numerical approximation captures correctly the behaviour of the analytical solution. Further illustrations for Gross-Pitaevskii equations with a focusing nonlinearity or a sharp Gaussian as initial condition, respectively, complement the numerical study.

A self-organizing neural network for job scheduling in distributed systems

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Newman, Harvey B.; Legrand, Iosif C.

2001-08-01

The aim of this work is to describe a possible approach for the optimization of the job scheduling in large distributed systems, based on a self-organizing Neural Network. This dynamic scheduling system should be seen as adaptive middle layer software, aware of current available resources and making the scheduling decisions using the "past experience." It aims to optimize job specific parameters as well as the resource utilization. The scheduling system is able to dynamically learn and cluster information in a large dimensional parameter space and at the same time to explore new regions in the parameters space. This self-organizing scheduling system may offer a possible solution to provide an effective use of resources for the off-line data processing jobs for future HEP experiments.

Experiences in Interagency and International Interfaces for Mission Support

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Dell, G. T.; Mitchell, W. J.; Thompson, T. W.; Cappellari, J. O., Jr.; Flores-Amaya, F.

1996-01-01

The Flight Dynamics Division (FDD) of the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) Goddard Space Flight Center (GFSC) provides extensive support and products for Space Shuttle missions, expendable launch vehicle launches, and routine on-orbit operations for a variety of spacecraft. A major challenge in providing support for these missions is defining and generating the products required for mission support and developing the method by which these products are exchanged between supporting agencies. As interagency and international cooperation has increased in the space community, the FDD customer base has grown and with it the number and variety of external interfaces and product definitions. Currently, the FDD has working interfaces with the NASA Space and Ground Networks, the Johnson Space Center, the White Sands Complex, the Jet propulsion Laboratory (including the Deep Space Network), the United States Air Force, the Centre National d'Etudes Spatiales, the German Spaceflight Operations Center, the European Space Agency, and the National Space Development Agency of Japan. With the increasing spectrum of possible data product definitions and delivery methods, the FDD is using its extensive interagency experience to improve its support of established customers and to provide leadership in adapting/developing new interfaces. This paper describes the evolution of the interfaces between the FDD and its customers, discusses many of the joint activities ith these customers, and summarizes key lessons learned that can be applied to current and future support.

Culture of human cells in experimental units for spaceflight impacts on their behavior.

PubMed

Cazzaniga, Alessandra; Moscheni, Claudia; Maier, Jeanette Am; Castiglioni, Sara

2017-05-01

Because space missions produce pathophysiological alterations such as cardiovascular disorders and bone demineralization which are very common on Earth, biomedical research in space is a frontier that holds important promises not only to counterbalance space-associated disorders in astronauts but also to ameliorate the health of Earth-bound population. Experiments in space are complex to design. Cells must be cultured in closed cell culture systems (from now defined experimental units (EUs)), which are biocompatible, functional, safe to minimize any potential hazard to the crew, and with a high degree of automation. Therefore, to perform experiments in orbit, it is relevant to know how closely culture in the EUs reflects cellular behavior under normal growth conditions. We compared the performances in these units of three different human cell types, which were recently space flown, i.e. bone mesenchymal stem cells, micro- and macrovascular endothelial cells. Endothelial cells are only slightly and transiently affected by culture in the EUs, whereas these devices accelerate mesenchymal stem cell reprogramming toward osteogenic differentiation, in part by increasing the amounts of reactive oxygen species. We conclude that cell culture conditions in the EUs do not exactly mimic what happens in a culture dish and that more efforts are necessary to optimize these devices for biomedical experiments in space. Impact statement Cell cultures represent valuable preclinical models to decipher pathogenic circuitries. This is true also for biomedical research in space. A lot has been learnt about cell adaptation and reaction from the experiments performed on many different cell types flown to space. Obviously, cell culture in space has to meet specific requirements for the safety of the crew and to comply with the unique environmental challenges. For these reasons, specific devices for cell culture in space have been developed. It is important to clarify whether these alternative culture systems impact on cell performances to allow a correct interpretation of the data.

Culture of human cells in experimental units for spaceflight impacts on their behavior

PubMed Central

Cazzaniga, Alessandra; Moscheni, Claudia; Maier, Jeanette AM

2016-01-01

Because space missions produce pathophysiological alterations such as cardiovascular disorders and bone demineralization which are very common on Earth, biomedical research in space is a frontier that holds important promises not only to counterbalance space-associated disorders in astronauts but also to ameliorate the health of Earth-bound population. Experiments in space are complex to design. Cells must be cultured in closed cell culture systems (from now defined experimental units (EUs)), which are biocompatible, functional, safe to minimize any potential hazard to the crew, and with a high degree of automation. Therefore, to perform experiments in orbit, it is relevant to know how closely culture in the EUs reflects cellular behavior under normal growth conditions. We compared the performances in these units of three different human cell types, which were recently space flown, i.e. bone mesenchymal stem cells, micro- and macrovascular endothelial cells. Endothelial cells are only slightly and transiently affected by culture in the EUs, whereas these devices accelerate mesenchymal stem cell reprogramming toward osteogenic differentiation, in part by increasing the amounts of reactive oxygen species. We conclude that cell culture conditions in the EUs do not exactly mimic what happens in a culture dish and that more efforts are necessary to optimize these devices for biomedical experiments in space. Impact statement Cell cultures represent valuable preclinical models to decipher pathogenic circuitries. This is true also for biomedical research in space. A lot has been learnt about cell adaptation and reaction from the experiments performed on many different cell types flown to space. Obviously, cell culture in space has to meet specific requirements for the safety of the crew and to comply with the unique environmental challenges. For these reasons, specific devices for cell culture in space have been developed. It is important to clarify whether these alternative culture systems impact on cell performances to allow a correct interpretation of the data. PMID:28492348

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Tipireddy, R.; Stinis, P.; Tartakovsky, A. M.

In this paper, we present a novel approach for solving steady-state stochastic partial differential equations (PDEs) with high-dimensional random parameter space. The proposed approach combines spatial domain decomposition with basis adaptation for each subdomain. The basis adaptation is used to address the curse of dimensionality by constructing an accurate low-dimensional representation of the stochastic PDE solution (probability density function and/or its leading statistical moments) in each subdomain. Restricting the basis adaptation to a specific subdomain affords finding a locally accurate solution. Then, the solutions from all of the subdomains are stitched together to provide a global solution. We support ourmore » construction with numerical experiments for a steady-state diffusion equation with a random spatially dependent coefficient. Lastly, our results show that highly accurate global solutions can be obtained with significantly reduced computational costs.« less

Lockheed L-1011 TriStar first flight to support Adaptive Performance Optimization study

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

1997-01-01

Bearing the logos of the National Aeronautics and Space Administration and Orbital Sciences Corporation, Orbital's L-1011 Tristar lifts off the Meadows Field Runway at Bakersfield, California, on its first flight May 21, 1997, in NASA's Adaptive Performance Optimization project. Developed by engineers at NASA's Dryden Flight Research Center, Edwards, California, the experiment seeks to reduce fuel consumption of large jetliners by improving the aerodynamic efficency of their wings at cruise conditions. A research computer employing a sophisticated software program adapts to changing flight conditions by commanding small movements of the L-1011's outboard ailerons to give the wings the most efficient - or optimal - airfoil. Up to a dozen research flights will be flown in the current and follow-on phases of the project over the next couple years.

Local facet approximation for image stitching

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Li, Jing; Lai, Shiming; Liu, Yu; Wang, Zhengming; Zhang, Maojun

2018-01-01

Image stitching aims at eliminating multiview parallax and generating a seamless panorama given a set of input images. This paper proposes a local adaptive stitching method, which could achieve both accurate and robust image alignments across the whole panorama. A transformation estimation model is introduced by approximating the scene as a combination of neighboring facets. Then, the local adaptive stitching field is constructed using a series of linear systems of the facet parameters, which enables the parallax handling in three-dimensional space. We also provide a concise but effective global projectivity preserving technique that smoothly varies the transformations from local adaptive to global planar. The proposed model is capable of stitching both normal images and fisheye images. The efficiency of our method is quantitatively demonstrated in the comparative experiments on several challenging cases.

Spacelab

NASA Image and Video Library

1992-01-22

This is the Space Shuttle Orbiter Discovery, STS-42 mission, with the First International Microgravity Laboratory (IML-1) module shown in the cargo bay. IML-1, the first in a series of Shuttle flights, was dedicated to study the fundamental materials and life sciences in the microgravity environment inside Spacelab, a laboratory carried aloft by the Shuttle. The mission explored how life forms adapt to weightlessness and investigated how materials behave when processed in space. The IML program gave a team of scientists from around the world access to a unique environment, one that is free from most of Earth's gravity. The 14-nation European Space Agency (ESA), the Canadian Space Agency (SCA), the French National Center for Space Studies (CNES), the German Space Agency and the German Aerospace Research Establishment (DARA/DLR), and the National Space Development Agency of Japan (NASDA) participated in developing hardware and experiments for the IML missions. The missions were managed by NASA's Marshall Space Flight Center. The Orbiter Discovery was launched on January 22, 1992 for the IML-1 mission.

Spacelab

NASA Image and Video Library

1994-07-08

Astronaut Carl E. Walz, mission specialist, flies through the second International Microgravity Laboratory (IML-2) science module, STS-65 mission. IML was dedicated to study fundamental materials and life sciences in a microgravity environment inside Spacelab, a laboratory carried aloft by the Shuttle. The mission explored how life forms adapt to weightlessness and investigated how materials behave when processed in space. The IML program gave a team of scientists from around the world access to a unique environment, one that is free from most of Earth's gravity. Managed by the NASA Marshall Space Flight Center, the 14-nation European Space Agency (ESA), the Canadian Space Agency (SCA), the French National Center for Space Studies (CNES), the German Space Agency and the German Aerospace Research Establishment (DARA/DLR), and the National Space Development Agency of Japan (NASDA) participated in developing hardware and experiments for the IML missions. The missions were managed by NASA's Marshall Space Flight Center. The Orbiter Columbia was launched on July 8, 1994 for the IML-2 mission.

Orion EM-1 Crew Module Adapter Move to Clean Room

NASA Image and Video Library

2016-11-29

Inside the Neil Armstrong Operations and Checkout Building high bay at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida, the Orion crew module adapter (CMA) for Exploration Mission 1 (EM-1) is in a clean room with protective walls secured around it. The adapter will undergo propellant and environmental control and life support system tube installation and welding. The adapter will connect the Orion crew module to the European Space Agency-provided service module. The Orion spacecraft will launch atop NASA’s Space Launch System rocket on EM-1, its first deep space mission, in late 2018.

Gravity Sensor Plasticity in the Space Environment

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Ross, Muriel D.

1996-01-01

The ability of the brain to learn from experience and to adapt to new environments is recognized to be profound. This ability, called 'neural plasticity,' depends directly on properties of neurons (nerve cells) that permit them to change in dimension, sprout new parts called spines, change the shape and/or size of existing parts, and to generate, alter, or delete synapses. (Synapses are communication sites between neurons.) These neuronal properties are most evident during development, when evolution guides the laying down of a general plan of the nervous system. However, once a nervous system is established, experience interacts with cellular and genetic mechanisms and the internal milieu to produce unique neuronal substrates that define each individual. The capacity for experience-related neuronal growth in the brain, as measured by the potential for synaptogenesis, is speculated to be in the trillions of synapses, but the range of increment possible for any one part of the nervous system is unknown. The question has been whether more primitive endorgans such as gravity sensors of the inner ear have a capacity for adaptive change, since this is a form of learning from experience.

Dynamic expansion of alert responses to incoming painful stimuli following tool use.

PubMed

Rossetti, Angela; Romano, Daniele; Bolognini, Nadia; Maravita, Angelo

2015-04-01

Peripersonal space is the region closely surrounding our bodies. Within its boundaries, avoidance of threatening objects is crucial for surviving. Here we explored autonomic responses to painful stimuli with respect to the dynamic properties of the peripersonal space in healthy individuals. To this aim, in a series of experiments, we measured the Skin Conductance Response (SCR) to a noxious stimulus approaching and touching the hand, or stopping at different distances (far, near) from it. Results showed that the anticipatory response to an incoming threat is reduced if the stimulus targets a spatial position far away from the body, as compared to a near or bodily location. However, responses to far stimuli change if the boundaries of reachable space are extended further away by active tool use. Noteworthy, SCR is not influenced by a training consisting of a spatial attention task, without active tool use. This evidence sheds novel light on the adaptive role of peripersonal space, showing its importance for the coding of incoming threatening stimuli and its plasticity induced by contingent experience, such as tool use. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

STS-41 crewmembers conduct DSO 0474 Retinal Photography on OV-103's middeck

NASA Image and Video Library

1990-10-10

STS041-02-015 (6-10 Oct. 1990) --- A 35mm scene showing astronauts Robert D. Cabana (right), STS-41 pilot, and Bruce E. Melnick, mission specialist, participating in a detailed supplemental objective for STS-41 involving retinal photography. The hypothesis of this experiment is that retinal photographs taken on orbit will show evidence of increased intracranial pressure (ICP) and the evidence of increased ICP and the development of Space Adaptation Syndrome (SAS) will be correlated. SAS has been a subject of on-orbit analysis since the early days of space shuttle.

Another Powerful Spacewalk on This Week @NASA – January 13, 2017

NASA Image and Video Library

2017-01-13

Outside the International Space Station, Expedition 50 Commander Shane Kimbrough of NASA and Flight Engineer Thomas Pesquet of the European Space Agency conducted a spacewalk on Jan. 13, to complete an upgrade that included installing adapter plates and hooking up electrical connections for six new lithium-ion batteries, which were delivered to the station in December. Kimbrough and fellow NASA astronaut Peggy Whitson began the upgrade work during a spacewalk on Jan. 6. Also, NASA at SciTech 2017, Testing How the SLS Deals with Shock, New Earth Science Field Experiments, and NASA Sees Storms Affecting the Western U.S.

Low gravity environment on-board Columbia during STS-40

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Rogers, M. J. B.; Baugher, C. R.; Blanchard, R. C.; Delombard, R.; During, W. W.; Matthiesen, D. H.; Neupert, W.; Roussel, P.

1993-01-01

The first NASA Spacelab Life Sciences mission (SLS-I) flew 5 June to 14 June 1991 on the orbiter Columbia (STS-40). The purpose of the mission was to investigate the human body's adaptation to the low gravity conditions of space flight and the body's readjustment after the mission to the 1 g environment of earth. In addition to the life sciences experiments manifested for the Spacelab module, a variety of experiments in other scientific disciplines flew in the Spacelab and in Get Away Special (GAS) Canisters on the GAS Bridge Assembly. Several principal investigators designed and flew specialized accelerometer systems to characterize the low gravity environment. This was done to better assess the results of theft experiments. This was also the first flight of the NASA Microgravity Science and Applications Division (MSAD) sponsored Space Acceleration Measurement System (SAMS) and the first flight of the NASA Orbiter Experiments Office (OEX) sponsored Orbital Acceleration Research Experiment accelerometer (OARE). We present a brief introduction to seven STS-40 accelerometer systems and discuss and compare the resulting data.

Physiologic adaptation to space - Space adaptation syndrome

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Vanderploeg, J. M.

1985-01-01

The adaptive changes of the neurovestibular system to microgravity, which result in space motion sickness (SMS), are studied. A list of symptoms, which range from vomiting to drowsiness, is provided. The two patterns of symptom development, rapid and gradual, and the duration of the symptoms are described. The concept of sensory conflict and rearrangements to explain SMS is being investigated.

Defining adaptation measures collaboratively: A participatory approach in the Doñana socio-ecological system, Spain.

PubMed

De Stefano, Lucia; Hernández-Mora, Nuria; Iglesias, Ana; Sánchez, Berta

2017-06-15

The uncertainty associated with the definition of strategies for climate change adaptation poses a challenge that cannot be faced by science alone. We present a participatory experience where, instead of having science defining solutions and eliciting stakeholders' feedback, local actors actually drove the process. While principles and methods of the approach are easily adaptable to different local contexts, this paper shows the contribution of participatory dynamics to the design of adaptation measures in the biodiversity-rich socio-ecological region surrounding the Doñana wetlands (Southern Spain). During the process, stakeholders and scientists collaboratively designed a common scenario for the future in which to define and assess a portfolio of potential adaptation measures, and found a safe, informal space for open dialogue and information exchange. Through this dialogue, points of connection among local actors emerged around the need for more integrated, transparent design of adaptation measures; for strengthening local capacity; and for strategies to diversify economic activities in order to increase the resilience of the region. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

iss051e041841

NASA Image and Video Library

2017-05-12

iss051e041841 (05/12/2017) -- NASA astronaut Peggy Whitson is seen during the 200th spacewalk in support of the International Space Station. Expedition 51 Commander Peggy Whitson and Flight Engineer Jack Fischer of NASA successfully replaced a large avionics box that supplies electricity and data connections to the science experiments. The astronauts also completed additional tasks to install a connector that will route data to the Alpha Magnetic Spectrometer, repair insulation at the connecting point of the Japanese robotic arm, and install a protective shield on the Pressurized Mating Adapter-3. This adapter will host a new international docking port for the arrival of commercial crew spacecraft.

iss051e041847

NASA Image and Video Library

2017-05-12

iss051e041847 (05/12/2017) -- NASA astronaut Peggy Whitson is seen during the 200th spacewalk in support of the International Space Station. Expedition 51 Commander Peggy Whitson and Flight Engineer Jack Fischer of NASA successfully replaced a large avionics box that supplies electricity and data connections to the science experiments. The astronauts also completed additional tasks to install a connector that will route data to the Alpha Magnetic Spectrometer, repair insulation at the connecting point of the Japanese robotic arm, and install a protective shield on the Pressurized Mating Adapter-3. This adapter will host a new international docking port for the arrival of commercial crew spacecraft.

iss051e041836

NASA Image and Video Library

2017-05-12

iss051e041836 (05/12/2017) -- NASA astronaut Peggy Whitson is seen prior to the 200th spacewalk in support of the International Space Station. Expedition 51 Commander Peggy Whitson and Flight Engineer Jack Fischer of NASA successfully replaced a large avionics box that supplies electricity and data connections to the science experiments. The astronauts also completed additional tasks to install a connector that will route data to the Alpha Magnetic Spectrometer, repair insulation at the connecting point of the Japanese robotic arm, and install a protective shield on the Pressurized Mating Adapter-3. This adapter will host a new international docking port for the arrival of commercial crew spacecraft.

iss051e041849

NASA Image and Video Library

2017-05-12

iss051e041849 (05/12/2017) -- NASA astronaut Peggy Whitson is seen during the 200th spacewalk in support of the International Space Station. Expedition 51 Commander Peggy Whitson and Flight Engineer Jack Fischer of NASA successfully replaced a large avionics box that supplies electricity and data connections to the science experiments. The astronauts also completed additional tasks to install a connector that will route data to the Alpha Magnetic Spectrometer, repair insulation at the connecting point of the Japanese robotic arm, and install a protective shield on the Pressurized Mating Adapter-3. This adapter will host a new international docking port for the arrival of commercial crew spacecraft.

iss051e041844

NASA Image and Video Library

2017-05-12

iss051e041844 (05/12/2017) -- NASA astronaut Jack Fischer is seen during the 200th spacewalk in support of the International Space Station. Expedition 51 Commander Peggy Whitson and Flight Engineer Jack Fischer of NASA successfully replaced a large avionics box that supplies electricity and data connections to the science experiments. The astronauts also completed additional tasks to install a connector that will route data to the Alpha Magnetic Spectrometer, repair insulation at the connecting point of the Japanese robotic arm, and install a protective shield on the Pressurized Mating Adapter-3. This adapter will host a new international docking port for the arrival of commercial crew spacecraft.

iss051e041860

NASA Image and Video Library

2017-05-12

iss051e041860 (05/12/2017) -- NASA astronaut Peggy Whitson is seen during the 200th spacewalk in support of the International Space Station. Expedition 51 Commander Peggy Whitson and Flight Engineer Jack Fischer of NASA successfully replaced a large avionics box that supplies electricity and data connections to the science experiments. The astronauts also completed additional tasks to install a connector that will route data to the Alpha Magnetic Spectrometer, repair insulation at the connecting point of the Japanese robotic arm, and install a protective shield on the Pressurized Mating Adapter-3. This adapter will host a new international docking port for the arrival of commercial crew spacecraft.

High speed, precision motion strategies for lightweight structures

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Book, Wayne J.

1989-01-01

Research on space telerobotics is summarized. Adaptive control experiments on the Robotic Arm, Large and Flexible (RALF) were preformed and are documented, along with a joint controller design for the Small Articulated Manipulator (SAM), which is mounted on the RALF. A control algorithm is described as a robust decentralized adaptive control based on a bounded uncertainty approach. Dynamic interactions between SAM and RALF are examined. Unstability of the manipulator is studied from the perspective that the inertial forces generated could actually be used to more rapidly damp out the flexible manipulator's vibration. Currently being studied is the modeling of the constrained dynamics of flexible arms.

Postnatal development under conditions of simulated weightlessness and space flight

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Walton, K.

1998-01-01

The adaptability of the developing nervous system to environmental influences and the mechanisms underlying this plasticity has recently become a subject of interest in space neuroscience. Ground studies on neonatal rats using the tail suspension model of weightlessness have shown that the force of gravity clearly influences the events underlying the postnatal development of motor function. These effects depend on the age of the animal, duration of the perturbation and the motor function studied. A nine-day flight study has shown that a dam and neonates can develop under conditions of space flight. The motor function of the flight animals after landing was consistent with that seen in the tail suspension studies, being marked by limb joint extension. However, there were expected differences due to: (1) the unloading of the vestibular system in flight, which did not occur in the ground-based experiments; (2) differences between flight and suspension durations; and (3) the inability to evaluate motor function during the flight. The next step is to conduct experiments in space with the flexibility and rigor that is now limited to ground studies: an opportunity offered by the International Space Station. Copyright 1998 Published by Elsevier Science B.V.

KSC-98pc1186

NASA Image and Video Library

1998-09-30

The open doors of the payload bay on Space Shuttle Discovery await the transfer of four of the payloads on mission STS-95: the SPACEHAB single module, Spartan, the Hubble Space Telescope Orbiting Systems Test Platform (HOST), and the International Extreme Ultraviolet Hitchhiker (IEH-3). At the top of bay are the airlock (used for depressurization and repressurization during extravehicular activity and transfer to Mir) and the tunnel adapter (enables the flight crew members to transfer from the pressurized middeck crew compartment to Spacelab's pressurized shirt-sleeve environment). SPACEHAB involves experiments on space flight and the aging process. Spartan is a solar physics spacecraft designed to perform remote sensing of the hot outer layers of the sun's atmosphere or corona. HOST carries four experiments to validate components planned for installation during the third Hubble Space Telescope servicing mission and to evaluate new technologies in an Earth-orbiting environment. IEH-3 comprises several experiments that will study the Jovian planetary system, hot stars, planetary and reflection nebulae, other stellar objects and their environments through remote observation of EUV/FUV emissions; study spacecraft interactions, Shuttle glow, thruster firings, and contamination; and measure the solar constant and identify variations in the value during a solar cycle. Discovery is scheduled to launch on Oct. 29, 1998

Experimenting with an Evolving Ground/Space-based Software Architecture to Enable Sensor Webs

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

mandl, Daniel; Frye, Stuart

2005-01-01

A series of ongoing experiments are being conducted at the NASA Goddard Space Flight Center to explore integrated ground and space-based software architectures enabling sensor webs. A sensor web, as defined by Steve Talabac at NASA Goddard Space Flight Center(GSFC), is a coherent set of distributed nodes interconnected by a communications fabric, that collectively behave as a single, dynamically adaptive, observing system. The nodes can be comprised of satellites, ground instruments, computing nodes etc. Sensor web capability requires autonomous management of constellation resources. This becomes progressively more important as more and more satellites share resource, such as communication channels and ground station,s while automatically coordinating their activities. There have been five ongoing activities which include an effort to standardize a set of middleware. This paper will describe one set of activities using the Earth Observing 1 satellite, which used a variety of ground and flight software along with other satellites and ground sensors to prototype a sensor web. This activity allowed us to explore where the difficulties that occur in the assembly of sensor webs given today s technology. We will present an overview of the software system architecture, some key experiments and lessons learned to facilitate better sensor webs in the future.

