Days Of Flight Research Articles

Liver tissue changes during and post 6-month spaceflight as measured by ultrasound radio frequency signal processing.

Analysis of ultrasound radio frequency (RF) signals allows for the determination of the index of reflectivity (IR), which is a new measure that is dependent on tissue properties. Previous work has shown differences in the IR of the carotid artery wall with long-duration spaceflight; therefore, it was hypothesized that liver tissue would also show differences in this measure with spaceflight. The RF signal of a liver tissue region of interest (ROI) was displayed and processed along six different lines covering a surface of approximately 2cm × 2cm. The IR was calculated as the energy backscattered by the liver ROI divided by the total energy returned to the ultrasound probe. Seven astronauts were investigated preflight, inflight on day 150, and postflight 4days and 6months after rerunning to Earth. Compared to preflight (63% ± 18%), the liver tissue ROI IR was significantly lower on flight day 150 (46% ± 14%; p = 0.027) and 4days postflight (46% ± 19%; p = 0.025). At 6months postflight, the IR returned to preflight values (59% ± 13%; p = 0.919). The significant decrease in the coefficient of reflectivity inflight and 4days postflight indicates an alteration in the liver tissue that reduces the reflection of ultrasound waves. This change in tissue properties could either be due to the addition of particles that do not reflect ultrasound waves or structural or cellular changes that alter the reflectivity of the tissue.

Airborne Measurements Reveal High Spatiotemporal Variation and the Heavy‐Tail Characteristic of Nitrous Oxide Emissions in Iowa

AbstractNitrous oxide (N2O) emissions from croplands contribute substantially to the climate impact of agriculture. Emissions of N2O are controlled by both anthropogenic and environmental factors and can vary by orders of magnitude over short times and distances. This nature of emissions is difficult to capture with models and presents an observational challenge. In the 2021 and 2022 growing season, we collected airborne measurements of N2O over Iowa to characterize N2O emissions at the farm to multi‐county spatial scales across days. We link our airborne observations to surface emissions using a Lagrangian particle dispersion model and quantify emissions using a Bayesian inversion framework. We find emissions magnitudes across Iowa, showing greater skew than modeled predictions, with a small fraction of fields contributing disproportionately to the total [25% of the domain contributing to 52%–77% of total emissions]. In addition to the high spatial variation, we find high temporal variability between flight days by a factor of 2 at the 100 km scale, and an order of magnitude at the 2 km scale], with peak emissions occurring at median soil moisture. This work illustrates the importance of transient, intense emissions from concentrated areas in explaining total cropland emissions, and demonstrates how airborne measurements can provide insights into variation that may be missed by other observational systems. Investigation into environmental factors highlights the need for observations, models and their input data to be spatiotemporally resolved to enable direct comparison, facilitating evaluation of predicted and reported emissions and providing guidance and feedback on mitigation strategies.

Severe Spaceflight-Associated Neuro-Ocular Syndrome in an Astronaut With 2 Predisposing Factors

