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Biomedical support of man in spaceIn its broadest sense, biomedical support of man in space must not be limited to assisting spacecraft crew during the mission; such support should also ensure that flight personnel be able to perform properly during landing and after leaving the craft. Man has developed mechanisms that allow him to cope with specific stresses in his normal habitat; there is indisputable evidence that, in some cases, the space environment, by relieving these stresses, has also allowed the adaptive mechanisms to lapse, causing serious problems after re-entry. Inflight biomedical support must therefore include means to simulate some of the normal stresses of the Earth environment. In the area of cardiovascular performance, we have come to rely heavily on complex feedback mechanisms to cope with two stresses, often combined: postural changes, which alter the body axis along which gravitational acceleration acts, and physical exercise, which increases the total load on the system. Unless the appropriate responses are reinforced continuously during flight, crew members may be incapacitated upon return. The first step in the support process must be a study of the way in which changes in g, even of short duration, affect these responses. In particular we should learn more about effects of g on the "on" and "off" dynamics, using a variety of approaches: increased acceleration on one hand at recumbency, immersion, lower body positive pressure, and other means of simulating some of the effects of low g, on the other. Once we understand this, we will have to determine the minimal exposure dose required to maintain the response mechanisms. Finally, we shall have to design stresses that simulate Earth environment and can be imposed in the space vehicle. Some of the information is already at hand; we know that several aspects of the response to exercise are affected by posture. Results from a current series of studies on the kinetics of tilt and on the dynamics of readjustment to exercise in different postures will be presented and discussed.
Document ID
20040112153
Acquisition Source
Johnson Space Center
Document Type
Reprint (Version printed in journal)
Authors
Pendergast, D. R.
(State University of New York at Buffalo 14214)
Olszowka, A. J.
Rokitka, M. A.
Farhi, L. E.
Date Acquired
August 21, 2013
Publication Date
January 1, 1988
Publication Information
Publication: Acta astronautica
Volume: 17
Issue: 2
ISSN: 0094-5765
Subject Category
Aerospace Medicine
Funding Number(s)
CONTRACT_GRANT: NAS9-16042
Distribution Limits
Public
Copyright
Other
Keywords
NASA Discipline Cardiopulmonary
NASA Program Flight
Non-NASA Center
NASA Discipline Number 00-00

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