Gravity as a Strong Prior: Implications for Perception and Action

PubMed Central

Jörges, Björn; López-Moliner, Joan

2017-01-01

In the future, humans are likely to be exposed to environments with altered gravity conditions, be it only visually (Virtual and Augmented Reality), or visually and bodily (space travel). As visually and bodily perceived gravity as well as an interiorized representation of earth gravity are involved in a series of tasks, such as catching, grasping, body orientation estimation and spatial inferences, humans will need to adapt to these new gravity conditions. Performance under earth gravity discrepant conditions has been shown to be relatively poor, and few studies conducted in gravity adaptation are rather discouraging. Especially in VR on earth, conflicts between bodily and visual gravity cues seem to make a full adaptation to visually perceived earth-discrepant gravities nearly impossible, and even in space, when visual and bodily cues are congruent, adaptation is extremely slow. We invoke a Bayesian framework for gravity related perceptual processes, in which earth gravity holds the status of a so called “strong prior”. As other strong priors, the gravity prior has developed through years and years of experience in an earth gravity environment. For this reason, the reliability of this representation is extremely high and overrules any sensory information to its contrary. While also other factors such as the multisensory nature of gravity perception need to be taken into account, we present the strong prior account as a unifying explanation for empirical results in gravity perception and adaptation to earth-discrepant gravities. PMID:28503140

SpaceDock: A Performance Task Platform for Spaceflight Operations

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Marshburn, Thomas H.; Strangman, Gary E.; Strauss, Monica S.; Sutton, Jeffrey P.

2003-01-01

Preliminary evidence during both short- and long-duration spaceflight indicates that perceptual-motor coordination changes occur and persist in-flight. However, there is presently no in-flight method for evaluating astronaut performance on mission-critical tasks such as docking. We present a portable platform we have developed for attempting and evaluating docking, and describe the results of a pilot study wherein flight novices learned the docking task. Methods: A dual-joystick, six degrees of freedom platform-called SpaceDock-was developed to enable portable, adaptable performance testing in a spaceflight operations setting. Upon this platform, a simplified docking task was created, involving a constant rate of approach towards a docking target and requiring the user to correct translation in two dimensions and attitude orientation along one dimension (either pitch or roll). Ten flight naive subjects performed the task over a 45 min period and all joystick inputs and timings were collected, from which we could successfully reconstruct travel paths, input profiles and relative target displacements. Results: Subjects exhibited significant improvements in docking over the course of the experiment. Learning to compensate for roll-alterations was robust, whereas compensation for pitch-alterations was not in evidence in this population and relatively short training period. Conclusion: The SpaceDock platform can provide a novel method for training and testing subjects, on a spaceflight-relevant task, and can be used to examine behavioral learning, strategy use, and has been adapted for use in brain imaging experiments.

Space Shuttle Discovery Docked to the Pressurized Mating Adapter

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

2007-01-01

Space Shuttle Discovery, docked to the Pressurized Mating Adapter (PMA-2) on the International Space Station (ISS), is featured in this image photographed by a space walker during the second session of extravehicular activity (EVA) for the STS-120 mission on October 28, 2007.

Advanced Stochastic Collocation Methods for Polynomial Chaos in RAVEN

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Talbot, Paul W.

As experiment complexity in fields such as nuclear engineering continually increases, so does the demand for robust computational methods to simulate them. In many simulations, input design parameters and intrinsic experiment properties are sources of uncertainty. Often small perturbations in uncertain parameters have significant impact on the experiment outcome. For instance, in nuclear fuel performance, small changes in fuel thermal conductivity can greatly affect maximum stress on the surrounding cladding. The difficulty quantifying input uncertainty impact in such systems has grown with the complexity of numerical models. Traditionally, uncertainty quantification has been approached using random sampling methods like Monte Carlo. For some models, the input parametric space and corresponding response output space is sufficiently explored with few low-cost calculations. For other models, it is computationally costly to obtain good understanding of the output space. To combat the expense of random sampling, this research explores the possibilities of using advanced methods in Stochastic Collocation for generalized Polynomial Chaos (SCgPC) as an alternative to traditional uncertainty quantification techniques such as Monte Carlo (MC) and Latin Hypercube Sampling (LHS) methods for applications in nuclear engineering. We consider traditional SCgPC construction strategies as well as truncated polynomial spaces using Total Degree and Hyperbolic Cross constructions. We also consider applying anisotropy (unequal treatment of different dimensions) to the polynomial space, and offer methods whereby optimal levels of anisotropy can be approximated. We contribute development to existing adaptive polynomial construction strategies. Finally, we consider High-Dimensional Model Reduction (HDMR) expansions, using SCgPC representations for the subspace terms, and contribute new adaptive methods to construct them. We apply these methods on a series of models of increasing complexity. We use analytic models of various levels of complexity, then demonstrate performance on two engineering-scale problems: a single-physics nuclear reactor neutronics problem, and a multiphysics fuel cell problem coupling fuels performance and neutronics. Lastly, we demonstrate sensitivity analysis for a time-dependent fuels performance problem. We demonstrate the application of all the algorithms in RAVEN, a production-level uncertainty quantification framework.

Sensory motor remapping of space in human–machine interfaces

PubMed Central

Mussa-Ivaldi, Ferdinando A.; Casadio, Maura; Danziger, Zachary C.; Mosier, Kristine M.; Scheidt, Robert A.

2012-01-01

Studies of adaptation to patterns of deterministic forces have revealed the ability of the motor control system to form and use predictive representations of the environment. These studies have also pointed out that adaptation to novel dynamics is aimed at preserving the trajectories of a controlled endpoint, either the hand of a subject or a transported object. We review some of these experiments and present more recent studies aimed at understanding how the motor system forms representations of the physical space in which actions take place. An extensive line of investigations in visual information processing has dealt with the issue of how the Euclidean properties of space are recovered from visual signals that do not appear to possess these properties. The same question is addressed here in the context of motor behavior and motor learning by observing how people remap hand gestures and body motions that control the state of an external device. We present some theoretical considerations and experimental evidence about the ability of the nervous system to create novel patterns of coordination that are consistent with the representation of extrapersonal space. We also discuss the perspective of endowing human–machine interfaces with learning algorithms that, combined with human learning, may facilitate the control of powered wheelchairs and other assistive devices. PMID:21741543

Weight, muscle and bone loss during space flight: another perspective.

PubMed

Stein, T P

2013-09-01

Space flight is a new experience for humans. Humans adapt if not perfectly, rather well to life without gravity. There is a reductive remodeling of the musculo-skeletal system. Protein is lost from muscles and calcium from bones with anti-gravity functions. The observed biochemical and physiological changes reflect this accommodative process. The two major direct effects of the muscle loss are weakness post-flight and the increased incidence of low back ache pre- and post-flight. The muscle protein losses are compromised by the inability to maintain energy balance inflight. Voluntary dietary intake is reduced during space flight by ~20 %. These adaptations to weightlessness leave astronauts ill-equipped for life with gravity. Exercise, the obvious counter-measure has been repeatedly tried and since the muscle and bone losses persist it is not unreasonable to assume that success has been limited at best. Nevertheless, more than 500 people have now flown in space for up to 1 year and have done remarkably well. This review addresses the question of whether enough is now known about these three problems (negative energy balance, muscle loss and bone loss) for to the risks to be considered either acceptable or correctible enough to meet the requirements for a Mars mission.

Link Adaptation for Mitigating Earth-To-Space Propagation Effects on the NASA SCaN Testbed

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Kilcoyne, Deirdre K.; Headley, William C.; Leffke, Zach J.; Rowe, Sonya A.; Mortensen, Dale J.; Reinhart, Richard C.; McGwier, Robert W.

2016-01-01

In Earth-to-Space communications, well-known propagation effects such as path loss and atmospheric loss can lead to fluctuations in the strength of the communications link between a satellite and its ground station. Additionally, the typically unconsidered effect of shadowing due to the geometry of the satellite and its solar panels can also lead to link degradation. As a result of these anticipated channel impairments, NASA's communication links have been traditionally designed to handle the worst-case impact of these effects through high link margins and static, lower rate, modulation formats. The work presented in this paper aims to relax these constraints by providing an improved trade-off between data rate and link margin through utilizing link adaptation. More specifically, this work provides a simulation study on the propagation effects impacting NASA's SCaN Testbed flight software-defined radio (SDR) as well as proposes a link adaptation algorithm that varies the modulation format of a communications link as its signal-to-noise ratio fluctuates. Ultimately, the models developed in this work will be utilized to conduct real-time flight experiments on-board the NASA SCaN Testbed.

Space hands-on universe telescope and orbiting wide-angle light-collector telescope to be built on the Japanese experiment module exposure facility of the international space station

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Takahashi, Y.; Ebisuzaki, T.; Pennypacker, C.

1999-01-01

A concept study to build great observatories on, and deploy from, the ISS is presented. Use of the ISS infra-structure including robotic arms and astronauts{close_quote} EVA would permit a construction of very large optical telescopes. We envisage that the second phase of the ISS after its initial construction can landmark a new era for both ISS and Space Sciences. Ultimately, this study would plan a 10-or 20-meter class space telescope. For its first step, we envisioned an immediate extension of the Exposed Facility of ISS for building a {open_quotes}Work-bench{close_quotes} for this purpose. Initial activities can begin with two modest-sized telescopesmore » soon after the ISS construction. These early missions being studied are space Hands-On Universe Telescope (SHOUT) and Orbiting Wide-angle Light-collector (OWL). SHOUT is a 1-m telescope for science education. It will be built and adjusted on the exposure module of the Japanese Experiment Module (JEM) of the International Space Station by using a robotic arm and the EVA of astronauts. We also seek the possibility to release it from ISS after its perfection on orbit, so that it is free from the vibrations and gas contaminations on and around the ISS. SHOUT is an engineering prototype of 10-m Space Telescope (Space SUBARU Telescope). It would be scaled from the Space-SUBARU telescope so that the testing with the SHOUT would warrant the required specifications for the 10-meter Space-SUBARU construction on the ISS. The goal of the test with the SHOUT is to warrant a spatial resolution of 0.01 arc-seconds using the active/adaptive optics. It will test the following three major engineering challenges: (1) active/adaptive optics in space; (2) building of large structures by astronauts; and (3) release of a spacecraft from ISS to a free-flying orbit. The present feasibility study for the next generation great observatories that are to be built on the JEM Exposure Facility (EF) has been already funded by the Japan Space Forum, under the auspices of the National Space Development Agency (NASDA) of Japan. Included in this study are SHOUT, Space SUBARU telescope as well as OWL, Large Area gamma-ray Telescope (LAGT), and Space Submilimeter and Infrared Telescope (S-SIT). {copyright} {ital 1999 American Institute of Physics.}« less

Spatial perception changes associated with space flight: implications for adaptation to altered inertial environments.

PubMed

Parker, Donald E

2003-01-01

Preparation for extended travel by astronauts within the Solar System, including a possible manned mission to Mars, requires more complete understanding of adaptation to altered inertial environments. Improved understanding is needed to support development and evaluation of interventions to facilitate adaptations during transitions between those environments. Travel to another planet escalates the adaptive challenge because astronauts will experience prolonged exposure to microgravity before encountering a novel gravitational environment. This challenge would have to be met without ground support at the landing site. Evaluation of current adaptive status as well as intervention efficacy can be performed using perceptual, eye movement and postural measures. Due to discrepancies of adaptation magnitude and time-course among these measures, complete understanding of adaptation processes, as well as intervention evaluation, requires examination of all three. Previous research and theory that provide models for comprehending adaptation to altered inertial environments are briefly examined. Reports from astronauts of selected pre- in- and postflight self-motion illusions are described. The currently controversial tilt-translation reinterpretation hypothesis is reviewed and possible resolutions to the controversy are proposed. Finally, based on apparent gaps in our current knowledge, further research is proposed to achieve a more complete understanding of adaptation as well as to develop effective counter-measures.

Are face representations depth cue invariant?

PubMed

Dehmoobadsharifabadi, Armita; Farivar, Reza

2016-06-01

The visual system can process three-dimensional depth cues defining surfaces of objects, but it is unclear whether such information contributes to complex object recognition, including face recognition. The processing of different depth cues involves both dorsal and ventral visual pathways. We investigated whether facial surfaces defined by individual depth cues resulted in meaningful face representations-representations that maintain the relationship between the population of faces as defined in a multidimensional face space. We measured face identity aftereffects for facial surfaces defined by individual depth cues (Experiments 1 and 2) and tested whether the aftereffect transfers across depth cues (Experiments 3 and 4). Facial surfaces and their morphs to the average face were defined purely by one of shading, texture, motion, or binocular disparity. We obtained identification thresholds for matched (matched identity between adapting and test stimuli), non-matched (non-matched identity between adapting and test stimuli), and no-adaptation (showing only the test stimuli) conditions for each cue and across different depth cues. We found robust face identity aftereffect in both experiments. Our results suggest that depth cues do contribute to forming meaningful face representations that are depth cue invariant. Depth cue invariance would require integration of information across different areas and different pathways for object recognition, and this in turn has important implications for cortical models of visual object recognition.

Evolutionary and plastic responses of freshwater invertebrates to climate change: realized patterns and future potential

PubMed Central

Stoks, Robby; Geerts, Aurora N; De Meester, Luc

2014-01-01

We integrated the evidence for evolutionary and plastic trait changes in situ in response to climate change in freshwater invertebrates (aquatic insects and zooplankton). The synthesis on the trait changes in response to the expected reductions in hydroperiod and increases in salinity indicated little evidence for adaptive, plastic, and genetic trait changes and for local adaptation. With respect to responses to temperature, there are many studies on temporal trait changes in phenology and body size in the wild that are believed to be driven by temperature increases, but there is a general lack of rigorous demonstration whether these trait changes are genetically based, adaptive, and causally driven by climate change. Current proof for genetic trait changes under climate change in freshwater invertebrates stems from a limited set of common garden experiments replicated in time. Experimental thermal evolution experiments and common garden warming experiments associated with space-for-time substitutions along latitudinal gradients indicate that besides genetic changes, also phenotypic plasticity and evolution of plasticity are likely to contribute to the observed phenotypic changes under climate change in aquatic invertebrates. Apart from plastic and genetic thermal adjustments, also genetic photoperiod adjustments are widespread and may even dominate the observed phenological shifts. PMID:24454547

Results of the Compensated Earth-Moon-Earth Retroreflector Laser Link (CEMERLL) Experiment

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Wilson, K. E.; Leatherman, P. R.; Cleis, R.; Spinhirne, J.; Fugate, R. Q.

1997-01-01

Adaptive optics techniques can be used to realize a robust low bit-error-rate link by mitigating the atmosphere-induced signal fades in optical communications links between ground-based transmitters and deep-space probes. Phase I of the Compensated Earth-Moon-Earth Retroreflector Laser Link (CEMERLL) experiment demonstrated the first propagation of an atmosphere-compensated laser beam to the lunar retroreflectors. A 1.06-micron Nd:YAG laser beam was propagated through the full aperture of the 1.5-m telescope at the Starfire Optical Range (SOR), Kirtland Air Force Base, New Mexico, to the Apollo 15 retroreflector array at Hadley Rille. Laser guide-star adaptive optics were used to compensate turbulence-induced aberrations across the transmitter's 1.5-m aperture. A 3.5-m telescope, also located at the SOR, was used as a receiver for detecting the return signals. JPL-supplied Chebyshev polynomials of the retroreflector locations were used to develop tracking algorithms for the telescopes. At times we observed in excess of 100 photons returned from a single pulse when the outgoing beam from the 1.5-m telescope was corrected by the adaptive optics system. No returns were detected when the outgoing beam was uncompensated. The experiment was conducted from March through September 1994, during the first or last quarter of the Moon.

Facing page test for the astronaut science advisor presentation

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Compton, Michael M.

1991-01-01

The goal of the Astronaut Science Advisor (ASA) project is to improve the scientific return of experiments performed in space by providing astronaut experimenters with an 'intelligent assistant' that encapsulates much of the domain- and experiment-related knowledge commanded by the Principal Investigator (PI) on the ground. By using expert systems technology and the availability of flight-qualified personal computers, it is possible to encode the requisite knowledge and make it available to astronauts as they perform experiments in space. The system performs four major functions: diagnosis and troubleshooting of experiment apparatus, data collection, protocol management, and detection of interesting data. The experiment used for development of the system measures human adaptation to weightlessness in the context of the neurovestibular system. This so-called 'Rotating Dome' experiment was flown on the recent Spacelab Life Sciences One (SLS-1) Mission. This mission was used as an opportunity to test some of the system's functionality. Experiment data was downlinked from the orbiter, and the system then captured the data and analyzed it in real time. The system kept track of the time being used by the experiment, recognized occurrences of interesting data, summarized data statistically and generated potential new protocols that could be used to optimize the course of the experiment.

Orion Stage Adapter move to Redstone Airfield

NASA Image and Video Library

2018-04-03

NASA's Super Guppy aircraft arrives to the U.S. Army’s Redstone Airfield in Huntsville, Alabama, April 2, to pick up flight hardware for NASA’s Space Launch System – its new, deep-space rocket that will enable astronauts to begin their journey to explore destinations far into the solar system. The Guppy will depart on Tuesday, April 3 to deliver the Orion stage adapter to NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida for flight preparations. On Exploration Mission-1, the first integrated flight of the SLS and the Orion spacecraft, the adapter will connect Orion to the rocket and carry 13 CubeSats as secondary payloads. Rumaasha Maasha stands in front of the Orion stage adapter in the cargo hold of NASA's Super Guppy aircraft. The Orion stage adapter, the top of the rocket that connects the Space Lauch System to Orion, will carry 13 CubeSats as secondary payloads on Exploration Mission-1, the first integrated flight of SLS and the Orion spacecraft. Guppy transported the adapter to Kennedy Space Center April 3.

KSC-01pp1426

NASA Image and Video Library

2001-08-06

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, Fla. -- In the Space Station Processing Facility under the gaze of a worker (far right), the Expedition Three crew look over an Electronic Control Unit. From left are Commander Frank Culbertson and cosmonauts Mikhail Tyurin and Vladimir Dezhurov. The STS-105 mission payload includes the Early Ammonia Servicer (EAS), Multi-Purpose Logistics Module Leonardo and various experiments attached on the port and starboard adapter beams. The EAS contains spare ammonia for the Station’s cooling system. Ammonia is the fluid used in the radiators that cool the Station’s electronics. The EAS will be installed on the P6 truss holding the giant U.S. solar arrays, batteries and cooling radiators. Leonardo is filled with laboratory racks of science equipment and racks and platforms of experiments and supplies. Discovery is scheduled to be launched Aug. 9, 2001

KSC-01pp1427

NASA Image and Video Library

2001-08-06

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, Fla. -- In the Space Station Processing Facility, the Expedition Three crew (right) listen to a worker discuss solar panels seen here on a workstand. The crew members are (left to right) Commander Frank Culbertson and cosmonauts Mikhail Tyurin and Vladimir Dezhurov. The STS-105 payload includes the Early Ammonia Servicer (EAS), Multi-Purpose Logistics Module Leonardo and various experiments attached on the port and starboard adapter beams. The EAS contains spare ammonia for the Station’s cooling system. Ammonia is the fluid used in the radiators that cool the Station’s electronics. The EAS will be installed on the P6 truss holding the giant U.S. solar arrays, batteries and cooling radiators. Leonardo is filled with laboratory racks of science equipment and racks and platforms of experiments and supplies. Discovery is scheduled to be launched Aug. 9, 2001

Improving Search Algorithms by Using Intelligent Coordinates

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Wolpert, David H.; Tumer, Kagan; Bandari, Esfandiar

2004-01-01

We consider algorithms that maximize a global function G in a distributed manner, using a different adaptive computational agent to set each variable of the underlying space. Each agent eta is self-interested; it sets its variable to maximize its own function g (sub eta). Three factors govern such a distributed algorithm's performance, related to exploration/exploitation, game theory, and machine learning. We demonstrate how to exploit alI three factors by modifying a search algorithm's exploration stage: rather than random exploration, each coordinate of the search space is now controlled by a separate machine-learning-based player engaged in a noncooperative game. Experiments demonstrate that this modification improves simulated annealing (SA) by up to an order of magnitude for bin packing and for a model of an economic process run over an underlying network. These experiments also reveal interesting small-world phenomena.

Improving search algorithms by using intelligent coordinates

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wolpert, David; Tumer, Kagan; Bandari, Esfandiar

2004-01-01

We consider algorithms that maximize a global function G in a distributed manner, using a different adaptive computational agent to set each variable of the underlying space. Each agent η is self-interested; it sets its variable to maximize its own function gη. Three factors govern such a distributed algorithm’s performance, related to exploration/exploitation, game theory, and machine learning. We demonstrate how to exploit all three factors by modifying a search algorithm’s exploration stage: rather than random exploration, each coordinate of the search space is now controlled by a separate machine-learning-based “player” engaged in a noncooperative game. Experiments demonstrate that this modification improves simulated annealing (SA) by up to an order of magnitude for bin packing and for a model of an economic process run over an underlying network. These experiments also reveal interesting small-world phenomena.

Skylab

NASA Image and Video Library

1972-01-01

This photograph depicts the flight article of the Airlock Module (AM) Flight Article being mated to the Fixed Airlock Shroud and aligned in a clean room of the McDornell Douglas Plant in St. Louis, Missouri. The AM enabled crew members to conduct extravehicular activities outside Skylab as required for experiment support. Separated from the Workshop and the Multiple Docking Adapter by doors, the AM could be evacuated for egress or ingress of a space-suited astronaut through a side hatch. Oxygen and nitrogen storage tanks needed for Skylab's life support system were mounted on the external truss work of the AM. Major components in the AM included Skylab's electric power control and distribution station, environmental control system, communication system, and data handling and recording systems. The Marshall Space Flight Center was responsible for the design and development of the Skylab hardware and experiment management.

Multi-Gigabit Free-Space Optical Data Communication and Network System

DTIC Science & Technology

2016-04-01

IR), Ultraviolet ( UV ), Laser Transceiver, Adaptive Beam Tracking, Electronic Attack (EA), Cyber Attack, Multipoint-to-Multipoint Network, Adaptive...FileName.pptx Free Space Optical Datalink Timeline Phase 1 Point-to-point demonstration 2012 Future Adaptive optic & Quantum Cascade Laser

A multilevel correction adaptive finite element method for Kohn-Sham equation

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hu, Guanghui; Xie, Hehu; Xu, Fei

2018-02-01

In this paper, an adaptive finite element method is proposed for solving Kohn-Sham equation with the multilevel correction technique. In the method, the Kohn-Sham equation is solved on a fixed and appropriately coarse mesh with the finite element method in which the finite element space is kept improving by solving the derived boundary value problems on a series of adaptively and successively refined meshes. A main feature of the method is that solving large scale Kohn-Sham system is avoided effectively, and solving the derived boundary value problems can be handled efficiently by classical methods such as the multigrid method. Hence, the significant acceleration can be obtained on solving Kohn-Sham equation with the proposed multilevel correction technique. The performance of the method is examined by a variety of numerical experiments.

Dispensing Pollen via Catapult: Explosive Pollen Release in Mountain Laurel (Kalmia latifolia).

PubMed

Switzer, Callin M; Combes, Stacey A; Hopkins, Robin

2018-06-01

The astonishing amount of floral diversity has inspired countless assumptions about the function of diverse forms and their adaptive significance, yet many of these hypothesized functions are untested. We investigated an often-repeated adaptive hypothesis about how an extreme floral form functions. In this study, we conducted four investigations to understand the adaptive function of explosive pollination in Kalmia latifolia, the mountain laurel. We first performed a kinematic analysis of anther movement. Second, we constructed a heat map of pollen trajectories in three-dimensional space. Third, we conducted field observations of pollinators and their behaviors while visiting K. latifolia. Finally, we conducted a pollination experiment to investigate the importance of pollinators for fertilization success. Our results suggest that insect visitation dramatically improves fertilization success and that bees are the primary pollinators that trigger explosive pollen release.

Wavefront Reconstruction and Mirror Surface Optimizationfor Adaptive Optics

DTIC Science & Technology

2014-06-01

TERMS Wavefront reconstruction, Adaptive optics , Wavelets, Atmospheric turbulence , Branch points, Mirror surface optimization, Space telescope, Segmented...contribution adapts the proposed algorithm to work when branch points are present from significant atmospheric turbulence . An analysis of vector spaces...estimate the distortion of the collected light caused by the atmosphere and corrected by adaptive optics . A generalized orthogonal wavelet wavefront

NASDA next-generation aquatic habitat for space shuttle and ISS

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Masukawa, M.; Ochiai, T.; Kamigaichi, S.; Uchida, S.; Kono, Y.; Takamatsu, T.; Sakimura, T.

The National Space Development Agency of Japan (NASDA) has more than 20 years of experience developing aquatic animal experiment facilities. These include the Vestibular Function Experiment Unit (VFEU), Aquatic Animal Experiment Unit (AAEU) and another VFEU for marine fish. Each facility had functions such as life support for up to 15 days, water quality control system, gas exchange by artificial lung, video observation through a window by a crewmember, day/night cycle control, feeding system for medaka (AAEU only), and more. We are now studying the next -generation aquatic animal experiment facility or the Aquatic Habitat (AQH) for both Space Shuttle and Space Station use. AQH will have many new capabilities missing in earlier facilities. The following functions are of particular importance: long-term life support for up to 90 days, multigeneration breeding (for medaka and zebrafish), automatic feeding system adaptable for young of fish and amphibians, water quality control for long-term experiments, air-water interface, a computer-driven specimen-monitoring system housed in the facilities, and a specimen sampling system including eggs. A prototype breeding system and the specimen-monitoring system were designed and tested. The prototype breeding system consists of a closed water loop, two 700ml fish chambers with LED lighting, a small artificial lung, and a nitrification bacteria filter. Medaka adult fish were able to mate and spawn in this small breeding system, and the young could grow to adult fish. The water quality control system also worked successfully. For amphibians, the breeding test using tadpoles of xenopus is also starting. We have many difficult technological problems to resolve, but development of AQH is going well. In this paper, we will introduce the results of the component-level test and the concept of AQH. In the future, many space biological experiments will be conducted, especially in the areas of developmental biology, neurophisiology, and the effect of microgravity over multiple generations, through the use of aquatic animals and AQH.