Understanding potential predisposing factors associated with spaceflight-associated neuro-ocular syndrome (SANS) may influence its management. To describe a severe case of SANS associated with 2 potentially predisposing factors. Ocular testing of and blood collections from a female astronaut were completed preflight, inflight, and postflight in the setting of the International Space Station (ISS). Weightlessness throughout an approximately 6-month ISS mission. Mean carbon dioxide (CO2) partial pressure decreased from 2.6 to 1.3 mm Hg weeks before the astronaut's flight day (FD) 154 optical coherence tomography (OCT) session. In response to SANS, 4 B-vitamin supplements (vitamin B6, 100 mg; L-methylfolate, 5 mg; vitamin B12, 1000 μg; and riboflavin, 400 mg) were deployed, unpacked on FD153, consumed daily through FD169, and then discontinued due to gastrointestinal discomfort. Refraction, distance visual acuity (DVA), optic nerve, and macular assessment on OCT. Cycloplegic refraction was -1.00 diopter in both eyes preflight and +0.50 - 0.25 × 015 in the right eye and +1.00 diopter in the left eye 3 days postflight. Uncorrected DVA was 20/30 OU preflight, 20/16 or better by FD90, and 20/15 OU 3 days postflight. Inflight peripapillary total retinal thickness (TRT) peaked between FD84 and FD126 (right eye, 401 μm preflight, 613 μm on FD84; left eye, 404 μm preflight, 636 μm on FD126), then decreased. Peripapillary choroidal folds, quantified by surface roughness, peaked at 12.7 μm in the right eye on FD154 and 15.0 μm in the left eye on FD126, then decreased. Mean choroidal thickness increased throughout the mission. Genetic analyses revealed 2 minor alleles for MTRR 66 and 2 major alleles for SHMT1 1420 (ie, 4 of 4 SANS risk alleles). One-week postflight, lumbar puncture opening pressure was normal, at 19.4 cm H2O. To the authors' knowledge, no other report of SANS documented as large of a change in peripapillary TRT or hyperopic shift during a mission as in this astronaut, and this was only 1 of 4 astronauts to experience chorioretinal folds approaching the fovea. This case showed substantial inflight improvement greater than the sensitivity of the measure, possibly associated with B-vitamin supplementation and/or reduction in cabin CO2. However, as a single report, such improvement could be coincidental to these interventions, warranting further evaluation.

Collection of biospecimens from the inspiration4 mission establishes the standards for the space omics and medical atlas (SOMA)

The SpaceX Inspiration4 mission provided a unique opportunity to study the impact of spaceflight on the human body. Biospecimen samples were collected from four crew members longitudinally before (Launch: L-92, L-44, L-3 days), during (Flight Day: FD1, FD2, FD3), and after (Return: R + 1, R + 45, R + 82, R + 194 days) spaceflight, spanning a total of 289 days across 2021-2022. The collection process included venous whole blood, capillary dried blood spot cards, saliva, urine, stool, body swabs, capsule swabs, SpaceX Dragon capsule HEPA filter, and skin biopsies. Venous whole blood was further processed to obtain aliquots of serum, plasma, extracellular vesicles and particles, and peripheral blood mononuclear cells. In total, 2,911 sample aliquots were shipped to our central lab at Weill Cornell Medicine for downstream assays and biobanking. This paper provides an overview of the extensive biospecimen collection and highlights their processing procedures and long-term biobanking techniques, facilitating future molecular tests and evaluations.As such, this study details a robust framework for obtaining and preserving high-quality human, microbial, and environmental samples for aerospace medicine in the Space Omics and Medical Atlas (SOMA) initiative, which can aid future human spaceflight and space biology experiments.

Experimental validation of a UAS at engine ingestion conditions: Part I Experiments

In recent years, uncrewed aircraft systems (UASs) have greatly increased in popularity and accessibility to the public. This dramatic increase has led to a substantial risk of a midair collision between a UAS and a commercial aircraft, and these collisions need to be analyzed to understand the dangers associated with them. Soft body (i.e., birds or ice) impacts have been happening since the early days of flight and have been studied thoroughly. In contrast, there has been significantly less research on hard body impacts, with most of the currently published research not using experimentally validated models at the conditions expected to be seen in an engine ingestion. The purpose of this work is to discuss the design and execution of experiments to improve and validate a UAS model for high speed impacts for future engine ingestion studies. The overall effort consisted of first conducting physical tests that represent specific high speed ingestion scenarios. Then simulating these tests using a high fidelity finite element tool. Then finally updating the model as necessary. The design of the experiments, experimental test setup, instrumentation and experimental results are highlighted in Part I of this work. The computational model update and validation of the UAS at conditions seen in an engine ingestion are done in Part II of this work.

