Does a motion base prevent simulator sickness?

The use of high-fidelity motion cues to reduce the discrepancy between visually implied motion and actual motion is tested experimentally using the NASA Vertical Motion Simulator (VMS). Ten pilot subjects use the VMS to fly simulated S-turns and sawtooths which generate a high incidence of motion sickness. The subjects fly the maneuvers on separate days both with and without use of a motion base provided by the VMS, and data are collected regarding symptoms, dark focus, and postural equilibrium. The motion-base condition is shown to be practically irrelevant with respect to the incidence and severity of motion sickness. It is suggested that the data-collection procedure cannot detect differences in sickness levels, and the false cues of the motion condition are theorized to have an adverse impact approximately equivalent to the absence of cues in a fixed-base condition.