Redox state, reactive oxygen species and adaptive growth in colonial hydroids.

PubMed

Blackstone, N W

2001-06-01

Colonial metazoans often encrust surfaces over which the food supply varies in time or space. In such an environment, adaptive colony development entails adjusting the timing and spacing of feeding structures and gastrovascular connections to correspond to this variable food supply. To investigate the possibility of such adaptive growth, within-colony differential feeding experiments were carried out using the hydroid Podocoryna carnea. Indeed, such colonies strongly exhibited adaptive growth, developing dense arrays of polyps (feeding structures) and gastrovascular connections in areas that were fed relative to areas that were starved, and this effect became more consistent over time. To investigate mechanisms of signaling between the food supply and colony development, measurements were taken of metabolic parameters that have been implicated in signal transduction in other systems, particularly redox state and levels of reactive oxygen species. Utilizing fluorescence microscopy of P. carnea cells in vivo, simultaneous measurements of redox state [using NAD(P)H] and hydrogen peroxide (using 2',7'-dichlorofluorescin diacetate) were taken. Both measures focused on polyp epitheliomuscular cells, since these exhibit the greatest metabolic activity. Colonies 3-5h after feeding were relatively oxidized, with low levels of peroxide, while colonies 24h after feeding were relatively reduced, with high levels of peroxide. The functional role of polyps in feeding and generating gastrovascular flow probably produced this dichotomy. Polyps 3-5h after feeding contract maximally, and this metabolic demand probably shifts the redox state in the direction of oxidation and diminishes levels of reactive oxygen species. In contrast, 24h after feeding, polyps are quiescent, and this lack of metabolic demand probably shifts the redox state in the direction of reduction and increases levels of reactive oxygen species. Within-colony differential feeding experiments were carried out on colonies 24h after the usual, colony-wide feeding. At this time, a single polyp was fed, and this polyp was compared with an otherwise similar polyp from the same colony. A pattern similar to the whole-colony experiments was obtained: the just-fed polyp, as it begins contracting shortly after feeding, appears to be relatively oxidized, with low levels of peroxide compared with the polyp that was not fed. These data are consistent with the hypothesis that adaptive colony development in response to a variable food supply is mediated by redox state or reactive oxygen species or both, although alternative hypotheses are also discussed.

Vestibular adaptation to space in monkeys.

PubMed

Dai, M; Raphan, T; Kozlovskaya, I; Cohen, B

1998-07-01

Otolith-induced eye movements of rhesus monkeys were studied before and after the 1989 COSMOS 2044 and the 1992 to 1993 COSMOS 2229 flights. Two animals flew in each mission for approximately 2 weeks. After flight, spatial orientation of the angular vestibulo-ocular reflex was altered. In one animal the time constant of postrotatory nystagmus, which had been shortened by head tilts with regard to gravity before flight, was unaffected by the same head tilts after flight. In another animal, eye velocity, which tended to align with a gravitational axis before flight, moved toward a body axis after flight. This shift of orientation disappeared by 7 days after landing. After flight, the magnitude of compensatory ocular counter-rolling was reduced by about 70% in both dynamic and static tilts. Modulation in vergence in response to naso-occipital linear acceleration during off-vertical axis rotation was reduced by more than 50%. These changes persisted for 11 days after recovery. An up and down asymmetry of vertical nystagmus was diminished for 7 days. Gains of the semicircular canal-induced horizontal and vertical angular vestibulo-ocular reflexes were unaffected in both flights, but the gain of the roll angular vestibulo-ocular reflex was decreased. These data indicate that there are short- and long-term changes in otolith-induced eye movements after adaptation to microgravity. These experiments also demonstrate the unique value of the monkey as a model for studying effects of vestibular adaptation in space. Eye movements can be measured in three dimensions in response to controlled vestibular and visual stimulation, and the results are directly applicable to human beings. Studies in monkeys to determine how otolith afferent input and central processing is altered by adaptation to microgravity should be an essential component of future space-related research.

Vestibular adaptation to space in monkeys

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Dai, M.; Raphan, T.; Kozlovskaya, I.; Cohen, B.

1998-01-01

Otolith-induced eye movements of rhesus monkeys were studied before and after the 1989 COSMOS 2044 and the 1992 to 1993 COSMOS 2229 flights. Two animals flew in each mission for approximately 2 weeks. After flight, spatial orientation of the angular vestibulo-ocular reflex was altered. In one animal the time constant of postrotatory nystagmus, which had been shortened by head tilts with regard to gravity before flight, was unaffected by the same head tilts after flight. In another animal, eye velocity, which tended to align with a gravitational axis before flight, moved toward a body axis after flight. This shift of orientation disappeared by 7 days after landing. After flight, the magnitude of compensatory ocular counter-rolling was reduced by about 70% in both dynamic and static tilts. Modulation in vergence in response to naso-occipital linear acceleration during off-vertical axis rotation was reduced by more than 50%. These changes persisted for 11 days after recovery. An up and down asymmetry of vertical nystagmus was diminished for 7 days. Gains of the semicircular canal-induced horizontal and vertical angular vestibulo-ocular reflexes were unaffected in both flights, but the gain of the roll angular vestibulo-ocular reflex was decreased. These data indicate that there are short- and long-term changes in otolith-induced eye movements after adaptation to microgravity. These experiments also demonstrate the unique value of the monkey as a model for studying effects of vestibular adaptation in space. Eye movements can be measured in three dimensions in response to controlled vestibular and visual stimulation, and the results are directly applicable to human beings. Studies in monkeys to determine how otolith afferent input and central processing is altered by adaptation to microgravity should be an essential component of future space-related research.

Mental Workload and Performance Experiment (MWPE) Team in the Spacelab Payload Operations Control

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

1992-01-01

The primary payload for Space Shuttle Mission STS-42, launched January 22, 1992, was the International Microgravity Laboratory-1 (IML-1), a pressurized manned Spacelab module. The goal of IML-1 was to explore in depth the complex effects of weightlessness of living organisms and materials processing. Around-the-clock research was performed on the human nervous system's adaptation to low gravity and effects of microgravity on other life forms such as shrimp eggs, lentil seedlings, fruit fly eggs, and bacteria. Materials processing experiments were also conducted, including crystal growth from a variety of substances such as enzymes, mercury iodide, and a virus. The Huntsville Operations Support Center (HOSC) Spacelab Payload Operations Control Center (SL POCC) at the Marshall Space Flight Center (MSFC) was the air/ground communication channel used between the astronauts and ground control teams during the Spacelab missions. Featured is the Mental Workload and Performance Experiment (MWPE) team in the SL POCC) during STS-42, IML-1 mission.

Mental Workload and Performance Experiment (MWPE) Team in the Spacelab Payload Operations Control

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

1992-01-01

The primary payload for Space Shuttle Mission STS-42, launched January 22, 1992, was the International Microgravity Laboratory-1 (IML-1), a pressurized manned Spacelab module. The goal of IML-1 was to explore in depth the complex effects of weightlessness of living organisms and materials processing. Around-the-clock research was performed on the human nervous system's adaptation to low gravity and effects of microgravity on other life forms such as shrimp eggs, lentil seedlings, fruit fly eggs, and bacteria. Materials processing experiments were also conducted, including crystal growth from a variety of substances such as enzymes, mercury iodide, and a virus. The Huntsville Operations Support Center (HOSC) Spacelab Payload Operations Control Center (SL POCC) at the Marshall Space Flight Center (MSFC) was the air/ground communication channel used between the astronauts and ground control teams during the Spacelab missions. Featured activities are of the Mental Workload and Performance Experiment (MWPE) team in the SL POCC during the IML-1 mission.

Mechanism of vestibular adaptation of fish under microgravity.

PubMed

Takabayashi, A; Ohara, K; Ohmura, T; Watanabe, S; Mori, S; Tanaka, M; Sakuragi, S

1997-12-01

In a space experiment, the adaptation of goldfish behavior during flight and readaptation after landing were investigated. Six goldfish (1 normal, 1 with otoliths removed on both sides, 4 with otoliths removed on one side) were flown in a fish package (F/P) of Aquatic Animal Experiment Unit (AAEU). The dorsal light responses (DLRs) of fish with otoliths removed were recorded after operation until launch and after landing. The behaviors of the fish were recorded with a video camera on Mission Elapsed Time (MET) Day-00, 02, 05, 08, 12. On MET Day-00, two fish with otoliths removed on one side showed flexion of body toward the operated side. These fish also showed rolling behavior toward the operated side. However, the body flexion disappeared on MET Day-05 or MET Day-08. No rolling behaviors were observed after that time. Five fish showed backward looping behaviors during the mission. Although the frequency of looping episodes decreased after MET Day-08, five fish still showed looping behavior on MET Day-12, that was the last day of video recording on orbit. In microgravity, visual system of fish did not seem to provide sufficient cues to prevent them from looping or rolling. After landing, no looping and rolling behavior was observed. However, the tilt angle of the DLR increased in the fish with otolith removed 5 month before launch but not in normal fish and those with otoliths removed 2 weeks before launch. These results suggest that the behavioral dysfunction and the adaptational process in space are dependent on vestibular inputs.

Visual-vestibular integration motion perception reporting

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Harm, Deborah L.; Reschke, Millard R.; Parker, Donald E.

1999-01-01

Self-orientation and self/surround-motion perception derive from a multimodal sensory process that integrates information from the eyes, vestibular apparatus, proprioceptive and somatosensory receptors. Results from short and long duration spaceflight investigations indicate that: (1) perceptual and sensorimotor function was disrupted during the initial exposure to microgravity and gradually improved over hours to days (individuals adapt), (2) the presence and/or absence of information from different sensory modalities differentially affected the perception of orientation, self-motion and surround-motion, (3) perceptual and sensorimotor function was initially disrupted upon return to Earth-normal gravity and gradually recovered to preflight levels (individuals readapt), and (4) the longer the exposure to microgravity, the more complete the adaptation, the more profound the postflight disturbances, and the longer the recovery period to preflight levels. While much has been learned about perceptual and sensorimotor reactions and adaptation to microgravity, there is much remaining to be learned about the mechanisms underlying the adaptive changes, and about how intersensory interactions affect perceptual and sensorimotor function during voluntary movements. During space flight, SMS and perceptual disturbances have led to reductions in performance efficiency and sense of well-being. During entry and immediately after landing, such disturbances could have a serious impact on the ability of the commander to land the Orbiter and on the ability of all crew members to egress from the Orbiter, particularly in a non-nominal condition or following extended stays in microgravity. An understanding of spatial orientation and motion perception is essential for developing countermeasures for Space Motion Sickness (SMS) and perceptual disturbances during spaceflight and upon return to Earth. Countermeasures for optimal performance in flight and a successful return to Earth require the development of preflight and in-flight training to help astronauts acquire and maintain a dual adaptive state. Despite the considerable experience with, and use of, an extensive set of countermeasures in the Russian space program, SMS and perceptual disturbances remain an unresolved problem on long-term flights. Reliable, valid perceptual reports are required to develop and refine stimulus rearrangements presented in the PAT devices currently being developed as countermeasures for the prevention of motion sickness and perceptual disturbances during spaceflight, and to ensure a less hazardous return to Earth. Prior to STS-8, crew member descriptions of their perceptual experiences were, at best, anecdotal. Crew members were not schooled in the physiology or psychology of sensory perception, nor were they exposed to the appropriate professional vocabulary. However, beginning with the STS-8 Shuttle flight, a serious effort was initiated to teach astronauts a systematic method to classify and quantify their perceptual responses in space, during entry, and after flight. Understanding, categorizing, and characterizing perceptual responses to spaceflight has been greatly enhanced by implementation of that training system.

A Shuttle Upper Atmosphere Mass Spectrometer /SUMS/ experiment

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Blanchard, R. C.; Duckett, R. J.; Hinson, E. W.

1982-01-01

A magnetic mass spectrometer is currently being adapted to the Space Shuttle Orbiter to provide repeated high altitude atmosphere data to support in situ rarefied flow aerodynamics research, i.e., in the high velocity, low density flight regime. The experiment, called Shuttle Upper Atmosphere Mass Spectrometer (SUMS), is the first attempt to design mass spectrometer equipment for flight vehicle aerodynamic data extraction. The SUMS experiment will provide total freestream atmospheric quantitites, principally total mass density, above altitudes at which conventional pressure measurements are valid. Experiment concepts, the expected flight profile, tradeoffs in the design of the total system and flight data reduction plans are discussed. Development plans are based upon a SUMS first flight after the Orbiter initial development flights.

Adaptive servo control for umbilical mating

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Zia, Omar

1988-01-01

Robotic applications at Kennedy Space Center are unique and in many cases require the fime positioning of heavy loads in dynamic environments. Performing such operations is beyond the capabilities of an off-the-shelf industrial robot. Therefore Robotics Applications Development Laboratory at Kennedy Space Center has put together an integrated system that coordinates state of the art robotic system providing an excellent easy to use testbed for NASA sensor integration experiments. This paper reviews the ways of improving the dynamic response of the robot operating under force feedback with varying dynamic internal perturbations in order to provide continuous stable operations under variable load conditions. The goal is to improve the stability of the system with force feedback using the adaptive control feature of existing system over a wide range of random motions. The effect of load variations on the dynamics and the transfer function (order or values of the parameters) of the system has been investigated, more accurate models of the system have been determined and analyzed.

Adaptive electron beam shaping using a photoemission gun and spatial light modulator

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Maxson, Jared; Lee, Hyeri; Bartnik, Adam C.

The need for precisely defined beam shapes in photoelectron sources has been well established. In this paper, we use a spatial light modulator and simple shaping algorithm to create arbitrary, detailed transverse laser shapes with high fidelity. We transmit this shaped laser to the photocathode of a high voltage dc gun. Using beam currents where space charge is negligible, and using an imaging solenoid and fluorescent viewscreen, we show that the resultant beam shape preserves these detailed features with similar fidelity. Next, instead of transmitting a shaped laser profile, we use an active feedback on the unshaped electron beam imagemore » to create equally accurate and detailed shapes. We demonstrate that this electron beam feedback has the added advantage of correcting for electron optical aberrations, yielding shapes without skew. The method may serve to provide precisely defined electron beams for low current target experiments, space-charge dominated beam commissioning, as well as for online adaptive correction of photocathode quantum efficiency degradation.« less

Adaptive electron beam shaping using a photoemission gun and spatial light modulator

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Maxson, Jared; Lee, Hyeri; Bartnik, Adam C.; Kiefer, Jacob; Bazarov, Ivan

2015-02-01

The need for precisely defined beam shapes in photoelectron sources has been well established. In this paper, we use a spatial light modulator and simple shaping algorithm to create arbitrary, detailed transverse laser shapes with high fidelity. We transmit this shaped laser to the photocathode of a high voltage dc gun. Using beam currents where space charge is negligible, and using an imaging solenoid and fluorescent viewscreen, we show that the resultant beam shape preserves these detailed features with similar fidelity. Next, instead of transmitting a shaped laser profile, we use an active feedback on the unshaped electron beam image to create equally accurate and detailed shapes. We demonstrate that this electron beam feedback has the added advantage of correcting for electron optical aberrations, yielding shapes without skew. The method may serve to provide precisely defined electron beams for low current target experiments, space-charge dominated beam commissioning, as well as for online adaptive correction of photocathode quantum efficiency degradation.

A Moving Mesh Finite Element Algorithm for Singular Problems in Two and Three Space Dimensions

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Li, Ruo; Tang, Tao; Zhang, Pingwen

2002-04-01

A framework for adaptive meshes based on the Hamilton-Schoen-Yau theory was proposed by Dvinsky. In a recent work (2001, J. Comput. Phys.170, 562-588), we extended Dvinsky's method to provide an efficient moving mesh algorithm which compared favorably with the previously proposed schemes in terms of simplicity and reliability. In this work, we will further extend the moving mesh methods based on harmonic maps to deal with mesh adaptation in three space dimensions. In obtaining the variational mesh, we will solve an optimization problem with some appropriate constraints, which is in contrast to the traditional method of solving the Euler-Lagrange equation directly. The key idea of this approach is to update the interior and boundary grids simultaneously, rather than considering them separately. Application of the proposed moving mesh scheme is illustrated with some two- and three-dimensional problems with large solution gradients. The numerical experiments show that our methods can accurately resolve detail features of singular problems in 3D.

Adaptive electron beam shaping using a photoemission gun and spatial light modulator

DOE PAGES

Maxson, Jared; Lee, Hyeri; Bartnik, Adam C.; ...

2015-02-01

The need for precisely defined beam shapes in photoelectron sources has been well established. In this paper, we use a spatial light modulator and simple shaping algorithm to create arbitrary, detailed transverse laser shapes with high fidelity. We transmit this shaped laser to the photocathode of a high voltage dc gun. Using beam currents where space charge is negligible, and using an imaging solenoid and fluorescent viewscreen, we show that the resultant beam shape preserves these detailed features with similar fidelity. Next, instead of transmitting a shaped laser profile, we use an active feedback on the unshaped electron beam imagemore » to create equally accurate and detailed shapes. We demonstrate that this electron beam feedback has the added advantage of correcting for electron optical aberrations, yielding shapes without skew. The method may serve to provide precisely defined electron beams for low current target experiments, space-charge dominated beam commissioning, as well as for online adaptive correction of photocathode quantum efficiency degradation.« less

Overall Genomic Effects of the exposure to real and simulated gravity during Drosophila melanogaster metamorphosis

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Marco, Roberto; Herranz, Raul; Lavan, David; Villa, Aida; Medina, Francisco Javier; van Loon, Jack W. A.

The availability of genomic information and of high through-put analysis techniques makes possible to investigate and understand the genetic basis of ecologically important traits, traits that could increase the fitness of the different organisms towards the different characteristics of the environment in which they are normally living and therefore are adapted. As recently discussed (1), it is not an easy task to identify among the global transcription response, the probably smaller group of genes with discernible relevance to the particular perturbation analyzed. The issue whether the challenge experienced by the biological systems is "familiar" or "evolutionary novel" is relevant to our experiments. Combining/modifying the type of environmental challenges and looking for the correlation among the genes responses is one way to substantiate the relevance of the results. Nevertheless, the more relevant genes involved in a particular response may not show the more important changes in expression levels as has been shown for hubs with high connectivity in interaction networks. To integrate the findings from gene expression changes with the experiments performed with more direct experimental approaches is a challenge for the immediate future. When we started our analysis, we were expecting to detect a relatively small group of gravity responding genes. On the other hand, we think now that the overall genome is responding to the evolutionary novel environment. The experiments on which we base our analysis are: a) experiments in the International Space Station, b) experiments performed on ground microgravity simulating equipment, mainly on the Random Position Machine and experiments under hypergravity, namely at 10g, well above the acceleration felt by the organisms during the launch of the space shifts that are used in the orbital experiments. The actual developmental process studied is the Drosophila metamorphosis. The pupae at the end of the developmental period where the adult flies are formed, starting from the larvae, provides an appropriated system where to answer the question, how general is the transcriptional response of a high organism such as Drosophila when exposed at unusual conditions such as those prevalent in Space and reproduced on the ground with more or less fidelity. Space experiments are always associated to strict experimental constraints caused by the specific requirements linked to this highly unusual environment. These constraints were partially introduced to make possible the fixation of our pupae in Space. The required levels of containment had the consequence of providing a limited amount of oxygen to the pupae inside the hermetic Type I container. Furthermore, it was necessary to cool down the early pupae to make possible that the majority of the pupal development occurred in Space. The compatibility of these constraints with the pupal development was tested. Furthermore, the ground control simulations could be run with or without the constraints. The results that will be reviewed in the presentation: metricconverterProductID1. A1. A large proportion of the genes responded to the Space conditions, very likely mostly to microgravity. 2. The constraints actually reinforced the gene response produced by the exposure to microgravity, making easier to detect the positive effect. 3. The Space results could be almost exactly reproduced on the ground simulation conditions. 5. Hypergravity although triggering a much less conspicuous response than microgravity, interestingly, changed the gene expression in an opposite directions to the one triggered by microgravity. The significance of these effects in long-term multigenerational experiments could provide the genetic basis for the adaptation to the new environmental parameters and indicate the way evolution could proceed. Manned space missions and the development of life support systems should take these findings into account. 1) Koonin, E. V. Chance and necessity in cellular response to challenge. Molecular Systems Biology (2007), 3

Role of Thyroxine in Space-Developed Jellyfish

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Spangenberg, Dorothy B.

1997-01-01

The Aurelia Metamorphosis Test System was previously used to determine the effects of the space environment on the development and behavior of tiny (1-2 mm) jellyfish ephyrae during the SLS-1 and IML-2 missions. Results from the SLS-1 experiment included the discovery that statolith numbers were significantly reduced in Earth-formed ephyrae flown for nine days in space as compared with ground-based controls. In addition, upon return to Earth, six times more ephyrae which had developed in space than those developed on Earth had pulsing abnormalities, indicating that either these animals did not form their neuromuscular structures normally while in space or they were unable to adapt to the Ig environment upon return to Earth. The metamorphosis process, which enables the formation of ephyrae from polyps is influenced by a hormone, Jf-T4 Oellyfish thyroxine) which is synthesized following iodine administration. Two groups of polyps in space, however, formed ephyrae without iodine administration indicating that Jf-T4 synthesis, utilization, or excretion was different in. the ephyrae. Increased synthesis or build-up in the media of the hormone may also be linked to the increased demineralization of statoliths found in space-exposed ephyrae. In previous experiments, we found that externally administered thyroxine causes increased demineralization of statoliths on Earth. Abnormal pulsina in ephyrae following return to Earth during the SLS-1 mission may also be traced to increased Jf-T4 levels. Thyroxine is known to be important to the normal development and function of the nervous system, heart, and skeletal muscles in higher animals. For this third Jellyfish-in-Space experiment, we proposed to quantitate the levels of Jf- T4 and of T4 receptors in space-developed ephyrae and media and to compare these levels with those of animals developing and at Ig in space and on Earth. We expected to be able to determine whether Jf-T4 synthesis and/or secretion is different in space-flownjellyfish than in controls and to determine which cells (nerve, muscle, lithocytes, etc.)may have enhanced Jf-T4 levels. However, NASA deselected this experiment in August, 1997.

The Impact of Density and Ratio on Object-Ensemble Representation in Human Anterior-Medial Ventral Visual Cortex.

PubMed

Cant, Jonathan S; Xu, Yaoda

2015-11-01

Behavioral research has demonstrated that observers can extract summary statistics from ensembles of multiple objects. We recently showed that a region of anterior-medial ventral visual cortex, overlapping largely with the scene-sensitive parahippocampal place area (PPA), participates in object-ensemble representation. Here we investigated the encoding of ensemble density in this brain region using fMRI-adaptation. In Experiment 1, we varied density by changing the spacing between objects and found no sensitivity in PPA to such density changes. Thus, density may not be encoded in PPA, possibly because object spacing is not perceived as an intrinsic ensemble property. In Experiment 2, we varied relative density by changing the ratio of 2 types of objects comprising an ensemble, and observed significant sensitivity in PPA to such ratio change. Although colorful ensembles were shown in Experiment 2, Experiment 3 demonstrated that sensitivity to object ratio change was not driven mainly by a change in the ratio of colors. Thus, while anterior-medial ventral visual cortex is insensitive to density (object spacing) changes, it does code relative density (object ratio) within an ensemble. Object-ensemble processing in this region may thus depend on high-level visual information, such as object ratio, rather than low-level information, such as spacing/spatial frequency. © The Author 2014. Published by Oxford University Press. All rights reserved. For Permissions, please e-mail: journals.permissions@oup.com.

State-space self-tuner for on-line adaptive control

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Shieh, L. S.

1994-01-01

Dynamic systems, such as flight vehicles, satellites and space stations, operating in real environments, constantly face parameter and/or structural variations owing to nonlinear behavior of actuators, failure of sensors, changes in operating conditions, disturbances acting on the system, etc. In the past three decades, adaptive control has been shown to be effective in dealing with dynamic systems in the presence of parameter uncertainties, structural perturbations, random disturbances and environmental variations. Among the existing adaptive control methodologies, the state-space self-tuning control methods, initially proposed by us, are shown to be effective in designing advanced adaptive controllers for multivariable systems. In our approaches, we have embedded the standard Kalman state-estimation algorithm into an online parameter estimation algorithm. Thus, the advanced state-feedback controllers can be easily established for digital adaptive control of continuous-time stochastic multivariable systems. A state-space self-tuner for a general multivariable stochastic system has been developed and successfully applied to the space station for on-line adaptive control. Also, a technique for multistage design of an optimal momentum management controller for the space station has been developed and reported in. Moreover, we have successfully developed various digital redesign techniques which can convert a continuous-time controller to an equivalent digital controller. As a result, the expensive and unreliable continuous-time controller can be implemented using low-cost and high performance microprocessors. Recently, we have developed a new hybrid state-space self tuner using a new dual-rate sampling scheme for on-line adaptive control of continuous-time uncertain systems.