Deep Convective Microphysics Experiment (DCMEX) coordinated aircraft and ground observations: microphysics, aerosol, and dynamics during cumulonimbus development

Abstract. Cloud feedbacks associated with deep convective anvils remain highly uncertain. In part, this uncertainty arises from a lack of understanding of how microphysical processes influence the cloud radiative effect. In particular, climate models have a poor representation of microphysics processes, thereby encouraging the collection and study of observation data to enable better representation of these processes in models. As such, the Deep Convective Microphysics Experiment (DCMEX) undertook an in situ aircraft and ground-based measurement campaign of New Mexico deep convective clouds during July–August 2022. The campaign coordinated a broad range of instrumentation measuring aerosol, cloud physics, radar, thermodynamics, dynamics, electric fields, and weather. This paper introduces the potential data user to DCMEX observational campaign characteristics, relevant instrument details, and references to more detailed instrument descriptions. Also included is information on the structure and important files in the dataset in order to aid the accessibility of the dataset to new users. Our overview of the campaign cases illustrates the complementary operational observations available and demonstrates the breadth of the campaign cases observed. During the campaign, a wide selection of environmental conditions occurred, ranging from dry, northerly air masses with low wind shear to moist, southerly air masses with high wind shear. This provided a wide range of different convective growth situations. Of 19 flight days, only 2 d lacked the formation of convective cloud. The dataset presented (https://doi.org/10.5285/B1211AD185E24B488D41DD98F957506C; Facility for Airborne Atmospheric Measurements et al., 2024) will help establish a new understanding of processes on the smallest cloud- and aerosol-particle scales and, once combined with operational satellite observations and modelling, can support efforts to reduce the uncertainty of anvil cloud radiative impacts on climate scales.

Photorefractive Keratectomy and Laser-Assisted In Situ Keratomileusis on 6-Month Space Missions.

BACKGROUND: This article documents the stability of photorefractive keratectomy (PRK) and laser-assisted in situ keratomileusis (LASIK) in two astronauts during 6-mo missions to the International Space Station.CASE REPORTS: Ocular examinations including visual acuity, cycloplegic refraction, slit lamp examination, corneal topography, central corneal thickness, optical biometry (axial length/keratometry), applanation tonometry, and dilated fundus examination were performed on each astronaut before and after their missions, and in-flight visual acuity testing was done on flight day 30, 90, and R-30 (30 d before return). They were also questioned regarding visual changes during flight.DISCUSSION: We documented stable vision in both PRK and LASIK astronauts during liftoff, entry into microgravity, 6 mo on the International Space Station, descent, and landing. Our results suggest that both PRK and LASIK are stable and well tolerated during long-duration spaceflight.Gibson CR, Mader TH, Lipsky W, Schallhorn SC, Tarver WJ, Suresh R, Hauge TN, Brunstetter TJ. Photorefractive keratectomy and laser-assisted in situ keratomileusis on 6-month space missions. Aerosp Med Hum Perform. 2024; 95(5):278-281.

Thrust Rebalance to Extend Engine Time On-Wing With Consideration of Engine Degradation and Creep Life Consumption

Abstract Over the years, airlines have consistently attempted to lower their operational costs and improve aircraft availability by applying various technologies. Engine maintenance expenses are one of the most substantial costs for aircraft operations, accounting for around 30% of overall aircraft operational costs. So, maximizing aircraft time between overhaul (TBO) is crucial to lowering the costs. The engine time on-wing is often limited due to the expiration of Life Limiting Parts, performance deterioration, etc. This paper presents a novel method of rebalancing the thrust of engines of an aircraft to maximize the time between overhaul of the aircraft considering the performance degradation and creep life consumption of the engines. The method is applied to a model aircraft fitted with two model engines similar to GE90-115B to test the feasibility of the method with one engine degraded and the other engine undergraded. The obtained results demonstrate that for the aircraft flying between London and Toronto with 5000 nominal flight cycles given to the engines, the time on-wing of the degraded engine could drop from 5000 to 2460 flight days due to its high-pressure (HP) turbine degradation (1% efficiency degradation and 3% flow capacity degradation), causing the same level of drop of time between overhaul of the aircraft. The time on-wing of the degraded engine could increase from 2460 flight days without thrust rebalance to 3410 flight days with thrust rebalance, i. e. around 38.6% potential improvement for the time between overhaul of the aircraft at the expenses of increased creep life consumption rate of the clean engine. The proposed method could be applied to other aircraft and engines.

