NASA released a new book that shows the complex and
sometimes surprising changes in the brain and nervous system
that allow astronauts to adapt to weightlessness.
“The Neurolab Spacelab Mission: Neuroscience Research in
Space,” documents the results of a 16-day Space Shuttle
mission dedicated to studying how weightlessness affects the
brain and nervous system. The seven-person Shuttle Columbia
(STS-90) crew (and two alternate crewmembers on the ground)
worked with 26 experiments during the June 1998, Neurolab
mission. The mission was a collaborative effort among NASA,
its international partners and other government agencies,
including the National Institutes of Health, the National
Science Foundation and the Office of Naval Research.
The experiments’ results suggest nervous systems may need
gravity to develop normally; some concept of how gravity
works also may be “built in” to the brain. “Some experts
studied gravity sensors, others the connections sensors make
in the brain, and others the perceptions the astronauts
themselves experienced,” said Dr. Jay Buckey, an associate
professor of medicine at Dartmouth College, Hanover, N.H.,
who flew aboard Neurolab as a payload specialist. “Taken
together, these experiments offer a comprehensive view of
how the balance system strives to adapt to a novel
environment, such as weightlessness. By putting all the
scientific reports into one volume, the connections between
experiments and their complementary nature became clear,”
Buckey said.
The book’s commentary and summaries are designed to be
accessible to general scientific readers, but the chapters
also include detailed descriptions and references, which
offer researchers opportunities for additional study.
The experiments are organized into five research areas: the
balance system; sensory integration and navigation; nervous
system development in weightlessness; blood pressure
control; and circadian rhythms and sleep. Each area is
described in a brief introduction with detailed color
illustrations.
“This research reveals how the nervous system, the most
complex system in the body, is affected by and adapts to
space,” said NASA’s Chief Scientist, Dr. Shannon Lucid, a
former astronaut researcher. “Through the Neurolab mission,
NASA investigators and agency partners have opened up a new
path of research, allowing us to look at neurological
problems in a new way. This book will be the basis for
rewriting textbooks for years to come.”
“Results from experiments performed on Neurolab will aid in
an improved understanding of medical issues such as blood
pressure control, balance disorders, and sleep disruption
that affect Earth-bound humans,” said Dr. Jerry Homick, the
Neurolab mission scientist. “The varying levels of
information provided by the book should be an asset to
educators and students who wish to learn about the effects
of weightless space flight on the brain and the nervous
system.”
The book is available through the U.S. Government Printing
Office and can be ordered through the Internet at:
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