Reshaping the brain after stroke: The effect of prismatic adaptation in patients with right brain damage.

PubMed

Crottaz-Herbette, Sonia; Fornari, Eleonora; Notter, Michael P; Bindschaedler, Claire; Manzoni, Laura; Clarke, Stephanie

2017-09-01

Prismatic adaptation has been repeatedly reported to alleviate neglect symptoms; in normal subjects, it was shown to enhance the representation of the left visual space within the left inferior parietal cortex. Our study aimed to determine in humans whether similar compensatory mechanisms underlie the beneficial effect of prismatic adaptation in neglect. Fifteen patients with right hemispheric lesions and 11 age-matched controls underwent a prismatic adaptation session which was preceded and followed by fMRI using a visual detection task. In patients, the prismatic adaptation session improved the accuracy of target detection in the left and central space and enhanced the representation of this visual space within the left hemisphere in parts of the temporal convexity, inferior parietal lobule and prefrontal cortex. Across patients, the increase in neuronal activation within the temporal regions correlated with performance improvements in this visual space. In control subjects, prismatic adaptation enhanced the representation of the left visual space within the left inferior parietal lobule and decreased it within the left temporal cortex. Thus, a brief exposure to prismatic adaptation enhances, both in patients and in control subjects, the competence of the left hemisphere for the left space, but the regions extended beyond the inferior parietal lobule to the temporal convexity in patients. These results suggest that the left hemisphere provides compensatory mechanisms in neglect by assuming the representation of the whole space within the ventral attentional system. The rapidity of the change suggests that the underlying mechanism relies on uncovering pre-existing synaptic connections. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Adaptive array antenna for satellite cellular and direct broadcast communications

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Horton, Charles R.; Abend, Kenneth

1993-01-01

Adaptive phased-array antennas provide cost-effective implementation of large, light weight apertures with high directivity and precise beamshape control. Adaptive self-calibration allows for relaxation of all mechanical tolerances across the aperture and electrical component tolerances, providing high performance with a low-cost, lightweight array, even in the presence of large physical distortions. Beam-shape is programmable and adaptable to changes in technical and operational requirements. Adaptive digital beam-forming eliminates uplink contention by allowing a single electronically steerable antenna to service a large number of receivers with beams which adaptively focus on one source while eliminating interference from others. A large, adaptively calibrated and fully programmable aperture can also provide precise beam shape control for power-efficient direct broadcast from space. Advanced adaptive digital beamforming technologies are described for: (1) electronic compensation of aperture distortion, (2) multiple receiver adaptive space-time processing, and (3) downlink beam-shape control. Cost considerations for space-based array applications are also discussed.

Space Environmental Effects Testing Capability at the Marshall Space Flight Center

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

DeWittBurns, H.; Craven, Paul; Finckenor, Miria; Nehls, Mary; Schneider, Todd; Vaughn, Jason

2012-01-01

Understanding the effects of the space environment on materials and systems is fundamental and essential for mission success. If not properly understood and designed for, the effects of the environment can lead to degradation of materials, reduction of functional lifetime, and system failure. In response to this need, the Marshall Space Flight Center has developed world class Space Environmental Effects (SEE) expertise and test facilities to simulate the space environment. Capabilities include multiple unique test systems comprising the most complete SEE testing capability available. These test capabilities include charged particle radiation (electrons, protons, ions), ultraviolet radiation (UV), vacuum ultraviolet radiation (VUV), atomic oxygen, plasma effects, space craft charging, lunar surface and planetary effects, vacuum effects, and hypervelocity impacts as well as the combination of these capabilities. In addition to the uniqueness of the individual test capabilities, MSFC is the only NASA facility where the effects of the different space environments can be tested in one location. Combined with additional analytical capabilities for pre- and post-test evaluation, MSFC is a one-stop shop for materials testing and analysis. The SEE testing and analysis are performed by a team of award winning experts nationally recognized for their contributions in the study of the effects of the space environment on materials and systems. With this broad expertise in space environmental effects and the variety of test systems and equipment available, MSFC is able to customize tests with a demonstrated ability to rapidly adapt and reconfigure systems to meet customers needs. Extensive flight experiment experience bolsters this simulation and analysis capability with a comprehensive understanding of space environmental effects.

On the practicality of emergency surgery during long-duration space missions.

PubMed

Dawson, David L

2008-07-01

While discussions of the practicality of surgery in space often focus on technical issues, such as adapting instrumentation and procedures for use in microgravity, programmatic issues need to be addressed if meaningful capabilities for emergency surgery are to be considered for human exploration missions beyond low Earth orbit. Advanced technologies that have been evaluated, including simulation-enhanced training, telementoring, or robotic assistance, might help prepare or augment a crew medical officer, but a physician with advanced training and relevant experience will be needed if surgical capabilities beyond basic emergency aid are to be considered. Specific operational roles for physician-astronauts should be established.

Fluid control mechanisms in weightlessness

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Leach, Carolyn S.

1987-01-01

Experiments performed on Space Shuttle flights have emphasized study of the earliest effects of the cephalad fluid shift resulting from microgravity. Analysis of one subject's urine collected during flight showed that a sharp increase in antidiuretic hormone occurred within 2 h of launch, followed by an increase in cortisol excretion. Although this subject had symptoms of the space adaptation syndrome (SAS), inflight data from Spacelab missions suggested that these transient changes were not caused by SAS. Unpaired t-tests and Mann-Whitney tests showed that before and after flight, plasma thyroxine and urine osmolality were significantly higher in Shuttle crewmembers who exhibited more severe symptoms of SAS than in asymptomatic crewmembers.

The physician-cosmonaut tasks in stabilizing the crew members health and increasing an effectiveness of their preparation for returning to Earth

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Polyakov, V. V.

During a final 4-month stage of I-year space flight of cosmonauts Titov and Manarov, a physician, Valery Polyakov was included on a crew for the purpose of evaluating their health, correcting physical status to prepare for the spacecraft reentry and landing operations. The complex program of scientific investigations and experiments performed by a physician included an evaluation of adaptation reactions of the human body at different stages of space mission using clinicophysiological and biochemical methods; testing of alternative regimes of exercises and new countermeasures to prevent an unfavorable effect of long-term weightlessness.

Summary of Payload Integration Plan (PIP) for Starlab-1 flight experiment, enclosure 3

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Cowings, Patricia S.; Toscano, W.; Kamiya, J.; Miller, N.; Sharp, J.

1988-01-01

The objectives of the Autogenic Feedback Training (AFT) are to: determine if preflight AFT is an effective treatment for space adaptation syndrome (SAS); determine if preflight improvements in motion sickness tolerance can be used to predict crewmembers' success in controlling symptoms in flight; and identify differences and similarities between the physiological data from preflight motion sickness tests and data collected during symptom episodes in space. The goal is to test the AFT on 8 trained and 8 control subjects. At present 2 trained and 2 contol subjects were tested. The testing will continue until the experimental goal of testing 16 individual is reached.

Orion EM-1 Crew Module Adapter Move to Clean Room

NASA Image and Video Library

2016-11-29

Inside the Neil Armstrong Operations and Checkout Building high bay at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida, the Orion crew module adapter (CMA) for Exploration Mission 1 (EM-1) is being moved to a clean room. The CMA will undergo propellant and environmental control and life support system tube installation and welding. The adapter will connect the Orion crew module to the European Space Agency-provided service module. The Orion spacecraft will launch atop NASA’s Space Launch System rocket on EM-1, its first deep space mission, in late 2018.

Orion EM-1 Crew Module Adapter Move to Clean Room

NASA Image and Video Library

2016-11-29

Inside the Neil Armstrong Operations and Checkout Building high bay at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida, Lockheed Martin technicians move the Orion crew module adapter (CMA) for Exploration Mission 1 (EM-1) into a clean room. The CMA will undergo propellant and environmental control and life support system tube installation and welding. The adapter will connect the Orion crew module to the European Space Agency-provided service module. The Orion spacecraft will launch atop NASA’s Space Launch System rocket on EM-1, its first deep space mission, in late 2018.

Orion EM-1 Crew Module Adapter Move to Clean Room

NASA Image and Video Library

2016-11-29

Inside the Neil Armstrong Operations and Checkout Building high bay at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida, Lockheed Martin technicians move the Orion crew module adapter (CMA) for Exploration Mission 1 (EM-1) toward a clean room. The CMA will undergo propellant and environmental control and life support system tube installation and welding. The adapter will connect the Orion crew module to the European Space Agency-provided service module. The Orion spacecraft will launch atop NASA’s Space Launch System rocket on EM-1, its first deep space mission, in late 2018.

User-Centered Indexing for Adaptive Information Access

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Chen, James R.; Mathe, Nathalie

1996-01-01

We are focusing on information access tasks characterized by large volume of hypermedia connected technical documents, a need for rapid and effective access to familiar information, and long-term interaction with evolving information. The problem for technical users is to build and maintain a personalized task-oriented model of the information to quickly access relevant information. We propose a solution which provides user-centered adaptive information retrieval and navigation. This solution supports users in customizing information access over time. It is complementary to information discovery methods which provide access to new information, since it lets users customize future access to previously found information. It relies on a technique, called Adaptive Relevance Network, which creates and maintains a complex indexing structure to represent personal user's information access maps organized by concepts. This technique is integrated within the Adaptive HyperMan system, which helps NASA Space Shuttle flight controllers organize and access large amount of information. It allows users to select and mark any part of a document as interesting, and to index that part with user-defined concepts. Users can then do subsequent retrieval of marked portions of documents. This functionality allows users to define and access personal collections of information, which are dynamically computed. The system also supports collaborative review by letting users share group access maps. The adaptive relevance network provides long-term adaptation based both on usage and on explicit user input. The indexing structure is dynamic and evolves over time. Leading and generalization support flexible retrieval of information under similar concepts. The network is geared towards more recent information access, and automatically manages its size in order to maintain rapid access when scaling up to large hypermedia space. We present results of simulated learning experiments.

Bioastronautics: optimizing human performance through research and medical innovations

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Williams, David R.

2002-01-01

A strategic use of resources is essential to achieving long-duration space travel and understanding the human physiological changes in space, including the roles of food and nutrition in space. To effectively address the challenges of space flight, the Bioastronautics Initiative, undertaken in 2001, expands extramural collaboration and leverages unique capabilities of the scientific community and the federal government, all the while applying this integrated knowledge to Earth-based problems. Integral to the National Aeronautics and Space Administration's missions in space is the reduction of risk of medical complications, particularly during missions of long duration. Cumulative medical experience and research provide the ability to develop evidence-based medicine for prevention, countermeasures, and treatment modalities for space flight. The early approach applied terrestrial clinical judgment to predict medical problems in space. Space medicine has evolved to an evidence-based approach with the use of biomedical data gathered and lessons learned from previous space flight missions to systematically aid in decision making. This approach led, for example, to the determination of preliminary nutritional requirements for space flight, and it aids in the development of nutrition itself as a countermeasure to support nutritional mitigation of adaptation to space.

Plasticity and genetic adaptation mediate amphibian and reptile responses to climate change.

PubMed

Urban, Mark C; Richardson, Jonathan L; Freidenfelds, Nicole A

2014-01-01

Phenotypic plasticity and genetic adaptation are predicted to mitigate some of the negative biotic consequences of climate change. Here, we evaluate evidence for plastic and evolutionary responses to climate variation in amphibians and reptiles via a literature review and meta-analysis. We included studies that either document phenotypic changes through time or space. Plasticity had a clear and ubiquitous role in promoting phenotypic changes in response to climate variation. For adaptive evolution, we found no direct evidence for evolution of amphibians or reptiles in response to climate change over time. However, we found many studies that documented adaptive responses to climate along spatial gradients. Plasticity provided a mixture of adaptive and maladaptive responses to climate change, highlighting that plasticity frequently, but not always, could ameliorate climate change. Based on our review, we advocate for more experiments that survey genetic changes through time in response to climate change. Overall, plastic and genetic variation in amphibians and reptiles could buffer some of the formidable threats from climate change, but large uncertainties remain owing to limited data.

Plasticity and genetic adaptation mediate amphibian and reptile responses to climate change

PubMed Central

Urban, Mark C; Richardson, Jonathan L; Freidenfelds, Nicole A

2014-01-01

Phenotypic plasticity and genetic adaptation are predicted to mitigate some of the negative biotic consequences of climate change. Here, we evaluate evidence for plastic and evolutionary responses to climate variation in amphibians and reptiles via a literature review and meta-analysis. We included studies that either document phenotypic changes through time or space. Plasticity had a clear and ubiquitous role in promoting phenotypic changes in response to climate variation. For adaptive evolution, we found no direct evidence for evolution of amphibians or reptiles in response to climate change over time. However, we found many studies that documented adaptive responses to climate along spatial gradients. Plasticity provided a mixture of adaptive and maladaptive responses to climate change, highlighting that plasticity frequently, but not always, could ameliorate climate change. Based on our review, we advocate for more experiments that survey genetic changes through time in response to climate change. Overall, plastic and genetic variation in amphibians and reptiles could buffer some of the formidable threats from climate change, but large uncertainties remain owing to limited data. PMID:24454550

Spaceflight Modifies Escherichia coli Gene Expression in Response to Antibiotic Exposure and Reveals Role of Oxidative Stress Response.

PubMed

Aunins, Thomas R; Erickson, Keesha E; Prasad, Nripesh; Levy, Shawn E; Jones, Angela; Shrestha, Shristi; Mastracchio, Rick; Stodieck, Louis; Klaus, David; Zea, Luis; Chatterjee, Anushree

2018-01-01

Bacteria grown in space experiments under microgravity conditions have been found to undergo unique physiological responses, ranging from modified cell morphology and growth dynamics to a putative increased tolerance to antibiotics. A common theory for this behavior is the loss of gravity-driven convection processes in the orbital environment, resulting in both reduction of extracellular nutrient availability and the accumulation of bacterial byproducts near the cell. To further characterize the responses, this study investigated the transcriptomic response of Escherichia coli to both microgravity and antibiotic concentration. E. coli was grown aboard International Space Station in the presence of increasing concentrations of the antibiotic gentamicin with identical ground controls conducted on Earth. Here we show that within 49 h of being cultured, E. coli adapted to grow at higher antibiotic concentrations in space compared to Earth, and demonstrated consistent changes in expression of 63 genes in response to an increase in drug concentration in both environments, including specific responses related to oxidative stress and starvation response. Additionally, we find 50 stress-response genes upregulated in response to the microgravity when compared directly to the equivalent concentration in the ground control. We conclude that the increased antibiotic tolerance in microgravity may be attributed not only to diminished transport processes, but also to a resultant antibiotic cross-resistance response conferred by an overlapping effect of stress response genes. Our data suggest that direct stresses of nutrient starvation and acid-shock conveyed by the microgravity environment can incidentally upregulate stress response pathways related to antibiotic stress and in doing so contribute to the increased antibiotic stress tolerance observed for bacteria in space experiments. These results provide insights into the ability of bacteria to adapt under extreme stress conditions and potential strategies to prevent antimicrobial-resistance in space and on Earth.

Spaceflight Modifies Escherichia coli Gene Expression in Response to Antibiotic Exposure and Reveals Role of Oxidative Stress Response

PubMed Central

Aunins, Thomas R.; Erickson, Keesha E.; Prasad, Nripesh; Levy, Shawn E.; Jones, Angela; Shrestha, Shristi; Mastracchio, Rick; Stodieck, Louis; Klaus, David; Zea, Luis; Chatterjee, Anushree

2018-01-01

Bacteria grown in space experiments under microgravity conditions have been found to undergo unique physiological responses, ranging from modified cell morphology and growth dynamics to a putative increased tolerance to antibiotics. A common theory for this behavior is the loss of gravity-driven convection processes in the orbital environment, resulting in both reduction of extracellular nutrient availability and the accumulation of bacterial byproducts near the cell. To further characterize the responses, this study investigated the transcriptomic response of Escherichia coli to both microgravity and antibiotic concentration. E. coli was grown aboard International Space Station in the presence of increasing concentrations of the antibiotic gentamicin with identical ground controls conducted on Earth. Here we show that within 49 h of being cultured, E. coli adapted to grow at higher antibiotic concentrations in space compared to Earth, and demonstrated consistent changes in expression of 63 genes in response to an increase in drug concentration in both environments, including specific responses related to oxidative stress and starvation response. Additionally, we find 50 stress-response genes upregulated in response to the microgravity when compared directly to the equivalent concentration in the ground control. We conclude that the increased antibiotic tolerance in microgravity may be attributed not only to diminished transport processes, but also to a resultant antibiotic cross-resistance response conferred by an overlapping effect of stress response genes. Our data suggest that direct stresses of nutrient starvation and acid-shock conveyed by the microgravity environment can incidentally upregulate stress response pathways related to antibiotic stress and in doing so contribute to the increased antibiotic stress tolerance observed for bacteria in space experiments. These results provide insights into the ability of bacteria to adapt under extreme stress conditions and potential strategies to prevent antimicrobial-resistance in space and on Earth. PMID:29615983

Adaptation of SUBSTOR for controlled-environment potato production with elevated carbon dioxide

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Fleisher, D. H.; Cavazzoni, J.; Giacomelli, G. A.; Ting, K. C.; Janes, H. W. (Principal Investigator)

2003-01-01

The SUBSTOR crop growth model was adapted for controlled-environment hydroponic production of potato (Solanum tuberosum L. cv. Norland) under elevated atmospheric carbon dioxide concentration. Adaptations included adjustment of input files to account for cultural differences between the field and controlled environments, calibration of genetic coefficients, and adjustment of crop parameters including radiation use efficiency. Source code modifications were also performed to account for the absorption of light reflected from the surface below the crop canopy, an increased leaf senescence rate, a carbon (mass) balance to the model, and to modify the response of crop growth rate to elevated atmospheric carbon dioxide concentration. Adaptations were primarily based on growth and phenological data obtained from growth chamber experiments at Rutgers University (New Brunswick, N.J.) and from the modeling literature. Modified-SUBSTOR predictions were compared with data from Kennedy Space Center's Biomass Production Chamber for verification. Results show that, with further development, modified-SUBSTOR will be a useful tool for analysis and optimization of potato growth in controlled environments.

Parameter estimation in IMEX-trigonometrically fitted methods for the numerical solution of reaction-diffusion problems

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

D'Ambrosio, Raffaele; Moccaldi, Martina; Paternoster, Beatrice

2018-05-01

In this paper, an adapted numerical scheme for reaction-diffusion problems generating periodic wavefronts is introduced. Adapted numerical methods for such evolutionary problems are specially tuned to follow prescribed qualitative behaviors of the solutions, making the numerical scheme more accurate and efficient as compared with traditional schemes already known in the literature. Adaptation through the so-called exponential fitting technique leads to methods whose coefficients depend on unknown parameters related to the dynamics and aimed to be numerically computed. Here we propose a strategy for a cheap and accurate estimation of such parameters, which consists essentially in minimizing the leading term of the local truncation error whose expression is provided in a rigorous accuracy analysis. In particular, the presented estimation technique has been applied to a numerical scheme based on combining an adapted finite difference discretization in space with an implicit-explicit time discretization. Numerical experiments confirming the effectiveness of the approach are also provided.

A new adaptive estimation method of spacecraft thermal mathematical model with an ensemble Kalman filter

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Akita, T.; Takaki, R.; Shima, E.

2012-04-01

An adaptive estimation method of spacecraft thermal mathematical model is presented. The method is based on the ensemble Kalman filter, which can effectively handle the nonlinearities contained in the thermal model. The state space equations of the thermal mathematical model is derived, where both temperature and uncertain thermal characteristic parameters are considered as the state variables. In the method, the thermal characteristic parameters are automatically estimated as the outputs of the filtered state variables, whereas, in the usual thermal model correlation, they are manually identified by experienced engineers using trial-and-error approach. A numerical experiment of a simple small satellite is provided to verify the effectiveness of the presented method.

The Planning of New Japanese Facilities for Life Science in ISS

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ohnishi, Takeo; Hoson, Takayuki

Though basic rules and mechanisms of life have been rapidly advanced, in recent years, the most sciences are limited under earth environment. To clarify the universality and the real nature of life, it is necessary to perform the space experiments. We, Japanese Society for Biological Sciences in Space, schedule new five types of up-to-date facilities required for the forefront research in the Kibo Module for utilization during 2015-2020. The project was proposed to the Council of Japan and the utilization Committee of Space Environment Science. We aim (1) further high quality science, (2) widely utilization for various requirements among Japan and foreign scientists. The schedules are 2015-2016, manufacture of them and suitability for space experiments and safety tests; 2016-2018, settlement of the new facilities to ISS; 2018-2023, space experiments. At now stage, we are unable to use space shuttles any more. It is difficult to get the biological samples to the spot of launch. Tests of vibration and shock during launch and landing are required. We recommend the down-road of experimental results from ISS. Now, we schedule new facilities: (1) Plant culture system; culture of various kinds of plants for the cell cycle and the next generation, and space agriculture for long stay in space. (2) Whole-body animal culture system; fertilization, growth, development, movement, life keeping in closed environment and health life in space by many kinds of analysis. (3) Localization and movement of cellular components; gene expression, proteins, chromosome and organelles in the cell with a real time analysis. (4) Collection of biological samples from space and total analysis system; (a) settlement of samples in ISS, space experiments and analysis in space, (b) the collection the samples after space experiments. (5) Exposure area at ISS platform; biological effect and fine physical dosimetry of solar radiations and space radiations under various filters among different radiation species and low dose/low dose-rate. Final goals are follows: The origin of life and its adaptation and evolution processes on earth will be clarified, which leads to better understanding of the fundamental mechanisms and designs of life. This project enables healthy long-term space stay of humans by providing with necessary scientific knowledge and technology, and also contributes to human life on the earth through their applications. In addition, we believe that the scientific products contribute to health keeping against rapid pollution and environmental change of the earth and education for young generation.

KSC-97PC1139

NASA Image and Video Library

1997-07-26

The first of two Pressurized Mating Adapters, or PMAs, for the International Space Station arrive in KSC’s Space Station Processing Facility in July. A PMA is a cone-shaped connector that will be attached to Node 1, the space station’s structural building block, during ground processing. The adapter will house space station computers and various electrical support equipment and eventually will serve as the passageway for astronauts between the node and the U.S-financed, Russian-built Functional Cargo Block. Node 1 with two adapters attached will be the first element of the station to be launched aboard the Space Shuttle Endeavour on STS-88 in July 1998

KSC-97PC1140

NASA Image and Video Library

1997-07-26

The first of two Pressurized Mating Adapters, or PMAs, for the International Space Station arrive in KSC’s Space Station Processing Facility in July. A PMA is a cone-shaped connector that will be attached to Node 1, the space station’s structural building block, during ground processing. The adapter will house space station computers and various electrical support equipment and eventually will serve as the passageway for astronauts between the node and the U.S-financed, Russian-built Functional Cargo Block. Node 1 with two adapters attached will be the first element of the station to be launched aboard the Space Shuttle Endeavour on STS-88 in July 1998

L1 Adaptive Control Law for Flexible Space Launch Vehicle and Proposed Plan for Flight Test Validation

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Kharisov, Evgeny; Gregory, Irene M.; Cao, Chengyu; Hovakimyan, Naira

2008-01-01

This paper explores application of the L1 adaptive control architecture to a generic flexible Crew Launch Vehicle (CLV). Adaptive control has the potential to improve performance and enhance safety of space vehicles that often operate in very unforgiving and occasionally highly uncertain environments. NASA s development of the next generation space launch vehicles presents an opportunity for adaptive control to contribute to improved performance of this statically unstable vehicle with low damping and low bending frequency flexible dynamics. In this paper, we consider the L1 adaptive output feedback controller to control the low frequency structural modes and propose steps to validate the adaptive controller performance utilizing one of the experimental test flights for the CLV Ares-I Program.

Physiologic adaptation of man in space; Proceedings of the Seventh International Man in Space Symposium, Houston, TX, Feb. 10-13, 1986

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Holland, Albert W. (Editor)

1987-01-01

Topics discussed in this volume include space motion sickness, cardiovascular adaptation, fluid shifts, extravehicular activity, general physiology, perception, vestibular response modifications, vestibular physiology, and pharmacology. Papers are presented on the clinical characterization and etiology of space motion sickness, ultrasound techniques in space medicine, fluid shifts in weightlessness, Space Shuttle inflight and postflight fluid shifts measured by leg volume changes, and the probability of oxygen toxicity in an 8-psi space suit. Consideration is also given to the metabolic and hormonal status of crewmembers in short-term space flights, adaptive changes in perception of body orientation and mental image rotation in microgravity, the effects of a visual-vestibular stimulus on the vestibulo-ocular reflex, rotation tests in the weightless phase of parabolic flight, and the mechanisms of antimotion sickness drugs.