Acute and short-term fluctuations in gravity are associated with changes in circulatory plasma protein levels

Gravitational changes between micro- and hypergravity cause several adaptations and alterations in the human body. Besides muscular atrophy and immune system impairment, effects on the circulatory system have been described, which can be associated with a wide range of blood biomarker changes. This study examined nine individuals (seven males, two females) during a parabolic flight campaign (PFC). Thirty-one parabolas were performed in one flight day, resulting in ~22 s of microgravity during each parabola. Each participant was subjected to a single flight day with a total of 31 parabolas, totaling 11 min of microgravity during one parabolic flight. Before and after (1 hour (h) and 24 h), the flights blood was sampled to examine potential gravity-induced changes of circulating plasma proteins. Proximity Extension Assay (PEA) offers a proteomic solution, enabling the simultaneous analysis of a wide variety of plasma proteins. From 2925 unique proteins analyzed, 251 (8.58%) proteins demonstrated a differential regulation between baseline, 1 h and 24 h post flight. Pathway analysis indicated that parabolic flights led to altered levels of proteins associated with vesicle organization and apoptosis up to 24 h post microgravity exposure. Varying gravity conditions are associated with poorly understood physiological changes, including stress responses and fluid shifts. We provide a publicly available library of gravity-modulated circulating protein levels illustrating numerous changes in cellular pathways relevant for inter-organ function and communication.

Measuring Coupled Fire–Atmosphere Dynamics: The California Fire Dynamics Experiment (CalFiDE)

Abstract The social, economic, and ecological impacts of wildfires are increasing over much of the United States and globally, partially due to changing climate and build-up of fuels from past forest management practices. This creates a need to improve coupled fire–atmosphere forecast models. However, model performance is difficult to evaluate due to scarcity of observations for many key fire–atmosphere interactions, including updrafts and plume injection height, plume entrainment processes, fire intensity and rate-of-spread, and plume chemistry. Intensive observations of such fire–atmosphere interactions during active wildfires are rare due to the logistical challenges and scales involved. The California Fire Dynamics Experiment (CalFiDE) was designed to address these observational needs, using Doppler lidar, high-resolution multispectral imaging, and in situ air quality instruments on a NOAA Twin Otter research aircraft, and Doppler lidars, radar, and other instrumentation on multiple ground-based mobile platforms. Five wildfires were studied across northern California and southern Oregon over 16 flight days from 28 August to 25 September 2022, including a breadth of fire stages from large blow-up days to smoldering air quality observations. Missions were designed to optimize the observation of the spatial structure and temporal evolution of each fire from early afternoon until sunset during multiple consecutive days. The coordination of the mobile platforms enabled four-dimensional sampling strategies during CalFiDE that will improve understanding of fire–atmosphere dynamics, aiding in model development and prediction capability. Satellite observations contributed aerosol measurements and regional context. This article summarizes the scientific objectives, platforms and instruments deployed, coordinated sampling strategies, and presents first results.

Motion-pressure coupled control and simulation of long-endurance capability for multicapsule stratospheric airships