Experiment aboard Russian satellite "Foton M2" in 2005: new approaches for study on stimulating effect of space flight on cell proliferation and regeneration in Urodela

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Grigoryan, E.; Almeida, E.; Domaratskaya, E.; Tairbekov, M.; Aleinikova, K.; Mitashov, V.

A study on space flight effect upon processes of regeneration is due to the necessity to know their characteristics in animals and human exposed to space and earth conditions shortly after flight Several experiments on the newts performed earlier aboard Russian biosatellites showed that the rate of organ and tissue regeneration in space was greater than that on the ground Space flight effect stimulating regeneration was enduring and apparent not only just after flight but long time later as well This observation found support in studies simulated physiological weightlessness by means of fast-rotating clinostat It was shown also that the higher rate of regeneration was associated with enhanced cell proliferation For instance we found that the number of cells in S-phase in regenerating tissues was significantly greater in space-flown animals than in the ground controls However it was unclear whether cell proliferation stimulation was induced by micro- g per se or by conditions of hyper- g during launching and re-adaptation on the earth Molecular mechanisms underlying the change also remained obscure These issues were addressed by the joint Russian-USA experiment Regeneration performed on Foton-M2 in 2005 In 16- day flight we used two well-known models of regeneration lens regeneration after lensectomy and tail regeneration after amputation in adult newts Pleurodeles walt Urodela In order to evaluate cell proliferative activity in time limits of microgravity influence the original method for in-flight delivering DNA precursor BrdU

Genetically informed ecological niche models improve climate change predictions.

PubMed

Ikeda, Dana H; Max, Tamara L; Allan, Gerard J; Lau, Matthew K; Shuster, Stephen M; Whitham, Thomas G

2017-01-01

We examined the hypothesis that ecological niche models (ENMs) more accurately predict species distributions when they incorporate information on population genetic structure, and concomitantly, local adaptation. Local adaptation is common in species that span a range of environmental gradients (e.g., soils and climate). Moreover, common garden studies have demonstrated a covariance between neutral markers and functional traits associated with a species' ability to adapt to environmental change. We therefore predicted that genetically distinct populations would respond differently to climate change, resulting in predicted distributions with little overlap. To test whether genetic information improves our ability to predict a species' niche space, we created genetically informed ecological niche models (gENMs) using Populus fremontii (Salicaceae), a widespread tree species in which prior common garden experiments demonstrate strong evidence for local adaptation. Four major findings emerged: (i) gENMs predicted population occurrences with up to 12-fold greater accuracy than models without genetic information; (ii) tests of niche similarity revealed that three ecotypes, identified on the basis of neutral genetic markers and locally adapted populations, are associated with differences in climate; (iii) our forecasts indicate that ongoing climate change will likely shift these ecotypes further apart in geographic space, resulting in greater niche divergence; (iv) ecotypes that currently exhibit the largest geographic distribution and niche breadth appear to be buffered the most from climate change. As diverse agents of selection shape genetic variability and structure within species, we argue that gENMs will lead to more accurate predictions of species distributions under climate change. © 2016 John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

Particulate electron beam weld emission hazards in space

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Bunton, Patrick H.

1996-01-01

The electron-beam welding process is well adapted to function in the environment of space. The Soviets were the first to demonstrate welding in space in the mid-1980's. Under the auspices of the International Space Welding Experiment (ISWE), an on-orbit test of a Ukrainian designed electron-beam welder (the Universal Hand Tool or 'UHT') is scheduled for October of 1997. The potential for sustained presence in space with the development of the international space station raises the possibility of the need for construction and repair in space. While welding is not scheduled to be used in the assembly of the space station, repair of damage from orbiting debris or meteorites is a potential need. Furthermore, safe and successful welding in the space environment may open new avenues for design and construction. The safety issue has been raised with regard to hot particle emissions (spatter) sometimes observed from the weld during operations. On earth the hot particles pose no particular hazard, but in space there exists the possibility for burn-through of the space suit which could be potentially lethal. Contamination of the payload bay by emitted particles could also be a problem.

Round and Round and Round We Go: Behavior of Adult Female Mice on the ISS

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Ronca, April E.

2016-01-01

The NASA Decadal Survey (2011) emphasized the importance of long duration rodent experiments on the International Space Station (ISS). To accomplish this objective, flight hardware and science capabilities supporting mouse studies in space were developed at Ames Research Center. Here we present a video-based behavioral analysis of ten C57BL6 female adult mice exposed to a total of 37 days in space compared with identically housed Ground Controls. Flight and Control mice exhibited the same range of behaviors, including feeding, drinking, exploratory behavior, grooming, and social interactions. Mice propelled themselves freely and actively throughout the Habitat using their forelimbs to push off or by floating from one cage area to another. Overall activity was greater in Flt as compared to GC mice. Spontaneous, organized circling or race-tracking behavior emerged within the first few days of flight and encompassed the primary dark cycle activity for the remainder of the experiment. I will summarize qualitative observations and quantitative comparisons of mice in microgravity and 1g conditions. Behavioral phenotyping revealed important insights into the overall health and adaptation of mice to the space environment, and identified unique behaviors that can guide future habitat development and research on rodents in space.

Thaumatin crystallization aboard the International Space Station using liquid-liquid diffusion in the Enhanced Gaseous Nitrogen Dewar (EGN).

PubMed

Barnes, Cindy L; Snell, Edward H; Kundrot, Craig E

2002-05-01

This paper reports results from the first biological crystal-growth experiment on the International Space Station (ISS). Crystals of thaumatin were grown using liquid-liquid diffusion in Tygon tubing transported in the Enhanced Gaseous Nitrogen Dewar (EGN). Different volume ratios and concentrations of protein and precipitant were used to test different adaptations of the vapor-diffusion crystallization recipe to the liquid-liquid diffusion method. The EGN warmed up from 77 to 273 K in about 4 d, about the same time it took to warm from 273 to 293 K. The temperature within the EGN was 293-297 K for the majority of the experiment. Air gaps that blocked liquid-liquid diffusion formed in the tubes. Nonetheless, crystals were grown. Synchrotron diffraction data collected from the best space-grown crystal extended to 1.28 A, comparable to previous studies of space-grown thaumatin crystals. The resolution of the best ground-control crystal was only 1.47 A. It is not clear if the difference in diffraction limit arises from factors other than crystal size. Improvements in temperature control and the elimination of air gaps are needed, but the results show that the EGN on the ISS can be used to produce space-grown crystals that diffract to high resolution.

Thaumatin Crystallization Aboard the International Space Station Using Liquid-Liquid Diffusion in the Enhanced Gaseous Nitrogen Dewar (EGN)

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Kundrot, Craig; Barnes, Cindy L.; Snell, Edward H.; Stinson, Thomas N. (Technical Monitor)

2002-01-01

This paper reports results from the first biological crystal growth experiment on the International Space Station (ISS). Crystals of thaumatin were grown using liquid-liquid diffusion in Tygon tubing transported in the Enhanced Gaseous Nitrogen Dewar (EGN). Different Volume ratios and concentrations of protein and precipitant were used to test different adaptations of the vapor diffusion crystallization recipe to the liquid-liquid diffusion method. The EGN warmed up from -196 C to 0 C in about four days, about the same time it took to warm from 0 C to 20 C. The temperature within the EGN was 20 - 24 C for the majority of the experiment. Air gaps that blocked liquid-liquid diffusion formed in the tubes. Nonetheless, crystals were grown. Synchrotron diffraction data collected from the best space grown crystal extended to 1.28 Angstroms, comparable to previous studies of space-grown thaumatin crystals. The resolution of the best ground control crystal was only 1.47 Angstroms. It is not clear if the difference in diffraction limit is due to factors other than crystal size. Improvements in temperature control and the elimination of air gaps are needed, but the results show that EGN on the ISS can be used to produce space grown crystals that diffract to high resolution.

General Automatic Components of Motion Sickness

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Suter, S.; Toscano, W. B.; Kamiya, J.; Naifeh, K.

1985-01-01

A body of investigations performed in support of experiments aboard the space shuttle, and designed to counteract the symptoms of Space Adaptation Syndrome, which resemble those of motion sickness on Earth is reviewed. For these supporting studies, the automatic manifestations of earth-based motion sickness was examined. Heart rate, respiration rate, finger pulse volume and basal skin resistance were measured on 127 men and women before, during and after exposure to nauseogenic rotating chair tests. Significant changes in all autonomic responses were observed across the tests. Significant differences in autonomic responses among groups divided according to motion sickness susceptibility were also observed. Results suggest that the examination of autonomic responses as an objective indicator of motion sickness malaise is warranted and may contribute to the overall understanding of the syndrome on Earth and in Space.

Autonomous Adaptive Low-Power Instrument Platform (AAL-PIP) for remote high latitude geospace data collection

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Clauer, C. R.; Kim, H.; Deshpande, K.; Xu, Z.; Weimer, D.; Musko, S.; Crowley, G.; Fish, C.; Nealy, R.; Humphreys, T. E.; Bhatti, J. A.; Ridley, A. J.

2014-06-01

We present the development considerations and design for ground based instrumentation that is being deployed on the East Antarctic Plateau along a 40° magnetic meridian chain to investigate interhemispheric magnetically conjugate geomagnetic coupling and other space weather related phenomena. The stations are magnetically conjugate to geomagnetic stations along the west coast of Greenland. The autonomous adaptive low-power instrument platforms being deployed in the Antarctic are designed to operate unattended in remote locations for at least 5 years. They utilize solar power and AGM storage batteries for power, two-way Iridium satellite communication for data acquisition and program/operation modification, support fluxgate and induction magnetometers as well as dual-frequency gps receiver and an HF radio experiment. Size and weight considerations are considered to enable deployment by a small team using small aircraft. Considerable experience has been gained in the development and deployment of remote polar instrumentation that is reflected in the present generation of instrumentation discussed here. We conclude with the lessons learned from our experience in the design, deployment and operation of remote polar instrumentation.

An autonomous adaptive low-power instrument platform (AAL-PIP) for remote high-latitude geospace data collection

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Clauer, C. R.; Kim, H.; Deshpande, K.; Xu, Z.; Weimer, D.; Musko, S.; Crowley, G.; Fish, C.; Nealy, R.; Humphreys, T. E.; Bhatti, J. A.; Ridley, A. J.

2014-10-01

We present the development considerations and design for ground-based instrumentation that is being deployed on the East Antarctic Plateau along a 40° magnetic meridian chain to investigate interhemispheric magnetically conjugate geomagnetic coupling and other space-weather-related phenomena. The stations are magnetically conjugate to geomagnetic stations along the west coast of Greenland. The autonomous adaptive low-power instrument platforms being deployed in the Antarctic are designed to operate unattended in remote locations for at least 5 years. They utilize solar power and AGM storage batteries for power, two-way Iridium satellite communication for data acquisition and program/operation modification, support fluxgate and induction magnetometers as well as a dual-frequency GPS receiver and a high-frequency (HF) radio experiment. Size and weight considerations are considered to enable deployment by a small team using small aircraft. Considerable experience has been gained in the development and deployment of remote polar instrumentation that is reflected in the present generation of instrumentation discussed here. We conclude with the lessons learned from our experience in the design, deployment and operation of remote polar instrumentation.

Adaptive control of a Stewart platform-based manipulator

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Nguyen, Charles C.; Antrazi, Sami S.; Zhou, Zhen-Lei; Campbell, Charles E., Jr.

1993-01-01

A joint-space adaptive control scheme for controlling noncompliant motion of a Stewart platform-based manipulator (SPBM) was implemented in the Hardware Real-Time Emulator at Goddard Space Flight Center. The six-degrees of freedom SPBM uses two platforms and six linear actuators driven by dc motors. The adaptive control scheme is based on proportional-derivative controllers whose gains are adjusted by an adaptation law based on model reference adaptive control and Liapunov direct method. It is concluded that the adaptive control scheme provides superior tracking capability as compared to fixed-gain controllers.

Adapting the Reconfigurable SpaceCube Processing System for Multiple Mission Applications

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Petrick, Dave

2014-01-01

This paper will detail the use of SpaceCube in multiple space flight applications including the Hubble Space Telescope Servicing Mission 4 (HST-SM4), an International Space Station (ISS) radiation test bed experiment, and the main avionics subsystem for two separate ISS attached payloads. Each mission has had varying degrees of data processing complexities, performance requirements, and external interfaces. We will show the methodology used to minimize the changes required to the physical hardware, FPGA designs, embedded software interfaces, and testing.This paper will summarize significant results as they apply to each mission application. In the HST-SM4 application we utilized the FPGA resources to accelerate portions of the image processing algorithms more than 25 times faster than a standard space processor in order to meet computational speed requirements. For the ISS radiation on-orbit demonstration, the main goal is to show that we can rely on the commercial FPGAs and processors in a space environment. We describe our FPGA and processor radiation mitigation strategies that have resulted in our eight PowerPCs being available and error free for more than 99.99 of the time over the period of four years. This positive data and proven reliability of the SpaceCube on ISS resulted in the Department of Defense (DoD) selecting SpaceCube, which is replacing an older and slower computer currently used on ISS, as the main avionics for two upcoming ISS experiment campaigns. This paper will show how we quickly reconfigured the SpaceCube system to meet the more stringent reliability requirements

Microgravity Investigation of Crew Reactions in 0-G (MICRO-G)

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Newman, Dava; Coleman, Charles; Metaxas, Dimitri

2004-01-01

There is a need for a human factors, technology-based bioastronautics research effort to develop an integrated system that reduces risk and provides scientific knowledge of astronaut-induced loads and motions during long-duration missions on the International Space Station (ISS), which will lead to appropriate countermeasures. The primary objectives of the Microgravity Investigation of Crew Reactions in 0-G (MICRO-GI research effort are to quantify astronaut adaptation and movement as well as to model motor strategies for differing gravity environments. The overall goal of this research program is to improve astronaut performance and efficiency through the use of rigorous quantitative dynamic analysis, simulation and experimentation. The MICRO-G research effort provides a modular, kinetic and kinematic capability for the ISS. The collection and evaluation of kinematics (whole-body motion) and dynamics (reacting forces and torques) of astronauts within the ISS will allow for quantification of human motion and performance in weightlessness, gathering fundamental human factors information for design, scientific investigation in the field of dynamics and motor control, technological assessment of microgravity disturbances, and the design of miniaturized, real-time space systems. The proposed research effort builds on a strong foundation of successful microgravity experiments, namely, the EDLS (Enhanced Dynamics Load Sensors) flown aboard the Russian Mir space station (19961998) and the DLS (Dynamic Load Sensors) flown on Space Shuttle Mission STS-62. In addition, previously funded NASA ground-based research into sensor technology development and development of algorithms to produce three-dimensional (3-0) kinematics from video images have come to fruition and these efforts culminate in the proposed collaborative MICRO-G flight experiment. The required technology and hardware capitalize on previous sensor design, fabrication, and testing and can be flight qualified for a fraction of the cost of an initial spaceflight experiment. Four dynamic load sensors/restraints are envisioned for measurement of astronaut forces and torques. Two standard ISS video cameras record typical astronaut operations and prescribed IVA motions for 3-D kinematics. Forces and kinematics are combined for dynamic analysis of astronaut motion, exploiting the results of the detailed dynamic modeling effort for the quantitative verification of astronaut IVA performance, induced-loads, and adaptive control strategies for crewmember whole-body motion in microgravity. This comprehensive effort, provides an enhanced human factors approach based on physics-based modeling to identify adaptive performance during long-duration spaceflight, which is critically important for astronaut training as well as providing a spaceflight database to drive countermeasure design.

USSR Space Life Sciences Digest, Issue 10

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Hooke, Lydia Razran; Radtke, Mike; Teeter, Ronald; Garshnek, Victoria; Rowe, Joseph E.

1987-01-01

The USSR Space Life Sciences Digest contains abstracts of 37 papers recently published in Russian language periodicals and bound collections and of five new Soviet monographs. Selected abstracts are illustrated with figures and tables from the original. Additional features include the translation of a book chapter concerning use of biological rhythms as a basis for cosmonaut selection, excerpts from the diary of a participant in a long-term isolation experiment, and a picture and description of the Mir space station. The abstracts included in this issue were identified as relevant to 25 areas of aerospace medicine and space biology. These areas are adaptation, biological rhythms, biospherics, body fluids, botany, cardiovascular and respiratory systems, developmental biology, endocrinology, enzymology, group dynamics, habitability and environmental effects, hematology, human performance, immunology, life support systems, mathematical modeling, metabolism, microbiology, morphology and cytology, musculosketal system, neurophysiology, nutrition, personnel selection, psychology, and radiobiology.

[Adaptive features of life history for space experiments seen in Rana tagoi tadpoles].

PubMed

Yamashita, Masamichi; Kobayashi, Ken-ichiro; Kashiwagi, Akihiko; Shigenari, Makiko; Wassersug, Richard J; Naitoh, Tomio

2002-11-01

We propose to use the physiological responses of tadpoles in space to study the effects of gravity at the organismal level. The tadpoles we propose for study, Rana tagoi, have naturally transparent abdominal walls, permitting viscera, such as heart and intestine, to be easily observed. Rana tagoi is a mountainous species that lays eggs in water, typically at crevasses in rocky substrates. Its eggs are rich in yolk, and tadpoles can grow without being fed (except own feces). However, they will eat when presented food. Coprophagy in these tadpoles can be clearly seen when small amount of food is fed. Abdominal wall remains transparent until metamorphosis. Intestinal and cardiac activity are clearly visible and can be documented by video without any invasive procedures. Because of the limited requirements on the digestive system in this species, their intestine does not elongate much when the tadpoles grow up. Even in this species, periodical contractions occur in the intestine throughout the larval period. Space experiments using R. tagoi tadpoles are promising in terms of scientific merit and technical feasibility. With this species it is possible to study the effects of gravity on visceral physiology and metamorphosis. Rana tagoi tadpoles would be a good model for space experiments where only the basic minimum capability of life support function (e.g., temperature and oxygen control), could be provided.

Skylab

NASA Image and Video Library

1992-01-22

The primary payload for Space Shuttle Mission STS-42, launched January 22, 1992, was the International Microgravity Laboratory-1 (IML-1), a pressurized manned Spacelab module. The goal of IML-1 was to explore in depth the complex effects of weightlessness of living organisms and materials processing. Around-the-clock research was performed on the human nervous system's adaptation to low gravity and effects of microgravity on other life forms such as shrimp eggs, lentil seedlings, fruit fly eggs, and bacteria. Materials processing experiments were also conducted, including crystal growth from a variety of substances such as enzymes, mercury iodide and a virus. The Huntsville Operations Support Center (HOSC) Spacelab Payload Operations Control Center (SL POCC) at the Marshall Space Flight Center (MSFC) was the air/ground communication channel used between the astronauts aboard the Spacelab and scientists, researchers, and ground control teams during the Spacelab missions. The facility made instantaneous video and audio communications possible for scientists on the ground to follow the progress and to send direct commands of their research almost as if they were in space with the crew. Teams of controllers and researchers directed on-orbit science operations, sent commands to the spacecraft, received data from experiments aboard the Space Shuttle, adjusted mission schedules to take advantage of unexpected science opportunities or unexpected results, and worked with crew members to resolve problems with their experiments. In this photograph the Payload Operations Director (POD) views the launch.

[The effect of space flight on metabolism: the results of biochemical research in rat experiments on the Kosmos biosatellites].

PubMed

Popova, I A; Grigor'ev, A I

1992-01-01

Cosmos biosatellites research program was the unique possibility to study the metabolic features influenced by space flight factors. Based on the existing ideas about relationships between some metabolic responses, the state of metabolism and the systems of its control in the rats flown in space was evaluated to differentiate the processes occurred in microgravity, possibly under effect of this factor and during first postflight hours. The biochemical results of studying the rats exposed to space environments during 7, 14, 18.5 and 19.5 days and sacrificed 4-11 h after landing (Cosmos-782, -936, -1129, -1667, -2044 flight) are used. The major portion of data are in line with understanding that after landing when the microgravity-adapted rats again return to 1-g environments they display an acute stress reaction. A postflight stress reaction is manifested itself in a specific way as compared to adequate and well studied model of acute and chronic stress and dictates subsequent metabolic changes. Postflight together with the acute stressful and progressing readaptation shifts the metabolic signs of previous adaptation to microgravity are shown up. In the absence of engineering feasibility to control or record the state of metabolism inflight it can only presupposed what metabolic status is typical of the animals in space environments and that its development is triggered by a decreased secretion of the biologically active growth hormone. This concept is confirmed by the postflight data.

Around Marshall

NASA Image and Video Library

1992-01-27

The primary payload for Space Shuttle Mission STS-42, launched January 22, 1992, was the International Microgravity Laboratory-1 (IML-1), a pressurized manned Spacelab module. The goal of IML-1 was to explore in depth the complex effects of weightlessness of living organisms and materials processing. Around-the-clock research was performed on the human nervous system's adaptation to low gravity and effects of microgravity on other life forms such as shrimp eggs, lentil seedlings, fruit fly eggs, and bacteria. Materials processing experiments were also conducted, including crystal growth from a variety of substances such as enzymes, mercury iodide, and a virus. The Huntsville Operations Support Center (HOSC) Spacelab Payload Operations Control Center (SL POCC) at the Marshall Space Flight Center (MSFC) was the air/ground communication channel used between the astronauts and ground control teams during the Spacelab missions. Featured activities are of the Mental Workload and Performance Experiment (MWPE) team in the SL POCC during the IML-1 mission.

Around Marshall

NASA Image and Video Library

1992-01-28

The primary payload for Space Shuttle Mission STS-42, launched January 22, 1992, was the International Microgravity Laboratory-1 (IML-1), a pressurized manned Spacelab module. The goal of IML-1 was to explore in depth the complex effects of weightlessness of living organisms and materials processing. Around-the-clock research was performed on the human nervous system's adaptation to low gravity and effects of microgravity on other life forms such as shrimp eggs, lentil seedlings, fruit fly eggs, and bacteria. Materials processing experiments were also conducted, including crystal growth from a variety of substances such as enzymes, mercury iodide, and a virus. The Huntsville Operations Support Center (HOSC) Spacelab Payload Operations Control Center (SL POCC) at the Marshall Space Flight Center (MSFC) was the air/ground communication channel used between the astronauts and ground control teams during the Spacelab missions. Featured is the Mental Workload and Performance Experiment (MWPE) team in the SL POCC) during STS-42, IML-1 mission.

Skylab

NASA Image and Video Library

1971-01-01

This illustration depicts the Skylab-1 and Skylab-2 mission sequence. The goals of the Skylab were to enrich our scientific knowledge of the Earth, the Sun, the stars, and cosmic space; to study the effects of weightlessness on living organisms, including man; to study the effects of the processing and manufacturing of materials utilizing the absence of gravity; and to conduct Earth resource observations. The Skylab also conducted 19 selected experiments submitted by high school students. Skylab's 3 different 3-man crews spent up to 84 days in Earth orbit. The Marshall Space Flight Center (MSFC) had responsibility for developing and integrating most of the major components of the Skylab: the Orbital Workshop (OWS), Airlock Module (AM), Multiple Docking Adapter (MDA), Apollo Telescope Mount (ATM), Payload Shroud (PS), and most of the experiments. MSFC was also responsible for providing the Saturn IB launch vehicles for three Apollo spacecraft and crews and a Saturn V launch vehicle for the Skylab.

On Representative Spaceflight Instrument and Associated Instrument Sensor Web Framework

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Kizhner, Semion; Patel, Umeshkumar; Vootukuru, Meg

2007-01-01

Sensor Web-based adaptation and sharing of space flight mission resources, including those of the Space-Ground and Control-User communication segment, could greatly benefit from utilization of heritage Internet Protocols and devices applied for Spaceflight (SpaceIP). This had been successfully demonstrated by a few recent spaceflight experiments. However, while terrestrial applications of Internet protocols are well developed and understood (mostly due to billions of dollars in investments by the military and industry), the spaceflight application of Internet protocols is still in its infancy. Progress in the developments of SpaceIP-enabled instrument components will largely determine the SpaceIP utilization of those investments and acceptance in years to come. Likewise SpaceIP, the development of commercial real-time and instrument colocated computational resources, data compression and storage, can be enabled on-board a spacecraft and, in turn, support a powerful application to Sensor Web-based design of a spaceflight instrument. Sensor Web-enabled reconfiguration and adaptation of structures for hardware resources and information systems will commence application of Field Programmable Arrays (FPGA) and other aerospace programmable logic devices for what this technology was intended. These are a few obvious potential benefits of Sensor Web technologies for spaceflight applications. However, they are still waiting to be explored. This is because there is a need for a new approach to spaceflight instrumentation in order to make these mature sensor web technologies applicable for spaceflight. In this paper we present an approach in developing related and enabling spaceflight instrument-level technologies based on the new concept of a representative spaceflight Instrument Sensor Web (ISW).