The current study focuses on the motion-pressure coupled control for a multicapsule stratospheric airship and transforms the path-tracking and heading-hold control of airships into guidance tracking with a time-varying weighted sum of longitudinal and lateral velocities by the definition of compound speed. Herein, an improved nonlinear predictive control method is provided to reduce the control energy consumption by the rolling optimization of controller parameters based on finite time intervals, ensuring infinite-time path-tracking tasks. Simultaneously, combined with the proposed cyclic regulation process of safe pressure between internal and external capsules, this study can fully reflect the force-thermal coupled rule of airships under the actions of atmospheric environment and maneuvering force, while evaluating the long-endurance capability of airships under the conditions of safe superheating and overpressure. The effectiveness of the motion-pressure coupled controller was verified through numerical simulations, which can overcome the influence of environmental wind and achieve a tracking effect for the desired cruise path and compound speed. The airspeed provided during the cyclic circadian time caused the maximum superheating of the helium controlled within 30 °C. The helium in the internal and external capsules achieved circadian regulation. The equivalent micropore diameter of the capsule of 5 mm can achieve 55 days of long-endurance flight. The controller satisfies the requirements of cruise-flight application modes for multicapsule stratospheric airships with important engineering value.

ИССЛЕДОВАНИЕ МИКРОЦИРКУЛЯЦИИ КРОВИ В УСЛОВИЯХ НЕВЕСОМОСТИ С ПОМОЩЬЮ ПОРТАТИВНЫХ ЛАЗЕРНЫХ ДОПЛЕРОВСКИХ ФЛОУМЕТРОВ

The paper reports the results of blood microcirculation studies in microgravity using portable laser analyzer LAZMAPF. Two cosmonauts (C-1 and C-2) performed pre-launch and in-flight (9 days) 8-minute sessions with the use of 2 portable flowmeters symmetrically attached to the temporal skin, palmer sides of distal phalanxes III, forearm superficies and planter surfaces of toe distal phalanxes I. In C-1, mean perfusion rate in toes decreased more than in half due to blood redistribution toward the upper body on the first two days in orbit and then, by way of adaptation, regained normal mean values. In C-2, compression of the proximal regions of lower extremities to induce blood deposition caused high-amplitude NO-dependent oscillations at about 1/min. On the background of adaptation during flight days 2–3, high-amplitude endothelial vasomotions in C-1 (one oscillation every 3–4 minutes) can be associated with an endothelial hyperpolarizing factor. In whole, on flight days 2–3 adaptation of the microcirculation system, particularly pronounced in the temporal and planter tissues, was characterized by a significant reduction of perfusion and increased vascular tone. Baseline prelaunch values were regained by flight day 6. For the first time, a research technique was proposed under microgravity conditions and data were obtained on the state of blood microcirculation of astronauts during the period of acute adaptation to microgravity conditions and readaptation after flight completion.

Evaluation of four ground-based retrievals of cloud droplet number concentration in marine stratocumulus with aircraft in situ measurements

Abstract. Cloud droplet number concentration (Nd) is crucial for understanding aerosol–cloud interactions (ACI) and associated radiative effects. We present evaluations of four ground-based Nd retrievals based on comprehensive datasets from the Atmospheric Radiation Measurement (ARM) Aerosol and Cloud Experiments in the Eastern North Atlantic (ACE-ENA) field campaign. The Nd retrieval methods use ARM ENA observatory ground-based remote sensing observations from a micropulse lidar, Raman lidar, cloud radar, and the ARM NDROP (Droplet Number Concentration) value-added product (VAP), all of which also retrieve cloud effective radius (re). The retrievals are compared against aircraft measurements from the fast cloud droplet probe (FCDP) and the cloud and aerosol spectrometer (CAS) obtained from low-level marine boundary layer clouds on 12 flight days during summer and winter seasons. Additionally, the in situ measurements are used to validate the assumptions and characterizations used in the retrieval algorithms. Statistical comparisons of the probability distribution function (PDF) of the Nd and cloud re retrievals with aircraft measurements demonstrate that these retrievals align well with in situ measurements for overcast clouds, but they may substantially differ for broken clouds or clouds with low liquid water path (LWP). The retrievals are applied to 4 years of ground-based remote sensing measurements of overcast marine boundary layer clouds at the ARM ENA observatory to find that Nd (re) values exhibit seasonal variations, with higher (lower) values during the summer season and lower (higher) values during the winter season. The ensemble of various retrievals using different measurements and retrieval algorithms such as those in this paper can help to quantify Nd retrieval uncertainties and identify reliable Nd retrieval scenarios. Of the retrieval methods, we recommend using the micropulse lidar-based method. This method has good agreement with in situ measurements, less sensitivity to issues arising from precipitation and low cloud LWP and/or optical depth, and broad applicability by functioning for both daytime and nighttime conditions.