Task and work performance on Skylab missions 2, 3, and 4: Time and motion study: Experiment M151

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Kubis, J. F.; Mclaughlin, E. J.; Jackson, J. M.; Rusnak, R.; Mcbride, G. H.; Saxon, S. V.

1977-01-01

Human task performance was evaluated under weightlessness conditions during long duration space flight in order to study the characteristics of the adaptation function. Results show that despite pronounced variability in training schedules and in initial reaction to the Skylab environment, in-flight task performance was relatively equivalent among Skylab crews, and behavioral performance continued to improve from beginning to end of all missions.

The pig-tailed monkey (Macaca nemestrina) as a space-flight candidate. [for cardiovascular studies

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Pace, N.; Rahlmann, D. F.; Kodama, A. M.; Grunbaum, B. W.; Mains, R. C.

1977-01-01

Scientific attributes which make the pig-tailed monkey an optimal candidate for studing the nature of cardiovascular and respiratory adaptations in man during exposure to high altitutes for long periods of time include: a calm, quiet, patient temperament; a short tail and the presence of ischial callosities permitting comfortable seated restraint during long duration experiments; and the close phylogenetic relationships and comparable body size to man.

The impacts of land use, radiative forcing, and biological changes on regional climate in Japan

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Dairaku, K.; Pielke, R. A., Sr.

2013-12-01

Because regional responses of surface hydrological and biogeochemical changes are particularly complex, it is necessary to develop assessment tools for regional scale adaptation to climate. We developed a dynamical downscaling method using the regional climate model (NIED-RAMS) over Japan. The NIED-RAMS model includes a plant model that considers biological processes, the General Energy and Mass Transfer Model (GEMTM) which adds spatial resolution to accurately assess critical interactions within the regional climate system for vulnerability assessments to climate change. We digitalized a potential vegetation map that formerly existed only on paper into Geographic Information System data. It quantified information on the reduction of green spaces and the expansion of urban and agricultural areas in Japan. We conducted regional climate sensitivity experiments of land use and land cover (LULC) change, radiative forcing, and biological effects by using the NIED-RAMS with horizontal grid spacing of 20 km. We investigated regional climate responses in Japan for three experimental scenarios: 1. land use and land cover is changed from current to potential vegetation; 2. radiative forcing is changed from 1 x CO2 to 2 x CO2; and 3. biological CO2 partial pressures in plants are doubled. The experiments show good accuracy in reproducing the surface air temperature and precipitation. The experiments indicate the distinct change of hydrological cycles in various aspects due to anthropogenic LULC change, radiative forcing, and biological effects. The relative impacts of those changes are discussed and compared. Acknowledgments This study was conducted as part of the research subject "Vulnerability and Adaptation to Climate Change in Water Hazard Assessed Using Regional Climate Scenarios in the Tokyo Region' (National Research Institute for Earth Science and Disaster Prevention; PI: Koji Dairaku) of Research Program on Climate Change Adaptation (RECCA), and was supported by the SOUSEI Program, funded by Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology, Government of Japan.

Reliable Adaptive Video Streaming Driven by Perceptual Semantics for Situational Awareness

PubMed Central

Pimentel-Niño, M. A.; Saxena, Paresh; Vazquez-Castro, M. A.

2015-01-01

A novel cross-layer optimized video adaptation driven by perceptual semantics is presented. The design target is streamed live video to enhance situational awareness in challenging communications conditions. Conventional solutions for recreational applications are inadequate and novel quality of experience (QoE) framework is proposed which allows fully controlled adaptation and enables perceptual semantic feedback. The framework relies on temporal/spatial abstraction for video applications serving beyond recreational purposes. An underlying cross-layer optimization technique takes into account feedback on network congestion (time) and erasures (space) to best distribute available (scarce) bandwidth. Systematic random linear network coding (SRNC) adds reliability while preserving perceptual semantics. Objective metrics of the perceptual features in QoE show homogeneous high performance when using the proposed scheme. Finally, the proposed scheme is in line with content-aware trends, by complying with information-centric-networking philosophy and architecture. PMID:26247057

Space Station/Skylab Sketch

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

1966-01-01

Seldom in aerospace history has a major decision been as promptly and concisely recorded as with the Skylab shown in this sketch. At a meeting at the Marshall Space Flight Center on August 19, 1966, George E. Mueller, NASA Associate Administrator for Marned Space Flight, used a felt pen and poster paper to pin down the final conceptual layout for the budding space station's (established as the Skylab in 1970) major elements. General Davy Jones, first program director, added his initials and those of Dr. Mueller in the lower right corner. The goals of the Skylab were to enrich our scientific knowledge of the Earth, the Sun, the stars, and cosmic space; to study the effects of weightlessness on living organisms, including man; to study the effects of the processing and manufacturing of materials utilizing the absence of gravity; and to conduct Earth resource observations. The Skylab also conducted 19 selected experiments submitted by high school students. Skylab's 3 different 3-man crews spent up to 84 days in Earth orbit. The Marshall Space Flight Center (MSFC) had responsibility for developing and integrating most of the major components of the Skylab: the Orbital Workshop (OWS), Airlock Module (AM), Multiple Docking Adapter (MDA), Apollo Telescope Mount (ATM), Payload Shroud (PS), and most of the experiments. MSFC was also responsible for providing the Saturn IB launch vehicles for three Apollo spacecraft and crews and a Saturn V launch vehicle for the Skylab.

Orion EM-1 Crew Module Adapter Move to Clean Room

NASA Image and Video Library

2016-11-29

Inside the Neil Armstrong Operations and Checkout Building high bay at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida, Lockheed Martin technicians begin to move the Orion crew module adapter (CMA) for Exploration Mission 1 (EM-1) to a clean room. The CMA will undergo propellant and environmental control and life support system tube installation and welding. The adapter will connect the Orion crew module to the European Space Agency-provided service module. The Orion spacecraft will launch atop NASA’s Space Launch System rocket on EM-1, its first deep space mission, in late 2018.

Orion EM-1 Crew Module Adapter Move to Clean Room

NASA Image and Video Library

2016-11-29

Inside the Neil Armstrong Operations and Checkout Building high bay at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida, Lockheed Martin technicians secure a protective cover around the Orion crew module adapter (CMA) for Exploration Mission 1 (EM-1) for its move to a clean room. The CMA will undergo propellant and environmental control and life support system tube installation and welding. The adapter will connect the Orion crew module to the European Space Agency-provided service module. The Orion spacecraft will launch atop NASA’s Space Launch System rocket on EM-1, its first deep space mission, in late 2018.

Orion EM-1 Crew Module Adapter Move to Clean Room

NASA Image and Video Library

2016-11-29

Inside the Neil Armstrong Operations and Checkout Building high bay at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida, a Lockheed Martin technician secures a protective cover around the Orion crew module adapter (CMA) for Exploration Mission 1 (EM-1) for its move to a clean room The CMA will undergo propellant and environmental control and life support system tube installation and welding. The adapter will connect the Orion crew module to the European Space Agency-provided service module. The Orion spacecraft will launch atop NASA’s Space Launch System rocket on EM-1, its first deep space mission, in late 2018.

Orion EM-1 Crew Module Adapter Move to Clean Room

NASA Image and Video Library

2016-11-29

Inside the Neil Armstrong Operations and Checkout Building high bay at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida, Lockheed Martin technicians secure a protective cover around the Orion crew module adapter (CMA) for Exploration Mission 1 (EM-1) for its move to a clean room. The CMA will undergo propellant and environmental control and life support system tube installation and welding. The adapter will connect the Orion crew module to the European Space Agency-provided service module. The Orion spacecraft will launch atop NASA’s Space Launch System rocket on EM-1, its first deep space mission, in late 2018.

Orion EM-1 Crew Module Adapter Move to Clean Room

NASA Image and Video Library

2016-11-29

Inside the Neil Armstrong Operations and Checkout Building high bay at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida, a protective cover is installed around the Orion crew module adapter (CMA) for Exploration Mission 1 (EM-1) for its move to a clean room. The CMA will undergo propellant and environmental control and life support system tube installation and welding. The adapter will connect the Orion crew module to the European Space Agency-provided service module. The Orion spacecraft will launch atop NASA’s Space Launch System rocket on EM-1, its first deep space mission, in late 2018.

Orion EM-1 Crew Module Adapter Move to Clean Room

NASA Image and Video Library

2016-11-29

Inside the Neil Armstrong Operations and Checkout Building high bay at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida, Lockheed Martin technicians are preparing the Orion crew module adapter (CMA) for Exploration Mission 1 (EM-1) for the move into a clean room. The CMA will undergo propellant and environmental control and life support system tube installation and welding. The adapter will connect the Orion crew module to the European Space Agency-provided service module. The Orion spacecraft will launch atop NASA’s Space Launch System rocket on EM-1, its first deep space mission, in late 2018.

Orion EM-1 Crew Module Adapter Move to Clean Room

NASA Image and Video Library

2016-11-29

Inside the Neil Armstrong Operations and Checkout Building high bay at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida, Lockheed Martin technicians secure a protective cover around the Orion crew module adapter (CMA) for Exploration Mission 1 (EM-1) for its move to a clean. The CMA will undergo propellant and environmental control and life support system tube installation and welding. The adapter will connect the Orion crew module to the European Space Agency-provided service module. The Orion spacecraft will launch atop NASA’s Space Launch System rocket on EM-1, its first deep space mission, in late 2018.

Joint-space adaptive control of a 6 DOF end-effector with closed-kinematic chain mechanism

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Nguyen, Charles C.; Zhou, Zhen-Lei

1989-01-01

The development is presented for a joint-space adaptive scheme that controls the joint position of a six-degree-of-freedom (DOF) robot end-effector performing fine and precise motion within a very limited workspace. The end-effector was built to study autonomous assembly of NASA hardware in space. The design of the adaptive controller is based on the concept of model reference adaptive control (MRAC) and Lyapunov direct method. In the development, it is assumed that the end-effector performs slowly varying motion. Computer simulation is performed to investigate the performance of the developed control scheme on position control of the end-effector. Simulation results manifest that the adaptive control scheme provides excellent tracking of several test paths.

Unscripted Responsible Research and Innovation: Adaptive space creation by an emerging RRI practice concerning juvenile justice interventions.

PubMed

de Jong, Irja Marije; Kupper, Frank; Broerse, Jacqueline

2018-01-24

Emerging RRI practices have goals with respect to learning, governance and achieving RRI outcomes (action). However, few practices actually achieve the action phase as actors lack room to manoeuvre, and lack guidance on how to move forward because of the inherent unscriptedness of the emerging RRI practice. In this explorative research an emerging RRI practice is studied to identify factors and barriers to the creation of adaptive space, in which actors can be responsive to the other and adapt, and a narrative can be created in the act of doing. This paper describes how formal and informal ways of organizing emerging RRI practices contribute to adaptive space, and how the metaphorical heuristic of improvisational theatre provides clear action principles to actors involved in emerging RRI practices in action. The RRI practice studied here lies in the domain of juvenile justice, where barriers that restrict room to manoeuvre are abundant. Five factors - 'informality over formality', 'shared action space', 'be flexible', 'keep the action moving' and 'put the relationship central' - were identified to facilitate reflexivity and adaptation in this space.

Plant mineral nutrition, gas exchange and photosynthesis in space: A review

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wolff, S. A.; Coelho, L. H.; Zabrodina, M.; Brinckmann, E.; Kittang, A.-I.

2013-02-01

Successful growth and development of higher plants in space rely on adequate availability and uptake of water and nutrients, and efficient energy distribution through photosynthesis and gas exchange. In the present review, literature has been reviewed to assemble the relevant knowledge within space plant research for future planetary missions. Focus has been on fractional gravity, space radiation, magnetic fields and ultimately a combined effect of these factors on gas exchange, photosynthesis and transport of water and solutes. Reduced gravity prevents buoyancy driven thermal convection in the physical environment around the plant and alters transport and exchange of gases and liquids between the plant and its surroundings. In space experiments, indications of root zone hypoxia have frequently been reported, but studies on the influences of the space environment on plant nutrition and water transport are limited or inconclusive. Some studies indicate that uptake of potassium is elevated when plants are grown under microgravity conditions. Based on the current knowledge, gas exchange, metabolism and photosynthesis seem to work properly in space when plants are provided with a well stirred atmosphere and grown at moderate light levels. Effects of space radiation on plant metabolism, however, have not been studied so far in orbit. Ground experiments indicated that shielding from the Earth's magnetic field alters plant gas exchange and metabolism, though more studies are required to understand the effects of magnetic fields on plant growth. It has been shown that plants can grow and reproduce in the space environment and adapt to space conditions. However, the influences of the space environment may result in a long term effect over multiple generations or have an impact on the plants' role as food and part of a regenerative life support system. Suggestions for future plant biology research in space are discussed.

Manipulating time and space: Collision prediction in peripersonal and extrapersonal space.

PubMed

Iachini, Tina; Ruotolo, Francesco; Vinciguerra, Michela; Ruggiero, Gennaro

2017-09-01

Being able to predict potential collisions is a necessary survival prerequisite for all moving species. Temporal and spatial information is fundamental for this purpose. However, it is not clear yet if the peripersonal (i.e. near) and extrapersonal (i.e. far) distance between our body and the moving objects affects the way in which we can predict possible collisions. In order to assess this, we manipulated independently velocity and path of two balls moving one towards the other in such a way as to collide or not in peripersonal and extrapersonal space. In two experiments, participants had to judge if these balls were to collide or not. The results consistently showed a lower discrimination capacity and a more liberal tendency to predict collisions when the moving balls were in peripersonal space and their velocity was different rather than equal. This did not happen in extrapersonal space. Therefore, peripersonal space was particularly affected by temporal information. The possible link between the motor and anticipatory adaptive function of peripersonal space and collision prediction mechanisms is discussed. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Space Radiation and Manned Mission: Interface Between Physics and Biology

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hei, Tom

2012-07-01

The natural radiation environment in space consists of a mixed field of high energy protons, heavy ions, electrons and alpha particles. Interplanetary travel to the International Space Station and any planned establishment of satellite colonies on other solar system implies radiation exposure to the crew and is a major concern to space agencies. With shielding, the radiation exposure level in manned space missions is likely to be chronic, low dose irradiation. Traditionally, our knowledge of biological effects of cosmic radiation in deep space is almost exclusively derived from ground-based accelerator experiments with heavy ions in animal or in vitro models. Radiobiological effects of low doses of ionizing radiation are subjected to modulations by various parameters including bystander effects, adaptive response, genomic instability and genetic susceptibility of the exposed individuals. Radiation dosimetry and modeling will provide conformational input in areas where data are difficult to acquire experimentally. However, modeling is only as good as the quality of input data. This lecture will discuss the interdependent nature of physics and biology in assessing the radiobiological response to space radiation.

Smooth adaptive sliding mode vibration control of a flexible parallel manipulator with multiple smart linkages in modal space

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zhang, Quan; Li, Chaodong; Zhang, Jiantao; Zhang, Jianhui

2017-12-01

This paper addresses the dynamic model and active vibration control of a rigid-flexible parallel manipulator with three smart links actuated by three linear ultrasonic motors. To suppress the vibration of three flexible intermediate links under high speed and acceleration, multiple Lead Zirconium Titanate (PZT) sensors and actuators are collocated mounted on each link, forming a smart structure which can achieve self-sensing and self-actuating. The dynamic characteristics and equations of the flexible link incorporated with the PZT sensors and actuator are analyzed and formulated. The smooth adaptive sliding mode based active vibration control is proposed to suppress the vibration of the smart links, and the first and second modes of the three links are targeted to be suppressed in modal space to avoid the spillover phenomenon. Simulations and experiments are implemented to validate the effectiveness of the smart structures and the proposed control laws. Experimental results show that the vibration of the first mode around 92 Hz and the second mode around 240 Hz of the three smart links are reduced respectively by 64.98%, 59.47%, 62.28%, and 45.80%, 36.79%, 33.33%, which further verify the multi-mode vibration control ability of the smooth adaptive sliding mode control law.

InfraCAM (trade mark): A Hand-Held Commercial Infrared Camera Modified for Spaceborne Applications

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Manitakos, Daniel; Jones, Jeffrey; Melikian, Simon

1996-01-01

In 1994, Inframetrics introduced the InfraCAM(TM), a high resolution hand-held thermal imager. As the world's smallest, lightest and lowest power PtSi based infrared camera, the InfraCAM is ideal for a wise range of industrial, non destructive testing, surveillance and scientific applications. In addition to numerous commercial applications, the light weight and low power consumption of the InfraCAM make it extremely valuable for adaptation to space borne applications. Consequently, the InfraCAM has been selected by NASA Lewis Research Center (LeRC) in Cleveland, Ohio, for use as part of the DARTFire (Diffusive and Radiative Transport in Fires) space borne experiment. In this experiment, a solid fuel is ignited in a low gravity environment. The combustion period is recorded by both visible and infrared cameras. The infrared camera measures the emission from polymethyl methacrylate, (PMMA) and combustion products in six distinct narrow spectral bands. Four cameras successfully completed all qualification tests at Inframetrics and at NASA Lewis. They are presently being used for ground based testing in preparation for space flight in the fall of 1995.

Preliminary design polymeric materials experiment. [for space shuttles and Spacelab missions

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Mattingly, S. G.; Rude, E. T.; Marshner, R. L.

1975-01-01

A typical Advanced Technology Laboratory mission flight plan was developed and used as a guideline for the identification of a number of experiment considerations. The experiment logistics beginning with sample preparation and ending with sample analysis are then overlaid on the mission in order to have a complete picture of the design requirements. The results of this preliminary design study fall into two categories. First specific preliminary designs of experiment hardware which is adaptable to a variety of mission requirements. Second, identification of those mission considerations which affect hardware design and will require further definition prior to final design. Finally, a program plan is presented which will provide the necessary experiment hardware in a realistic time period to match the planned shuttle flights. A bibliography of all material reviewed and consulted but not specifically referenced is provided.

Development of an active structure flight experiment

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Manning, R. A.; Wyse, R. E.; Schubert, S. R.

1993-02-01

The design and development of the Air Force and TRW's Advanced Control Technology Experiment (ACTEX) flight experiment is described in this paper. The overall objective of ACTEX is to provide an active structure trailblazer which will demonstrate the compatibility of active structures with operational spacecraft performance and lifetime measures. At the heart of the experiment is an active tripod driven by a digitally-programmable analog control electronics subsystem. Piezoceramic sensors and actuators embedded in a graphite epoxy host material provide the sensing and actuation mechanism for the active tripod. Low noise ground-programmable electronics provide a virtually unlimited number of control schemes that can be implemented in the space environment. The flight experiment program provides the opportunity to gather performance, reliability, adaptability, and lifetime performance data on vibration suppression hardware for the next generation of DoD and NASA spacecraft.

Wetlab-2 - Quantitative PCR Tools for Spaceflight Studies of Gene Expression Aboard the International Space Station

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Schonfeld, Julie E.

2015-01-01

Wetlab-2 is a research platform for conducting real-time quantitative gene expression analysis aboard the International Space Station. The system enables spaceflight genomic studies involving a wide variety of biospecimen types in the unique microgravity environment of space. Currently, gene expression analyses of space flown biospecimens must be conducted post flight after living cultures or frozen or chemically fixed samples are returned to Earth from the space station. Post-flight analysis is limited for several reasons. First, changes in gene expression can be transient, changing over a timescale of minutes. The delay between sampling on Earth can range from days to months, and RNA may degrade during this period of time, even in fixed or frozen samples. Second, living organisms that return to Earth may quickly re-adapt to terrestrial conditions. Third, forces exerted on samples during reentry and return to Earth may affect results. Lastly, follow up experiments designed in response to post-flight results must wait for a new flight opportunity to be tested.

The SCD - Stem Cell Differentiation ESA Project: Preparatory Work for the Spaceflight Mission

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Versari, Silvia; Barenghi, Livia; van Loon, Jack; Bradamante, Silvia

2016-04-01

Due to spaceflight, astronauts experience serious, weightlessness-induced bone loss because of an unbalanced process of bone remodeling that involves bone marrow mesenchymal stem cells (BMSCs), as well as osteoblasts, osteocytes, and osteoclasts. The effects of microgravity on osteo-cells have been extensively studied, but it is only recently that consideration has been given to the role of BMSCs. Previous researches indicated that human BMSCs cultured in simulated microgravity (sim-μg) alter their proliferation and differentiation. The spaceflight opportunities for biomedical experiments are rare and suffer from a number of operative constraints that could bias the validity of the experiment itself, but remain a unique opportunity to confirm and explain the effects due to microgravity, that are only partially activated/detectable in simulated conditions. For this reason, we carefully prepared the SCD - STEM CELLS DIFFERENTIATION experiment, selected by the European Space Agency (ESA) and now on the International Space Station (ISS). Here we present the preparatory studies performed on ground to adapt the project to the spaceflight constraints in terms of culture conditions, fixation and storage of human BMSCs in space aiming at satisfying the biological requirements mandatory to retrieve suitable samples for post-flight analyses. We expect to understand better the molecular mechanisms governing human BMSC growth and differentiation hoping to outline new countermeasures against astronaut bone loss.

Generalization in Adaptation to Stable and Unstable Dynamics

PubMed Central

Kadiallah, Abdelhamid; Franklin, David W.; Burdet, Etienne

2012-01-01

Humans skillfully manipulate objects and tools despite the inherent instability. In order to succeed at these tasks, the sensorimotor control system must build an internal representation of both the force and mechanical impedance. As it is not practical to either learn or store motor commands for every possible future action, the sensorimotor control system generalizes a control strategy for a range of movements based on learning performed over a set of movements. Here, we introduce a computational model for this learning and generalization, which specifies how to learn feedforward muscle activity in a function of the state space. Specifically, by incorporating co-activation as a function of error into the feedback command, we are able to derive an algorithm from a gradient descent minimization of motion error and effort, subject to maintaining a stability margin. This algorithm can be used to learn to coordinate any of a variety of motor primitives such as force fields, muscle synergies, physical models or artificial neural networks. This model for human learning and generalization is able to adapt to both stable and unstable dynamics, and provides a controller for generating efficient adaptive motor behavior in robots. Simulation results exhibit predictions consistent with all experiments on learning of novel dynamics requiring adaptation of force and impedance, and enable us to re-examine some of the previous interpretations of experiments on generalization. PMID:23056191

Motor resources in peripersonal space are intrinsic to spatial encoding: evidence from motor interference.

PubMed

Iachini, Tina; Ruggiero, Gennaro; Ruotolo, Francesco; Vinciguerra, Michela

2014-11-01

The aim of this study was to explore the role of motor resources in peripersonal space encoding: are they intrinsic to spatial processes or due to action potentiality of objects? To answer this question, we disentangled the effects of motor resources on object manipulability and spatial processing in peripersonal and extrapersonal spaces. Participants had to localize manipulable and non-manipulable 3-D stimuli presented within peripersonal or extrapersonal spaces of an immersive virtual reality scenario. To assess the contribution of motor resources to the spatial task a motor interference paradigm was used. In Experiment 1, localization judgments were provided with the left hand while the right dominant arm could be free or blocked. Results showed that participants were faster and more accurate in localizing both manipulable and non-manipulable stimuli in peripersonal space with their arms free. On the other hand, in extrapersonal space there was no significant effect of motor interference. Experiment 2 replicated these results by using alternatively both hands to give the response and controlling the possible effect of the orientation of object handles. Overall, the pattern of results suggests that the encoding of peripersonal space involves motor processes per se, and not because of the presence of manipulable stimuli. It is argued that this motor grounding reflects the adaptive need of anticipating what may happen near the body and preparing to react in time. Copyright © 2014. Published by Elsevier B.V.

Robust adaptive control modeling of human arm movements subject to altered gravity and mechanical loads

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Tryfonidis, Michail

It has been observed that during orbital spaceflight the absence of gravitation related sensory inputs causes incongruence between the expected and the actual sensory feedback resulting from voluntary movements. This incongruence results in a reinterpretation or neglect of gravity-induced sensory input signals. Over time, new internal models develop, gradually compensating for the loss of spatial reference. The study of adaptation of goal-directed movements is the main focus of this thesis. The hypothesis is that during the adaptive learning process the neural connections behave in ways that can be described by an adaptive control method. The investigation presented in this thesis includes two different sets of experiments. A series of dart throwing experiments took place onboard the space station Mir. Experiments also took place at the Biomechanics lab at MIT, where the subjects performed a series of continuous trajectory tracking movements while a planar robotic manipulandum exerted external torques on the subjects' moving arms. The experimental hypothesis for both experiments is that during the first few trials the subjects will perform poorly trying to follow a prescribed trajectory, or trying to hit a target. A theoretical framework is developed that is a modification of the sliding control method used in robotics. The new control framework is an attempt to explain the adaptive behavior of the subjects. Numerical simulations of the proposed framework are compared with experimental results and predictions from competitive models. The proposed control methodology extends the results of the sliding mode theory to human motor control. The resulting adaptive control model of the motor system is robust to external dynamics, even those of negative gain, uses only position and velocity feedback, and achieves bounded steady-state error without explicit knowledge of the system's nonlinearities. In addition, the experimental and modeling results demonstrate that visuomotor learning is important not only for error correction through internal model adaptation on ground or in microgravity, but also for the minimization of the total mean-square error in the presence of random variability. Thus human intelligent decision displays certain attributes that seem to conform to Bayesian statistical games. (Copies available exclusively from MIT Libraries, Rm. 14-0551, Cambridge, MA 02139-4307. Ph. 617-253-5668; Fax 617-253-1690.)

Space Shuttle Projects

NASA Image and Video Library

1996-02-01

The STS-77 crew patch displays the Shuttle Endeavour in the lower left and its reflection within the tripod and concave parabolic mirror of the SPARTAN Inflatable Antenna Experiment (IAE). The center leg of the tripod also delineates the top of the Spacehab's shape, the rest of which is outlined in gold just inside the red perimeter. The Spacehab was carried in the payload bay and housed the Commercial Float Zone Furnace (CFZF). Also depicted within the confines of the IAE mirror are the mission's rendezvous operations with the Passive Aerodynamically-Stabilized Magnetically-Damped satellite (PAM/STU) appears as a bright six-pointed star-like reflection of the sun on the edge of the mirror with Endeavour in position to track it. The sunlight on the mirror's edge, which also appears as an orbital sunset, is located over Goddard Space Flight Center, the development facility for the SPARTAN/IAE and Technology Experiments Advancing Missions in Space (TEAMS) experiments. The reflection of the Earth is oriented to show the individual countries of the crew as well as the ocean which Captain Cook explored in the original Endeavour. The mission number 77 is featured as twin stylized chevrons and an orbiting satellite as adapted from NASA's logo. The stars at the top are arranged as seen in the northern sky in the vicinity of the constellation Ursa Minor. The field of 11 stars represents both the TEAMS cluster of experiments (the four antennae of GPS Attitude and Navigation Experiment (GANE), the single canister of Liquid Metal Thermal Experiment (LMTE), the three canisters of Vented Tank Resupply Experiment (VTRE), and the three canisters of PAM/STU) and the 11th flight of Endeavour. The constellation at the right shows the fourth flight of Spacehab Experiments.

Estimating the effect of the reorganization of interactions on the adaptability of species to changing environments.

PubMed

Cenci, Simone; Montero-Castaño, Ana; Saavedra, Serguei

2018-01-21

A major challenge in community ecology is to understand how species respond to environmental changes. Previous studies have shown that the reorganization of interactions among co-occurring species can modulate their chances to adapt to novel environmental conditions. Moreover, empirical evidence has shown that these ecological dynamics typically facilitate the persistence of groups of species rather than entire communities. However, so far, we have no systematic methodology to identify those groups of species with the highest or lowest chances to adapt to new environments through a reorganization of their interactions. Yet, this could prove extremely valuable for developing new conservation strategies. Here, we introduce a theoretical framework to estimate the effect of the reorganization of interactions on the adaptability of a group of species, within a community, to novel environmental conditions. We introduce the concept of the adaptation space of a group of species based on a feasibility analysis of a population dynamics model. We define the adaptation space of a group as the set of environmental conditions that can be made compatible with its persistence thorough the reorganization of interactions among species within the group. The larger the adaptation space of a group, the larger its likelihood to adapt to a novel environment. We show that the interactions in the community outside a group can act as structural constraints and be used to quantitatively compare the size of the adaptation space among different groups of species within a community. To test our theoretical framework, we perform a data analysis on several pairs of natural and artificially perturbed ecological communities. Overall, we find that the groups of species present in both control and perturbed communities are among the ones with the largest adaptation space. We believe that the results derived from our framework point out towards new directions to understand and estimate the adaptability of species to changing environments. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Strategies for "minimal growth maintenance" of cell cultures: a perspective on management for extended duration experimentation in the microgravity environment of a Space station

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Krikorian, A. D.

1996-01-01

How cells manage without gravity and how they change in the absence of gravity are basic questions that only prolonged life on a Space station will enable us to answer. We know from investigations carried out on various kinds of Space vehicles and stations that profound physiological effects can and often to occur. We need to know more of the basic biochemistry and biophysics both of cells and of whole organisms in conditions of reduced gravity. The unique environment of Space affords plant scientists an unusual opportunity to carry out experiments in microgravity, but some major challenges must be faced before this can be done with confidence. Various laboratory activities that are routine on Earth take on special significance and offer problems that need imaginative resolution before even a relatively simple experiment can be reliably executed on a Space station. For example, scientists might wish to investigate whether adaptive or other changes that have occurred in the environment of Space are retained after return to Earth-normal conditions. Investigators seeking to carry out experiments in the low-gravity environment of Space using cultured cells will need to solve the problem of keeping cultures quiescent for protracted periods before an experiment is initiated, after periodic sampling is carried out, and after the experiment is completed. This review gives an evaluation of a range of strategies that can enable one to manipulate cell physiology and curtail growth dramatically toward this end. These strategies include cryopreservation, chilling, reduced oxygen, gel entrapment strategies, osmotic adjustment, nutrient starvation, pH manipulation, and the use of mitotic inhibitors and growth-retarding chemicals. Cells not only need to be rendered quiescent for protracted periods but they also must be recoverable and further grown if it is so desired. Elaboration of satisfactory procedures for management of cells and tissues at "near zero or minimal growth" will have great value and practical consequences for experimentation on Earth as well as in Space. All of the parameters and conditions and procedural details needed to meet all the specific objectives will be the basis of the design and fabrication of cell culture units for use in the Space environment. It is expected that this will be an evolutionary process.

Effects of 17 days of head-down bed rest on hydro-electrolytic regulation in men

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Millet, C.; Custaud, M. A.; Allevard, A. M.; Zaouali-Ajina, M.; Monk, T. H.; Arnaud, S. B.; Gharib, C.; Gauquelin-Koch, G.

2001-01-01

Prolonged periods of head-down bed rest (HDBR) are commonly used to mimic the effects of microgravity. HDBR has been shown to produce, as in space, a cephalad redistribution of circulating blood volume with an increase in central blood volume which induces the early adaptations in blood volume regulating hormones. Changes in atrial natriuretic peptide (ANP), arginine vasopressin (AVP), renin activity and aldosterone have been observed. Many reports describe these endocrine adaptations but few investigations of rhythms are in the literature. We proposed to evaluate the circadian rhythms of the hormones and electrolytes involved in the hydro-electrolytic regulation during a HDBR study which was designed to simulate a 17-day spaceflight (Life and Microgravity Spacelab experiment, LMS, NASA).

Parallel Programming Strategies for Irregular Adaptive Applications

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Biswas, Rupak; Biegel, Bryan (Technical Monitor)

2001-01-01

Achieving scalable performance for dynamic irregular applications is eminently challenging. Traditional message-passing approaches have been making steady progress towards this goal; however, they suffer from complex implementation requirements. The use of a global address space greatly simplifies the programming task, but can degrade the performance for such computations. In this work, we examine two typical irregular adaptive applications, Dynamic Remeshing and N-Body, under competing programming methodologies and across various parallel architectures. The Dynamic Remeshing application simulates flow over an airfoil, and refines localized regions of the underlying unstructured mesh. The N-Body experiment models two neighboring Plummer galaxies that are about to undergo a merger. Both problems demonstrate dramatic changes in processor workloads and interprocessor communication with time; thus, dynamic load balancing is a required component.

Human performance capabilities in a simulated space station-like environment. 1: Fixed beam luminance and location

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Haines, R. F.; Bartz, A. E.; Zahn, J. R.

1972-01-01

The effects of a fixed, intense, one-foot diameter beam of simulated sunlight imaged within the field of view, upon responses to a battery of visual, body balance and stability, eye-hand coordination, and mental tests were studied. Each subject's electrocardiogram and electro-oculograms (vertical and horizontal) were recorded throughout each two-hour testing period within the space-station-like environment. It is possible to say that both subjects adapted to the brightly illuminated white panels in approximately 30 seconds after their first exposure each day and thereafter did not experience ocular fatigue, eye strain, or other kinds of disturbances as a result of these viewing conditions.

Non-parametric diffeomorphic image registration with the demons algorithm.

PubMed

Vercauteren, Tom; Pennec, Xavier; Perchant, Aymeric; Ayache, Nicholas

2007-01-01

We propose a non-parametric diffeomorphic image registration algorithm based on Thirion's demons algorithm. The demons algorithm can be seen as an optimization procedure on the entire space of displacement fields. The main idea of our algorithm is to adapt this procedure to a space of diffeomorphic transformations. In contrast to many diffeomorphic registration algorithms, our solution is computationally efficient since in practice it only replaces an addition of free form deformations by a few compositions. Our experiments show that in addition to being diffeomorphic, our algorithm provides results that are similar to the ones from the demons algorithm but with transformations that are much smoother and closer to the true ones in terms of Jacobians.

Gravity effects on reproduction, development, and aging

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Miquel, Jaime; Souza, Kenneth A.

1991-01-01

The effects of various levels of gravity force (obtained by rotation in clinostats or by centrifugation) and the near-weightlessness condition aboard orbiting spacecraft on the fertilization, embryonic development, maturation, and aging of animals are examined. Results obtained from the American and Soviet spaceborne biology experiments are presented including those on mammals, amphibians, fish, birds, invertebrates, and protozoa. Theoretical issues related to the effect of gravity on various physiological systems are discused together with the future research goals concerning human life in space. It is noted that life in space (after adaptation to near-weightlessness) might be significantly prolonged due to a reduction in metabolic rate and a concomitant decrease in oxygen radical reactions.

Self-adaptive enhanced sampling in the energy and trajectory spaces: accelerated thermodynamics and kinetic calculations.

PubMed

Gao, Yi Qin

2008-04-07

Here, we introduce a simple self-adaptive computational method to enhance the sampling in energy, configuration, and trajectory spaces. The method makes use of two strategies. It first uses a non-Boltzmann distribution method to enhance the sampling in the phase space, in particular, in the configuration space. The application of this method leads to a broad energy distribution in a large energy range and a quickly converged sampling of molecular configurations. In the second stage of simulations, the configuration space of the system is divided into a number of small regions according to preselected collective coordinates. An enhanced sampling of reactive transition paths is then performed in a self-adaptive fashion to accelerate kinetics calculations.

Adaptive response of slow and fast skeletal muscle in the monkey to spaceflight

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Bodine-Fowler, Sue

1996-01-01

Experiments were designed to determine the effects of the absence of weight support on hindlimb muscles of the monkey: an ankle flexor (tibialis anterior, TA), two ankle extensors (medical gastrocnemius, MG and soleus, SOL), and a knee extensor (vastus lateralis, VL). These experiments will be performed as part of the BION mission. The original project proposed to assess the effects of weightlessness in adult Rhesus monkeys which were to be flown on the Space Shuttle as part of SLS-3. Feasibility studies were carried out and a series of experiments were performed at NASA/Ames Research Center to assess the effects of a 21-day restraint period in the ESOP on muscle properties. The results of these studies are summarized.

Spaceflight induced changes in the human proteome.

PubMed

Kononikhin, Alexey S; Starodubtseva, Natalia L; Pastushkova, Lyudmila Kh; Kashirina, Daria N; Fedorchenko, Kristina Yu; Brhozovsky, Alexander G; Popov, Igor A; Larina, Irina M; Nikolaev, Evgeny N

2017-01-01

Spaceflight is one of the most extreme conditions encountered by humans: Individuals are exposed to radiation, microgravity, hypodynamia, and will experience isolation. A better understanding of the molecular processes induced by these factors may allow us to develop personalized countermeasures to minimize risks to astronauts. Areas covered: This review is a summary of literature searches from PubMed, NASA, Roskosmos and the authors' research experiences and opinions. The review covers the available proteomic data on the effects of spaceflight factors on the human body, including both real space missions and ground-based model experiments. Expert commentary: Overall, the authors believe that the present background, methodology and equipment improvements will enhance spaceflight safety and support accumulation of new knowledge on how organisms adapt to extreme conditions.

Skylab

NASA Image and Video Library

1974-01-01

This image is an artist's concept of the Skylab in orbit. In an early effort to extend the use of Apollo for further applications, NASA established the Apollo Applications Program (AAP) in August of 1965. The AAP was to include long duration Earth orbital missions during which astronauts would carry out scientific, technological, and engineering experiments in space by utilizing modified Saturn launch vehicles and the Apollo spacecraft. Established in 1970, the Skylab program was the forerurner of the AAP. The goals of the Skylab were to enrich our scientific knowledge of the Earth, the Sun, the stars, and cosmic space; to study the effects of weightlessness on living organisms, including man; to study the effects of the processing and manufacturing of materials utilizing the absence of gravity; and to conduct Earth resource observations. The Skylab also conducted 19 selected experiments submitted by high school students. Skylab's 3 different 3-man crews spent up to 84 days in Earth orbit. The Marshall Space Flight Center (MSFC) had responsibility for developing and integrating most of the major components of the Skylab: the Orbital Workshop (OWS), Airlock Module (AM), Multiple Docking Adapter (MDA), Apollo Telescope Mount (ATM), Payload Shroud (PS), and most of the experiments. MSFC was also responsible for providing the Saturn IB launch vehicles for three Apollo spacecraft and crews and a Saturn V launch vehicle for the Skylab.

Skylab

NASA Image and Video Library

1971-01-01

This image illustrates major areas of emphasis of the Skylab Program. In an early effort to extend the use of Apollo for further applications, NASA established the Apollo Applications Program (AAP) in August of 1965. The AAP was to include long duration Earth orbital missions during which astronauts would carry out scientific, technological, and engineering experiments in space by utilizing modified Saturn launch vehicles and the Apollo spacecraft. Established in 1970, the Skylab Program was the forerurner of the AAP. The goals of the Skylab were to enrich our scientific knowledge of the Earth, the Sun, the stars, and cosmic space; to study the effects of weightlessness on living organisms, including man; to study the effects of the processing and manufacturing of materials utilizing the absence of gravity; and to conduct Earth resource observations. The Skylab also conducted 19 selected experiments submitted by high school students. Skylab's 3 different 3-man crews spent up to 84 days in Earth orbit. The Marshall Space Flight Center (MSFC) had responsibility for developing and integrating most of the major components of the Skylab: the Orbital Workshop (OWS), Airlock Module (AM), Multiple Docking Adapter (MDA), Apollo Telescope Mount (ATM), Payload Shroud (PS), and most of the experiments. MSFC was also responsible for providing the Saturn IB launch vehicles for three Apollo spacecraft and crews and a Saturn V launch vehicle for the Skylab.

International Space Station (ISS) Potable Water Dispenser (PWD) Beverage Adapter (BA) Redesign

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Edgerly, Rachel; Benoit, Jace; Shindo, David

2012-01-01

The Potable Water Dispenser used on the International Space Station (ISS) interfaces with food and drink packages using the Beverage Adapter and Needle. Unexpected leakage has been seen in this interface. The Beverage Adapter used on ]orbit was returned to the ground for Test, Teardown, and Evaluation. The results of that investigation prompted a redesign of the Beverage Adapter and Needle. The Beverage Adapter materials were changed to be more corrosion resistant, and the Needle was redesigned to preclude leakage. The redesigns have been tested and proven.

International Space Station (ISS) Potable Water Dispenser (PWD) Beverage Adapter (BA) Redesign

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Edgerly, Rachel; Benoit, Jace; Shindo, David

2011-01-01

The Potable Water Dispenser used on the International Space Station (ISS) interfaces with food and drink packages using the Beverage Adapter and Needle. Unexpected leakage has been seen in this interface. The Beverage Adapter used on-orbit was returned to the ground for Test, Teardown, and Evaluation. The results of that investigation prompted a redesign of the Beverage Adapter and Needle. The Beverage Adapter materials will be changed to be more corrosion resistant, and the Needle will be redesigned to preclude leakage. The redesigns have been tested and proven.

Flexible Two-Photon Interference Fringes with Thermal Light.

PubMed

Cao, De-Zhong; Ren, Cheng; Ni, Jin-Yang; Zhang, Yan; Zhang, Su-Heng; Wang, Kaige

2017-05-16

Flexible interference patterning is an important tool for adaptable measurement precisions. We report on experimental results of controllable two-photon interference fringes with thermal light in an incoherent rotational shearing interferometer. The two incoherent beams in the interferometer are orthogonally polarized, and their wavefront distributions differ only in an angle of rotation. The spacings and directions of the two-photon interference fringes vary with the rotation angle, as illustrated in three cases of two-photon correlation measurements in experiment.

Experimental demonstration of the control of flexible structures

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Schaechter, D. B.; Eldred, D. B.

1984-01-01

The Large Space Structure Technology Flexible Beam Experiment employs a pinned-free flexible beam to demonstrate such required methods as dynamic and adaptive control, as well as various control law design approaches and hardware requirements. An attempt is made to define the mechanization difficulties that may inhere in flexible structures. Attention is presently given to analytical work performed in support of the test facility's development, the final design's specifications, the control laws' synthesis, and experimental results obtained.

Multiscale biomechanical responses of adapted bone-periodontal ligament-tooth fibrous joints

PubMed Central

Jang, Andrew T.; Merkle, Arno; Fahey, Kevin; Gansky, Stuart A.; Ho, Sunita P.

2015-01-01

Reduced functional loads cause adaptations in organs. In this study, temporal adaptations of bone-ligament-tooth fibrous joints to reduced functional loads were mapped using a holistic approach. Systematic studies were performed to evaluate organ-level and tissue-level adaptations in specimens harvested periodically from rats given powder food for 6 months (N = 60 over 8,12,16,20, and 24 weeks). Bone-periodontal ligament (PDL)-tooth fibrous joint adaptation was evaluated by comparing changes in joint stiffness with changes in functional space between the tooth and alveolar bony socket. Adaptations in tissues included mapping changes in the PDL and bone architecture as observed from collagen birefringence, bone hardness and volume fraction in rats fed soft foods (soft diet, SD) compared to those fed hard pellets as a routine diet (hard diet, HD). In situ biomechanical testing on harvested fibrous joints revealed increased stiffness in SD groups (SD:239-605 N/mm) (p<0.05) at 8 and 12 weeks. Increased joint stiffness in early development phase was due to decreased functional space (at 8wks change in functional space was −33 µm, at 12wks change in functional space was −30 µm) and shifts in tissue quality as highlighted by birefringence, architecture and hardness. These physical changes were not observed in joints that were well into function, that is, in rodents older than 12 weeks of age. Significant adaptations in older groups were highlighted by shifts in bone growth (bone volume fraction 24wks: Δ-0.06) and bone hardness (8wks: Δ−0.04 GPa, 16 wks: Δ−0.07 GPa, 24wks: Δ−0.06 GPa). The response rate (N/s) of joints to mechanical loads decreased in SD groups. Results from the study showed that joint adaptation depended on age. The initial form-related adaptation (observed change in functional space) can challenge strain-adaptive nature of tissues to meet functional demands with increasing age into adulthood. The coupled effect between functional space in the bone-PDLtooth complex and strain-adaptive nature of tissues is necessary to accommodate functional demands, and is temporally sensitive despite joint malfunction. From an applied science perspective, we propose that adaptations are registered as functional history in tissues and joints. PMID:26151121

Edible Earth and Space Science Activities

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lubowich, D.; Shupla, C.

2014-07-01

In this workshop we describe using Earth and Space Science demonstrations with edible ingredients to increase student interest. We show how to use chocolate, candy, cookies, popcorn, bagels, pastries, Pringles, marshmallows, whipped cream, and Starburst candy for activities such as: plate tectonics, the interior structure of the Earth and Mars, radioactivity/radioactive dating of rocks and stars, formation of the planets, lunar phases, convection, comets, black holes, curvature of space, dark energy, and the expansion of the Universe. In addition to creating an experience that will help students remember specific concepts, edible activities can be used as a formative assessment, providing students with the opportunity to create something that demonstrates their understanding of the model. The students often eat the demonstrations. These demonstrations are an effective teaching tool for all ages, and can be adapted for cultural, culinary, and ethnic differences among the students.

STS-58 Landing at Edwards with Drag Chute

NASA Image and Video Library

1993-11-01

A drag chute slows the space shuttle Columbia as it rolls to a perfect landing concluding NASA's longest mission at that time, STS-58, at the Ames-Dryden Flight Research Facility (later redesignated the Dryden Flight Research Center), Edwards, California, with a 8:06 a.m. (PST) touchdown 1 November 1993 on Edward's concrete runway 22. The planned 14 day mission, which began with a launch from Kennedy Space Center, Florida, at 7:53 a.m. (PDT), October 18, was the second spacelab flight dedicated to life sciences research. Seven Columbia crewmembers performed a series of experiments to gain more knowledge on how the human body adapts to the weightless environment of space. Crewmembers on this flight included: John Blaha, commander; Rick Searfoss, pilot; payload commander Rhea Seddon; mission specialists Bill MacArthur, David Wolf, and Shannon Lucid; and payload specialist Martin Fettman.

STS-42 MS Hilmers and Payload Specialist Merbold use IML-1 visual stimulator

NASA Image and Video Library

1992-01-30

STS042-203-024 (22-30 Jan. 1992) --- Astronaut David C. Hilmers (right), STS-42 mission specialist, assists European Space Agency (ESA) payload specialist Ulf Merbold with the visual stimulator experiment on the Space Shuttle Discovery's middeck. This particular test is part of an ongoing study of the Space Adaptation Syndrome (SAS). Seated in a stationary mini-sled, Merbold (or any other subject for this test) stares at an umbrella-shaped rotating dome with a pattern of colored dots on its interior. While observing the rotating dome, the subject turns a knob to indicate his perception of body rotation. The strength of circular vection is calculated by comparing the signals from the dome and the knob. The greater the false sense of circular vection, the more the subject is relying on visual information instead of otolith information.

Space Telecommunications Radio System STRS Cognitive Radio

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Briones, Janette C.; Handler, Louis M.

2013-01-01

Radios today are evolving from awareness toward cognition. A software defined radio (SDR) provides the most capability for integrating autonomic decision making ability and allows the incremental evolution toward a cognitive radio. This cognitive radio technology will impact NASA space communications in areas such as spectrum utilization, interoperability, network operations, and radio resource management over a wide range of operating conditions. NASAs cognitive radio will build upon the infrastructure being developed by Space Telecommunication Radio System (STRS) SDR technology. This paper explores the feasibility of inserting cognitive capabilities in the NASA STRS architecture and the interfaces between the cognitive engine and the STRS radio. The STRS architecture defines methods that can inform the cognitive engine about the radio environment so that the cognitive engine can learn autonomously from experience, and take appropriate actions to adapt the radio operating characteristics and optimize performance.

SSME to RS-25: Challenges of Adapting a Heritage Engine to a New Vehicle Architecture

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Ballard, Richard O.

2015-01-01

A key constituent of the NASA Space Launch System (SLS) architecture is the RS-25 engine, also known as the Space Shuttle Main Engine (SSME). This engine was selected largely due to the maturity and extensive experience gained through 30-plus years of service. However, while the RS-25 is a highly mature system, simply unbolting it from the Space Shuttle and mounting it on the new SLS vehicle is not a "plug-and-play" operation. In addition to numerous technical integration and operational details, there were also hardware upgrades needed. While the magnitude of effort is less than that needed to develop a new clean-sheet engine system, this paper describes some of the expected and unexpected challenges encountered to date on the path to the first flight of SLS.

Manufacturing and NDE of Large Composite Structures for Space Transportation at MSFC

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

McGill, Preston; Russell, Sam

2000-01-01

This paper presents the Marshall Space Flight Center's (MSFC's) vision to manufacture, increase safety and reduce the cost of launch vehicles. Nondestructive evaluations of large composite structures are tested for space transportation at MSFC. The topics include: 1) 6 1/2 Generations of Airplanes in a Century; 2) Shuttle Safety Upgrades; 3) Generations of Reusable Launch Vehicles; 4) RLV Technology Demonstration Path; 5) Second Generation; 6) Key NASA Requirements; 7) X-33 Elements; 8) Future-X Pathfinder Projects and Experiments; 9) Focus Area Technical Goals; 10) X-34 Expanded View; 11) X-38 Spacecraft with De-Orbit Propulsion Stage (DPS); 12) Deorbit Module (DM) Critical Design Review (CDR) Design; 13) Forward Structural Adapter (FSA) CDR Design; 14) X-38 DPS CDR Design; 15) RLV Focused Propulsion Technologies; and 16) Challenges in Technology. This paper is presented in viewgraph form.

Behavioral Adaptations of Female Mice on the International Space Station

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Strieter, I.; Moyer, E. L.; Lowe, M.; Choi, S.; Gong, C.; Cadena, Sam; Stodieck, Louis; Globus, R. K.; Ronca, A. E.