AUTUMN MIGRATION OF THE GREATER NOCTULE BAT (<i>NYCTALUS LASIOPTERUS</i>): ACROSS COUNTRIES AND MOUNTAINS TO A NEW RECORD FOR THE RANGE OF SEASONAL FLIGHTS OF BATS

For the first time, using GPS-GSM trackers, long-term seasonal flights of greater noctule bat (Nyctalus lasiopterus) from summer habitats in Russia to wintering areas in Europe have been recorded. One of the seasonal migratory flights is a record distance for bats (2515 km). The maximum daily flight was 445 km. One of the animals abruptly changed the direction of migration from southwest to north on the third day of flight after crossing the Kursk magnetic anomaly.

Astronauts eye-head coordination dysfunction over the course of twenty space shuttle flights.

Coordination of motor activity is adapted to Earth's gravity (1 g). However, during space flight the gravity level changes from Earth gravity to hypergravity during launch, and to microgravity (0 g) in orbit. This transition between gravity levels may alter the coordination between eye and head movements in gaze performance. We explored how weightlessness during space flight altered the astronauts' eye-head coordination (EHC) with respect to flight day and target eccentricity. Thirty-four astronauts of 20 Space Shuttle missions had to acquire visual targets with angular offsets of 20°, 30°, and 49°. Measurements of eye, head, and gaze positions collected before and during flight days 1 to 15 indicated changes during target acquisition that varied as a function of flight days and target eccentricity. The in-flight alterations in EHC were presumably the result of a combination of several factors, including a transfer from allocentric to egocentric reference for spatial orientation in absence of a gravitational reference, the generation of slower head movements to attenuate motion sickness, and a decrease in smooth pursuit and vestibulo-ocular reflex performance. These results confirm that humans have several strategies for gaze behavior, between which they switch depending on the environmental conditions.

MIT Zero-G outreach initiative: Using experiment design and virtual reality to inspire the next generation of space scientists and engineers

MIT's Space Exploration Initiative offers a course on project development, prototyping, and deployment readiness for parabolic flights, culminating in an annually chartered research flight with Zero-G. MIT's Resource Exploration and Science of our Cosmic Environment (RESOURCE) team participated in the course in the fall of 2021 with a Zero-G flight in May of 2022 testing technology for a virtual reality platform to enable science on Lunar rover exploration missions. In parallel with the scientific effort, the team developed the MIT Zero-G Outreach Initiative (0G-OI), an outreach program to engage with the Cambridge Public School's (CPS) grade 7 classes to teach them about research in microgravity, parabolic flight, and experiment design. The goal of the outreach program is to inspire the next generation of space scientists and engineers using virtual reality.The CPS grade 7 curriculum covers ‘Mysteries of the Universe’ where students consider the role of gravity in the solar system. They also complete a unit on roller coasters in which they learn about key ideas of force, motion, and energy through the context of roller coasters. The 0G-OI Initiative ties these two units together through five videos covering: 1) an overview of the initiative, 2) the basics of parabolic flight and how we perceive gravity, 3) an overview of gravity and its function in the universe, 4) why and what we can study in microgravity and 5) how to design an experiment for microgravity. The students then design their own experiments for microgravity. These are down-selected to the top 5 experiments that are reviewed by an astronaut to select one experiment to fly on the MIT chartered Zero-G parabolic flight. The flight and the experiment are filmed in VR video by the MIT RESOURCE team. Each participating school is provided with an Oculus Quest 2 VR headset and a flight day is held at each school where the students experience the Zero-G flight and see the results of their experiment in an immersive VR environment. Using this initial setup, the 0G-OI can be run annually in parallel with MIT's SEI parabolic flight course.Some key development parameters included keeping the educational videos under 10 min, that having an astronaut select the winning experiment provided incentive and finally, using VR, as this technology is commonly associated with gaming and entertainment. Lessons learned focused on improvements to scheduling and coordination with Zero-G, in-person programming and classroom experience optimization. The 0G-OI aims to develop a lasting relationship with the CPSs and make the exciting experience of parabolic flight and space exploration an accessible experience.

Ecology and behavioral patterns of Luciola cruciate in a restored forest in a chemical plant

Efforts to restore firefly populations are ongoing; these populations have been declining due to the development of cities and industries. The first step in restoration is the development of a breeding system that can accommodate approximately 5000 hatched larvae of Luciola cruciate, an aquatic firefly species, until they reach the last instar larval stage. The bred larvae are released into a river in a restored forest in a chemical plant, where they can breed naturally. Firefly-viewing events are organized so that people can experience the pleasure of watching fireflies. Such events can be successful if the peak flight season of fireflies can be predicted accurately. There is scope to improve the methods used for flight season prediction, which have impaired prediction accuracy owing to the variability of regional characteristics. In this study, data on fireflies and meteorological data accumulated for the restored forest over 11 years were analyzed and the peak flight days of L. cruciate adults and climbing by L. cruciate larvae were discussed. The new regression equation-based method proposed in this study, which used the breeding temperature and minimum humidity, can estimate the peak flight date of adult fireflies better than the conventional method based on the effective cumulative temperature. As part of the ecology of fireflies, statistical analysis on climbing by larvae revealed that minimum air temperature and cumulative precipitation were significant predictors of climbing and that climbing occurred on a rainy night with a minimum air temperature of ≥ 10 °C.

Pre-flight body weight effects on urinary calcium excretion in space

Microgravity-induced bone loss increases urinary calcium excretion which increases kidney stone formation risk. Not all individuals show the same degree of increase in urinary calcium and some pre-flight characteristics may help identify individuals who may benefit from in-flight monitoring. In weightlessness the bone is unloaded, and the effect of this unloading may be greater for those who weigh more. We studied whether pre-flight body weight was associated with increased in-flight urinary calcium excretion using data from Skylab and the International Space Station (ISS). The study was reviewed and approved by the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) electronic Institutional Review Board (eIRB) and data were sourced from the Longitudinal Study of Astronaut Health (LSAH) database. The combined Skylab and ISS data included 45 participants (9 Skylab, 36 ISS). Both weight and day in flight were positively related to urinary calcium excretion. There was also an interaction between weight and day in flight with higher weight associated with higher calcium excretion earlier in the mission. This study shows that pre-flight weight is also a factor and could be included in the risk assessments for bone loss and kidney stone formation in space.