2017-01-01

Adult female mice were sent to the International Space Station (ISS) as part of an early life science mission utilizing NASA's Rodent Habitat. Its primary purpose was to provide further insight into the influence of a microgravity environment on various aspects of mammalian physiology and well-being as part of an ongoing program of research aimed ultimately at understanding and ameliorating the deleterious influences of space on the human body. The present study took advantage of video collected from fixed, in-flight cameras within the habitat itself, to assess behavioral adaptations observed among in-flight mice aboard the ISS and differences in behavior with respect to a control group on the ground. Data collection consisted of several behavioral measures recorded by a trained observer with the assistance of interactive behavior analysis software. Specific behavioral measures included frequencies of conspecific interactionsociability, time spent feeding and conducting hygienic behavior, and relative durations of thigmotactic behavior, which is commonly used as an index of anxiety. Data were used to test tentative hypotheses that such behaviors differ significantly across mice under microgravity versus 1g conditions, and the assumption that the novel experience of microgravity itself may represent an initially anxiogenic stimulus which an animal will eventually acclimate to, perhaps through habituation.

Artificial gravity as a countermeasure for mitigating physiological deconditioning during long-duration space missions.

PubMed

Clément, Gilles R; Bukley, Angelia P; Paloski, William H

2015-01-01

In spite of the experience gained in human space flight since Yuri Gagarin's historical flight in 1961, there has yet to be identified a completely effective countermeasure for mitigating the effects of weightlessness on humans. Were astronauts to embark upon a journey to Mars today, the 6-month exposure to weightlessness en route would leave them considerably debilitated, even with the implementation of the suite of piece-meal countermeasures currently employed. Continuous or intermittent exposure to simulated gravitational states on board the spacecraft while traveling to and from Mars, also known as artificial gravity, has the potential for enhancing adaptation to Mars gravity and re-adaptation to Earth gravity. Many physiological functions are adversely affected by the weightless environment of spaceflight because they are calibrated for normal, Earth's gravity. Hence, the concept of artificial gravity is to provide a broad-spectrum replacement for the gravitational forces that naturally occur on the Earth's surface, thereby avoiding the physiological deconditioning that takes place in weightlessness. Because researchers have long been concerned by the adverse sensorimotor effects that occur in weightlessness as well as in rotating environments, additional study of the complex interactions among sensorimotor and other physiological systems in rotating environments must be undertaken both on Earth and in space before artificial gravity can be implemented.

Hierarchical Compliance Control of a Soft Ankle Rehabilitation Robot Actuated by Pneumatic Muscles.

PubMed

Liu, Quan; Liu, Aiming; Meng, Wei; Ai, Qingsong; Xie, Sheng Q

2017-01-01

Traditional compliance control of a rehabilitation robot is implemented in task space by using impedance or admittance control algorithms. The soft robot actuated by pneumatic muscle actuators (PMAs) is becoming prominent for patients as it enables the compliance being adjusted in each active link, which, however, has not been reported in the literature. This paper proposes a new compliance control method of a soft ankle rehabilitation robot that is driven by four PMAs configured in parallel to enable three degrees of freedom movement of the ankle joint. A new hierarchical compliance control structure, including a low-level compliance adjustment controller in joint space and a high-level admittance controller in task space, is designed. An adaptive compliance control paradigm is further developed by taking into account patient's active contribution and movement ability during a previous period of time, in order to provide robot assistance only when it is necessarily required. Experiments on healthy and impaired human subjects were conducted to verify the adaptive hierarchical compliance control scheme. The results show that the robot hierarchical compliance can be online adjusted according to the participant's assessment. The robot reduces its assistance output when participants contribute more and vice versa , thus providing a potentially feasible solution to the patient-in-loop cooperative training strategy.

Hierarchical Compliance Control of a Soft Ankle Rehabilitation Robot Actuated by Pneumatic Muscles

PubMed Central

Liu, Quan; Liu, Aiming; Meng, Wei; Ai, Qingsong; Xie, Sheng Q.

2017-01-01

Traditional compliance control of a rehabilitation robot is implemented in task space by using impedance or admittance control algorithms. The soft robot actuated by pneumatic muscle actuators (PMAs) is becoming prominent for patients as it enables the compliance being adjusted in each active link, which, however, has not been reported in the literature. This paper proposes a new compliance control method of a soft ankle rehabilitation robot that is driven by four PMAs configured in parallel to enable three degrees of freedom movement of the ankle joint. A new hierarchical compliance control structure, including a low-level compliance adjustment controller in joint space and a high-level admittance controller in task space, is designed. An adaptive compliance control paradigm is further developed by taking into account patient’s active contribution and movement ability during a previous period of time, in order to provide robot assistance only when it is necessarily required. Experiments on healthy and impaired human subjects were conducted to verify the adaptive hierarchical compliance control scheme. The results show that the robot hierarchical compliance can be online adjusted according to the participant’s assessment. The robot reduces its assistance output when participants contribute more and vice versa, thus providing a potentially feasible solution to the patient-in-loop cooperative training strategy. PMID:29255412

Development of adaptive control applied to chaotic systems

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Rhode, Martin Andreas

1997-12-01

Continuous-time derivative control and adaptive map-based recursive feedback control techniques are used to control chaos in a variety of systems and in situations that are of practical interest. The theoretical part of the research includes the review of fundamental concept of control theory in the context of its applications to deterministic chaotic systems, the development of a new adaptive algorithm to identify the linear system properties necessary for control, and the extension of the recursive proportional feedback control technique, RPF, to high dimensional systems. Chaos control was applied to models of a thermal pulsed combustor, electro-chemical dissolution and the hyperchaotic Rossler system. Important implications for combustion engineering were suggested by successful control of the model of the thermal pulsed combustor. The system was automatically tracked while maintaining control into regions of parameter and state space where no stable attractors exist. In a simulation of the electrochemical dissolution system, application of derivative control to stabilize a steady state, and adaptive RPF to stabilize a period one orbit, was demonstrated. The high dimensional adaptive control algorithm was applied in a simulation using the Rossler hyperchaotic system, where a period-two orbit with two unstable directions was stabilized and tracked over a wide range of a system parameter. In the experimental part, the electrochemical system was studied in parameter space, by scanning the applied potential and the frequency of the rotating copper disk. The automated control algorithm is demonstrated to be effective when applied to stabilize a period-one orbit in the experiment. We show the necessity of small random perturbations applied to the system in order to both learn the dynamics and control the system at the same time. The simultaneous learning and control capability is shown to be an important part of the active feedback control.

Low cost split stirling cryogenic cooler for aerospace applications

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Veprik, Alexander; Zechtzer, Semeon; Pundak, Nachman; Riabzev, Sergey; Kirckconnel, C.; Freeman, Jeremy

2012-06-01

Cryogenic coolers are used in association with sensitive electronics and sensors for military, commercial or scientific space payloads. The general requirements are high reliability and power efficiency, low vibration export and ability to survive launch vibration extremes and long-term exposure to space radiation. A long standing paradigm of using exclusively space heritage derivatives of legendary "Oxford" cryocoolers featuring linear actuators, flexural bearings, contactless seals and active vibration cancellation is so far the best known practice aiming at delivering high reliability components for the critical and usually expensive space missions. The recent tendency of developing mini and micro satellites for the budget constrained missions has spurred attempts to adapt leading-edge tactical cryogenic coolers to meet the space requirements. The authors are disclosing theoretical and practical aspects of a collaborative effort on developing a space qualified cryogenic refrigerator based on the Ricor model K527 tactical cooler and Iris Technology radiation hardened, low cost cryocooler electronics. The initially targeted applications are cost-sensitive flight experiments, but should the results show promise, some long-life "traditional" cryocooler missions may well be satisfied by this approach.

Dental students' and staff perceptions of the impact of learning environment disruption on their learning and teaching experiences.

PubMed

The, A J M; Adam, L; Meldrum, A; Brunton, P

2017-10-06

This project is a qualitative investigation into student and staff experiences of the effect of a major building redevelopment on their Dental School learning and teaching environments. Currently, there is little research exploring the impact of disruptions to the learning environment on students' learning and staff teaching experiences. Data were collected in 2016 using an online survey, semi-structured interviews and focus groups with students and staff. Data were analysed using a general inductive approach. Four broad themes emerged as follows: (i) students valued having a space for personal and collaborative work within the Dental School; (ii) both staff and students positioned staff contributions to learning experiences above the role of the physical learning environment; (iii) the majority of staff and students not feel that the physical environment limited their clinical training; and (iv) staff and students were able to adapt to the impact of building redevelopment through resilience and organisation. Results of this research have informed the provision of collegial spaces at the School, both as the building redevelopment continues, and in planning for the completed building. © 2017 John Wiley & Sons A/S. Published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

Diffeomorphic demons: efficient non-parametric image registration.

PubMed

Vercauteren, Tom; Pennec, Xavier; Perchant, Aymeric; Ayache, Nicholas

2009-03-01

We propose an efficient non-parametric diffeomorphic image registration algorithm based on Thirion's demons algorithm. In the first part of this paper, we show that Thirion's demons algorithm can be seen as an optimization procedure on the entire space of displacement fields. We provide strong theoretical roots to the different variants of Thirion's demons algorithm. This analysis predicts a theoretical advantage for the symmetric forces variant of the demons algorithm. We show on controlled experiments that this advantage is confirmed in practice and yields a faster convergence. In the second part of this paper, we adapt the optimization procedure underlying the demons algorithm to a space of diffeomorphic transformations. In contrast to many diffeomorphic registration algorithms, our solution is computationally efficient since in practice it only replaces an addition of displacement fields by a few compositions. Our experiments show that in addition to being diffeomorphic, our algorithm provides results that are similar to the ones from the demons algorithm but with transformations that are much smoother and closer to the gold standard, available in controlled experiments, in terms of Jacobians.

Light flash phenomena induced by HzE particles

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Mcnulty, P. J.; Pease, V. P.

1980-01-01

Astronauts and Apollo and Skylab missions have reported observing a variety of visual phenomena when their eyes are closed and adapted to darkness. These phenomena have been collectively labelled as light flashes. Visual phenomena which are similar in appearance to those observed in space have been demonstrated at the number of accelerator facilities by expressing the eyes of human subjects to beams of various types of radiation. In some laboratory experiments Cerenkov radiation was found to be the basis for the flashes observed while in other experiments Cerenkov radiation could apparently be ruled out. Experiments that differentiate between Cerenkov radiation and other possible mechanisms for inducing visual phenomena was then compared. The phenomena obtained in the presence and absence of Cerenkov radiation were designed and conducted. A new mechanism proposed to explain the visual phenomena observed by Skylab astronauts as they passed through the South Atlantic Anomaly, namely nuclear interactions in and near the sensitive layer of the retina, is covered. Also some studies to search for similar transient effects of space radiation on sensors and microcomputer memories are described.

Dynamic plasticity in coupled avian midbrain maps

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Atwal, Gurinder Singh

2004-12-01

Internal mapping of the external environment is carried out using the receptive fields of topographic neurons in the brain, and in a normal barn owl the aural and visual subcortical maps are aligned from early experiences. However, instantaneous misalignment of the aural and visual stimuli has been observed to result in adaptive behavior, manifested by functional and anatomical changes of the auditory processing system. Using methods of information theory and statistical mechanics a model of the adaptive dynamics of the aural receptive field is presented and analyzed. The dynamics is determined by maximizing the mutual information between the neural output and the weighted sensory neural inputs, admixed with noise, subject to biophysical constraints. The reduced costs of neural rewiring, as in the case of young barn owls, reveal two qualitatively different types of receptive field adaptation depending on the magnitude of the audiovisual misalignment. By letting the misalignment increase with time, it is shown that the ability to adapt can be increased even when neural rewiring costs are high, in agreement with recent experimental reports of the increased plasticity of the auditory space map in adult barn owls due to incremental learning. Finally, a critical speed of misalignment is identified, demarcating the crossover from adaptive to nonadaptive behavior.

Classification of Clouds in Satellite Imagery Using Adaptive Fuzzy Sparse Representation.

PubMed

Jin, Wei; Gong, Fei; Zeng, Xingbin; Fu, Randi

2016-12-16

Automatic cloud detection and classification using satellite cloud imagery have various meteorological applications such as weather forecasting and climate monitoring. Cloud pattern analysis is one of the research hotspots recently. Since satellites sense the clouds remotely from space, and different cloud types often overlap and convert into each other, there must be some fuzziness and uncertainty in satellite cloud imagery. Satellite observation is susceptible to noises, while traditional cloud classification methods are sensitive to noises and outliers; it is hard for traditional cloud classification methods to achieve reliable results. To deal with these problems, a satellite cloud classification method using adaptive fuzzy sparse representation-based classification (AFSRC) is proposed. Firstly, by defining adaptive parameters related to attenuation rate and critical membership, an improved fuzzy membership is introduced to accommodate the fuzziness and uncertainty of satellite cloud imagery; secondly, by effective combination of the improved fuzzy membership function and sparse representation-based classification (SRC), atoms in training dictionary are optimized; finally, an adaptive fuzzy sparse representation classifier for cloud classification is proposed. Experiment results on FY-2G satellite cloud image show that, the proposed method not only improves the accuracy of cloud classification, but also has strong stability and adaptability with high computational efficiency.

Exercise load index and changes in body weight during long-duration confinement in an isolated environment

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Kraft, Norbert O.; Lyons, Terence J.; Binder, Heidi; Inoue, Natsuhiko; Ohshima, Hiroshi; Sekiguchi, Chiharu

2003-01-01

PURPOSE: The objectives of this project were to investigate exercise load and body weight related to long-duration confinement in a closed environment simulating ISS flight conditions, and to evaluate subjects' motivation to continue the experiment and their adaptation to isolation. METHODS: Four Russian male subjects participated in a 240-d experiment (Group I), and four subjects (three male subjects and one female subject) from Austria, Canada, Japan, and Russia participated in a 110-d experiment (Group II). Exercise load was estimated during confinement using a modified Rating of Perceived Exertion scale. Free reports were used to determine subjects' motivation. Body weight was measured before, during, and after confinement. RESULTS: Group I achieved their lowest exercise loads during their first month of isolation; problems with adaptation to the isolation environment were also reported during this first month. Group II exercise load was significantly lower in the second month due to crewmember problems; loss of motivation could be noted from their free reports. The subject with the lowest exercise load retired from the isolation experiment earlier than scheduled. Exercise load was not correlated with prior exercise habits. Significant differences in body weight was observed between group I and II and between Russian and non-Russian subjects. One subject in Group I experienced a significant increase in his body weight. CONCLUSION: Exercise load may be a good indicator for adaptation problems and motivation changes in closed environments. Immobility, lack of space, and smoking cessation in general did not induce significant body weight changes.

A Comprehensive Study of Three Delay Compensation Algorithms for Flight Simulators

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Guo, Liwen; Cardullo, Frank M.; Houck, Jacob A.; Kelly, Lon C.; Wolters, Thomas E.

2005-01-01

This paper summarizes a comprehensive study of three predictors used for compensating the transport delay in a flight simulator; The McFarland, Adaptive and State Space Predictors. The paper presents proof that the stochastic approximation algorithm can achieve the best compensation among all four adaptive predictors, and intensively investigates the relationship between the state space predictor s compensation quality and its reference model. Piloted simulation tests show that the adaptive predictor and state space predictor can achieve better compensation of transport delay than the McFarland predictor.

Incipient fault feature extraction of rolling bearings based on the MVMD and Teager energy operator.

PubMed

Ma, Jun; Wu, Jiande; Wang, Xiaodong

2018-06-04

Aiming at the problems that the incipient fault of rolling bearings is difficult to recognize and the number of intrinsic mode functions (IMFs) decomposed by variational mode decomposition (VMD) must be set in advance and can not be adaptively selected, taking full advantages of the adaptive segmentation of scale spectrum and Teager energy operator (TEO) demodulation, a new method for early fault feature extraction of rolling bearings based on the modified VMD and Teager energy operator (MVMD-TEO) is proposed. Firstly, the vibration signal of rolling bearings is analyzed by adaptive scale space spectrum segmentation to obtain the spectrum segmentation support boundary, and then the number K of IMFs decomposed by VMD is adaptively determined. Secondly, the original vibration signal is adaptively decomposed into K IMFs, and the effective IMF components are extracted based on the correlation coefficient criterion. Finally, the Teager energy spectrum of the reconstructed signal of the effective IMF components is calculated by the TEO, and then the early fault features of rolling bearings are extracted to realize the fault identification and location. Comparative experiments of the proposed method and the existing fault feature extraction method based on Local Mean Decomposition and Teager energy operator (LMD-TEO) have been implemented using experimental data-sets and a measured data-set. The results of comparative experiments in three application cases show that the presented method can achieve a fairly or slightly better performance than LMD-TEO method, and the validity and feasibility of the proposed method are proved. Copyright © 2018. Published by Elsevier Ltd.

New challenges for Life Sciences flight project management

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Huntoon, C. L.

1999-01-01

Scientists have conducted studies involving human spaceflight crews for over three decades. These studies have progressed from simple observations before and after each flight to sophisticated experiments during flights of several weeks up to several months. The findings from these experiments are available in the scientific literature. Management of these flight experiments has grown into a system fashioned from the Apollo Program style, focusing on budgeting, scheduling and allocation of human and material resources. While these areas remain important to the future, the International Space Station (ISS) requires that the Life Sciences spaceflight experiments expand the existing project management methodology. The use of telescience with state-the-art information technology and the multi-national crews and investigators challenges the former management processes. Actually conducting experiments on board the ISS will be an enormous undertaking and International Agreements and Working Groups will be essential in giving guidance to the flight project management Teams forged in this matrix environment must be competent to make decisions and qualified to work with the array of engineers, scientists, and the spaceflight crews. In order to undertake this complex task, data systems not previously used for these purposes must be adapted so that the investigators and the project management personnel can all share in important information as soon as it is available. The utilization of telescience and distributed experiment operations will allow the investigator to remain involved in their experiment as well as to understand the numerous issues faced by other elements of the program The complexity in formation and management of project teams will be a new kind of challenge for international science programs. Meeting that challenge is essential to assure success of the International Space Station as a laboratory in space.

New challenges for Life Sciences flight project management.

PubMed

Huntoon, C L

1999-01-01

Scientists have conducted studies involving human spaceflight crews for over three decades. These studies have progressed from simple observations before and after each flight to sophisticated experiments during flights of several weeks up to several months. The findings from these experiments are available in the scientific literature. Management of these flight experiments has grown into a system fashioned from the Apollo Program style, focusing on budgeting, scheduling and allocation of human and material resources. While these areas remain important to the future, the International Space Station (ISS) requires that the Life Sciences spaceflight experiments expand the existing project management methodology. The use of telescience with state-the-art information technology and the multi-national crews and investigators challenges the former management processes. Actually conducting experiments on board the ISS will be an enormous undertaking and International Agreements and Working Groups will be essential in giving guidance to the flight project management Teams forged in this matrix environment must be competent to make decisions and qualified to work with the array of engineers, scientists, and the spaceflight crews. In order to undertake this complex task, data systems not previously used for these purposes must be adapted so that the investigators and the project management personnel can all share in important information as soon as it is available. The utilization of telescience and distributed experiment operations will allow the investigator to remain involved in their experiment as well as to understand the numerous issues faced by other elements of the program The complexity in formation and management of project teams will be a new kind of challenge for international science programs. Meeting that challenge is essential to assure success of the International Space Station as a laboratory in space.

New challenges for life sciences flight project management

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Huntoon, Carolyn L.

1999-09-01

Scientists have conducted studies involving human spaceflight crews for over three decades. These studies have progressed from simple observations before and after each flight to sophisticated experiments during flights of several weeks up to several months. The findings from these experiments are available in the scientific literature. Management of these flight experiments has grown into a system fashioned from the Apollo Program style, focusing on budgeting, scheduling and allocation of human and material resources. While these areas remain important to the future, the International Space Station (ISS) requires that the Life Sciences spaceflight experiments expand the existing project management methodology. The use of telescience with state-of-the-art information technology and the multi-national crews and investigators challenges the former management processes. Actually conducting experiments on board the ISS will be an enormous undertaking and International Agreements and Working Groups will be essential in giving guidance to the flight project management Teams forged in this matrix environment must be competent to make decisions and qualified to work with the array of engineers, scientists, and the spaceflight crews. In order to undertake this complex task, data systems not previously used for these purposes must be adapted so that the investigators and the project management personnel can all share in important information as soon as it is available. The utilization of telescience and distributed experiment operations will allow the investigator to remain involved in their experiment as well as to understand the numerous issues faced by other elements of the program. The complexity in formation and management of project teams will be a new kind of challenge for international science programs. Meeting that challenge is essential to assure success of the International Space Station as a laboratory in space.

Space motion sickness preflight adaptation training: preliminary studies with prototype trainers

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Parker, D. E.; Rock, J. C.; von Gierke, H. E.; Ouyang, L.; Reschke, M. F.; Arrott, A. P.

1987-01-01

Preflight training frequently has been proposed as a potential solution to the problem of space motion sickness. The paper considers successively the otolith reinterpretation, the concept for a preflight adaptation trainer and the research with the Miami University Seesaw, the Wright Patterson Air-Force Base Dynamic Environment Simulator and the Visually Coupled Airborne Systems Simulator prototype adaptation trainers.

Adaptive structures for precision controlled large space systems

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Garba, John A.; Wada, Ben K.; Fanson, James L.

1991-01-01

The stringent accuracy and ground test validation requirements of some of the future space missions will require new approaches in structural design. Adaptive structures, structural systems that can vary their geometric congiguration as well as their physical properties, are primary candidates for meeting the functional requirements for such missions. Research performed in the development of such adaptive structural systems is described.

Limited potential for adaptation to climate change in a broadly distributed marine crustacean.

PubMed

Kelly, Morgan W; Sanford, Eric; Grosberg, Richard K

2012-01-22

The extent to which acclimation and genetic adaptation might buffer natural populations against climate change is largely unknown. Most models predicting biological responses to environmental change assume that species' climatic envelopes are homogeneous both in space and time. Although recent discussions have questioned this assumption, few empirical studies have characterized intraspecific patterns of genetic variation in traits directly related to environmental tolerance limits. We test the extent of such variation in the broadly distributed tidepool copepod Tigriopus californicus using laboratory rearing and selection experiments to quantify thermal tolerance and scope for adaptation in eight populations spanning more than 17° of latitude. Tigriopus californicus exhibit striking local adaptation to temperature, with less than 1 per cent of the total quantitative variance for thermal tolerance partitioned within populations. Moreover, heat-tolerant phenotypes observed in low-latitude populations cannot be achieved in high-latitude populations, either through acclimation or 10 generations of strong selection. Finally, in four populations there was no increase in thermal tolerance between generations 5 and 10 of selection, suggesting that standing variation had already been depleted. Thus, plasticity and adaptation appear to have limited capacity to buffer these isolated populations against further increases in temperature. Our results suggest that models assuming a uniform climatic envelope may greatly underestimate extinction risk in species with strong local adaptation.

Adaptation to implied tilt: extensive spatial extrapolation of orientation gradients

PubMed Central

Roach, Neil W.; Webb, Ben S.

2013-01-01

To extract the global structure of an image, the visual system must integrate local orientation estimates across space. Progress is being made toward understanding this integration process, but very little is known about whether the presence of structure exerts a reciprocal influence on local orientation coding. We have previously shown that adaptation to patterns containing circular or radial structure induces tilt-aftereffects (TAEs), even in locations where the adapting pattern was occluded. These spatially “remote” TAEs have novel tuning properties and behave in a manner consistent with adaptation to the local orientation implied by the circular structure (but not physically present) at a given test location. Here, by manipulating the spatial distribution of local elements in noisy circular textures, we demonstrate that remote TAEs are driven by the extrapolation of orientation structure over remarkably large regions of visual space (more than 20°). We further show that these effects are not specific to adapting stimuli with polar orientation structure, but require a gradient of orientation change across space. Our results suggest that mechanisms of visual adaptation exploit orientation gradients to predict the local pattern content of unfilled regions of space. PMID:23882243

Illumination robust face recognition using spatial adaptive shadow compensation based on face intensity prior

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hsieh, Cheng-Ta; Huang, Kae-Horng; Lee, Chang-Hsing; Han, Chin-Chuan; Fan, Kuo-Chin

2017-12-01

Robust face recognition under illumination variations is an important and challenging task in a face recognition system, particularly for face recognition in the wild. In this paper, a face image preprocessing approach, called spatial adaptive shadow compensation (SASC), is proposed to eliminate shadows in the face image due to different lighting directions. First, spatial adaptive histogram equalization (SAHE), which uses face intensity prior model, is proposed to enhance the contrast of each local face region without generating visible noises in smooth face areas. Adaptive shadow compensation (ASC), which performs shadow compensation in each local image block, is then used to produce a wellcompensated face image appropriate for face feature extraction and recognition. Finally, null-space linear discriminant analysis (NLDA) is employed to extract discriminant features from SASC compensated images. Experiments performed on the Yale B, Yale B extended, and CMU PIE face databases have shown that the proposed SASC always yields the best face recognition accuracy. That is, SASC is more robust to face recognition under illumination variations than other shadow compensation approaches.