Abidjan '99: A Journey through Disbelief

Abidjan '99A Journey through Disbelief Sanya Osha (bio) Click for larger view View full resolution Looking for relief and new possibilities, a lecturer at the University of Ibadan travels to Cape Town, but the route is anything but direct. BY 1999 the massive exodus out of Nigeria had attained a crescendo. In that auspicious year, the military handed over power to civilians after decades of military rule. The citizenry was weary from being browbeaten for years by military adventurists. In the 1980s the brain drain commenced, emptying industry, academia, and medicine of the finest minds. I belonged to a writers' collective nominally headed by the irreplaceable Harry Garuba, a poet and popular lecturer at the University of Ibadan, who decamped to the KwaZulu-Natal province of South Africa to take up a teaching post in 1998. Harry eventually made a considerable impact as a distinguished professor of African studies and English literature at the University of Cape Town. The civilian dispensation in Nigeria did not assuage societal fears regarding possible military coups d'état, civil strife, and general uncertainty. But my professional circumstances, on the surface, looked good. I had taken up a lectureship at the University of Ibadan where I had initially met Garuba. Immediately, I was bombarded with work and expectations. It was difficult to breathe regularly. There was a haste and frenzy about everything on campus. Obviously, the sense of national malaise and unease filtered into all spheres of life, including my own little corner of the world. I needed some kind of relief, and an opportunity to visit Cape Town, South Africa, for an academic conference cropped up. It was to be my first visit to Nelson Mandela's country, which during the time held aloft the African flame. Perhaps Cape Town would change my perspective on things, open up possibilities undreamed of. There was desperation even in those early days of human flight to the South African Eldorado. The South African High Commission then located at southwest Ikoyi, Lagos, was teeming with applicants and all sorts of desperados. People were tense and edgy, as if they were fleeing a war zone. I saw a slightly corpulent celebrity evangelist, Uma Ukpai, looking like a corrupt senator in resplendent flowing robes of azure and silver embroidery. The trendy automobile that brought him swerved dramatically to a halt, deposited him like a feudal despot, as he polished his manicured fingernails and picked his teeth. He was quite a sight. What a charmed existence, all in the name of God. Ukpai did not expect to endure the hurly-burly of acquiring a South African visa. He had minions working on his behalf. The visa application process was further complicated by the fact that South Africa was hosting an international sports event, which meant that a deluge of athletes, sport administrators, political hangers-on, and groupies suddenly all needed their visas on short notice. Those of us who weren't part of that crowd were duly relegated. I traveled a number of times from Ibadan to Lagos, hoping to pick up my visa, and each time was told it wasn't ready. On the day I was to travel, it still wasn't ready. I had given up hope on embarking on my first South African journey. I was exhausted and disillusioned by the constant to-ing and fro-ing without success. I stood dripping with sweat among the last batch of visa hopefuls outside the gates of the embassy underneath the blazing sun. The gates swung shut, as if for the final time, and then a few minutes later opened [End Page 21] again. An embassy official, a stout lady, called out my name. I was immobile, lost in quiet despair and despondency. Then she called out my name again, and I snapped out of my reverie, incredulous at the unexpected turn of events. Was it still possible to travel? I had to meander through unpredictable traffic jams in order to reach the congested airport at Ikeja. My mad dash for the airport had to happen during the rush hour, with all kinds of workers and commuters heading back home after a possibly joyless day. How was I...

Greenhouses in space: from intention to implementation

April 12 is Cosmonautics Day, International Day of Human Space Flight. This is a memorable date dedicated to the flight of the first cosmonaut of the planet, Yuri Alekseevich Gagarin, who became a symbol of the earthlings' dream come true. The All-Russian Research Institute of Vegetable Breeding and Seed Production (Federal State Budgetary Scientific Institution Federal Scientific Vegetable Center (FSBSI FSVC)), like a number of other academic institutions, from the beginning of space exploration, got involved in the work to solve the problem of developing food for astronauts and continues research to this day. In the embodiment of the ideas of K.E. Tsiolkovsky and S.P. Korolev on the creation of space greenhouses received a number of significant achievements in the Federal Scientific Vegetable Center, Russian State Agrarian University – Moscow Timiryazev Agricultural Academy, Institute of Biochemical Physics N.M. Emanuel, SSC RF IBMP RAS and others. Varieties of vegetable crops have been created, tested and recommended for weightlessness conditions: radish, Chinese cabbage, dill, lettuce and other rapidly maturing plants. The variety of Chinese Vesnyanka cabbage has successfully passed biotechnical tests on the ground model of the Phytocycle-SD space conveyor greenhouse, during which good production and biochemical parameters were obtained. Russian scientists are conducting research on developing a technology for cultivating various vegetable plants under space flight conditions – in closed ecosystems (synergotrons), which can serve as the basis of life support systems during space flights, at space stations or in space habitats, where some conditions specific for ISS. Studies have been carried out to study tomato plants grown from seeds that have been under space flight conditions for a long time. As a result of the study, a statistically significant increase in the levels of ascorbic acid, polyphenols and carotenoids, the total antioxidant activity of tomato fruits compared to plants grown from control seeds (ground control) was found.