ISS Missions Research Articles

Effects of a microgravity SkinSuit on lumbar geometry and kinematics

PurposeAstronauts returning from long ISS missions have demonstrated an increased incidence of lumbar disc herniation accompanied by biomechanical and morphological changes associated with spine elongation. This research describes a ground-based study of the effects of an axial compression countermeasure Mk VI SkinSuit designed to reload the spine and reduce these changes before return to terrestrial gravity.MethodsTwenty healthy male volunteers aged 21–36 without back pain participated. Each lay overnight on a Hyper Buoyancy Flotation (HBF) bed for 12 h on two occasions 6 weeks apart. On the second occasion participants donned a Mk VI SkinSuit designed to axially load the spine at 0.2 Gz during the last 4 h of flotation. Immediately after each exposure, participants received recumbent MRI and flexion–extension quantitative fluoroscopy scans of their lumbar spines, measuring differences between spine geometry and intervertebral kinematics with and without the SkinSuit. This was followed by the same procedure whilst weight bearing. Paired comparisons were performed for all measurements.ResultsFollowing Mk VI SkinSuit use, participants evidenced more flexion RoM at L3–4 (p = 0.01) and L4–5 (p = 0.003), more translation at L3–4 (p = 0.02), lower dynamic disc height at L5–S1 (p = 0.002), lower lumbar spine length (p = 0.01) and greater lordosis (p = 0.0001) than without the Mk VI SkinSuit. Disc cross-sectional area and volume were not significantly affected.ConclusionThe MkVI SkinSuit restores lumbar mobility and lordosis following 4 h of wearing during hyper buoyancy flotation in a healthy control population and may be an effective countermeasure for post space flight lumbar disc herniation.

A rationale for the use of rehabilitative approaches to ameliorate possible space radiation induced loss of cognitive and sensorimotor function during a mission to Mars

NASA is on the verge of its second and most challenging phase of space exploration, returning to the Moon and then onto Mars. The proposed missions will be markedly different in nature from previous Apollo and ISS missions, which may result in many additional health concerns for astronauts.

Critical power (CP) testing: An accurate rapid method of fitness assessment during space missions

PurposeCurrent aerobic fitness testing during ISS flight does not assess either critical power (CP) or work capacity above CP (W′). Both CP and W′ have been demonstrated to be highly related to time of performance during ground analogues of lunar or planetary work tasks. This study was conducted to determine if CP measures differ between trials performed without (Control) and with (WMD) metabolic gas exchange data collection during 3-min supramaximal cycle ergometer tests. A secondary aim was to determine if peak oxygen consumption (VO2peak) can be ascertained from a 3-min CP test. MethodsSubjects (n = 19: 11 M, 8 F) were young and healthy (VO2peak 34.7 ± 7.7 ml/kg/min). Each completed four cycle trials: a ramp test to determine VO2peak, a familiarization trial of the 3-min CP test, and two additional CP tests (control and WMD). Critical power (watts) was calculated as the mean power during the last 30 s of the CP tests. W′ was calculated as the power-time integral above CP. ResultsNo differences (P = 0.11) were found for CP watts between the WMD trial and control conditions (172 ± 46 W, 169 ± 49 W, respectively). Similarly, no differences were found for W’ (11.3 ± 5.4 WMD, 11.7 ± 4.4 kJ control, P = 0.61) and peak watts (627 ± 326 W WMD, 636 ± 335 W control, P = 0.84). No differences (P = 0.23) were observed between VO2peak measured during the CP test (2517 ± 576 ml/min) and that of the initial ramp test (2564 ± 550 ml/min). ConclusionsCP, peak watts, and W’ values were not influenced by gas exchange measurement performed during CP tests. It also appears that VO2peak can be attained using the 3-min protocol. Consideration should be given towards CP testing on ISS and future missions.

ОСОБЕННОСТИ ОБРАЗОВАНИЯ МИКРОБНЫХ СООБЩЕСТВ ПРОБИОТИЧЕСКИМИ БАКТЕРИЯМИ LACTOBACILLUS PLANTARUM 8PA-3 НА РАЗЛИЧНЫХ НОСИТЕЛЯХ В УСЛОВИЯХ КОСМИЧЕСКОГО ПОЛЕТА

The paper contains comparative analysis of microbial communities formed by probiotic lactobacteria L. plantarum 8PA-3 on various carriers (space experiment Biofilm) during ISS missions 53, 54 and 56. Object of the investigations was L. plantarum 8PA-3 cells inoculated on microcellulose sorbates, polystyrene and a variety of powder and laminar-type polymer substrates. Simultaneously, same culture and substrates were used in the laboratory experiment. Resulted biofilms were investigated using transmission (TEM) and scanning (SEM) electron microscopy. Comparative analysis was aimed to detect difference in the development of microbial communities resided on various carriers in space and ground-based laboratories. The obtained data about the ultrathin structure of biofilm and plankton-like L. plantarum 8PA-3 cells involved in formation of microbial communities in microgravity make us think of distinctive morphophysiological properties of these cells, as well as the biofilm structure.

Contamination Analyses of ISS Vehicle Visits

Abstract The SAGE III Contamination Monitoring Package detects the contamination environment in the immediate vicinity of the payload using eight Thermoelectric Quartz Crystal Microbalance sensors that telemeter continuous beat frequency measurements to the ground. The single greatest source of contamination measured to date was the SpaceX Cargo Dragon, whose outgassed contaminants chemisorbed to the gold electrodes of the sensors. This paper contains results from the mission’s first three years, including the signals observed from every visible visiting vehicle, the measured effects on the overall payload, and learned lessons to consider for future ISS or TQCM missions.

ИЗМЕРЕНИЕ ПОКАЗАТЕЛЕЙ, ХАРАКТЕРИЗУЮЩИХ РАННЕЕ СОСУДИСТОЕ СТАРЕНИЕ, С ИСПОЛЬЗОВАНИЕМ ОСЦИЛЛОМЕТРИЧЕСКОГО МЕТОДА В КОСМИЧЕСКОМ ПОЛЕТЕ

The article covers the studies of the vascular wall functioning in cosmonauts using the data of pulse wave velocity as a biomarker of early vascular aging. The investigations were performed with the use of device Mobilograph twice before launch, every 30 days of 6-month ISS missions and on days 4 and 8 of recovery. Pulse wave velocity has never exceeded threshold values suggesting that participation in low-Earth orbital missions does not put at risk cardiac health threatening with vascular pathologies. Yet, the conclusion can be premature given the limited potentialities of the method and hardware used in the investigation.

Beyond Low-Earth Orbit: Characterizing the Immune Profile Following Simulated Spaceflight Conditions for Deep Space Missions

Spaceflight missions can cause immune system dysfunction in astronauts with little understanding of immune outcomes in deep space. This study assessed immune responses following ground-based, simulated deep spaceflight conditions, compared to data from astronauts on ISS missions. For ground studies, we simulated microgravity using the hindlimb unloaded mouse model alone or in combination with acute simulated galactic cosmic rays or solar particle events irradiation. Immune profiling results revealed unique immune diversity following each experimental condition, suggesting each stressor results in distinct circulating immune responses, with clear consequences for deep spaceflight. Circulating plasma microRNA sequence analysis revealed involvment in immune system dysregulation. Furthermore, a large astronaut cohort showed elevated inflammation during LEO missions, thereby supporting our simulated ground experiments. Herein, circulating immune biomarkers are defined by distinct deep space irradiation types coupled to simulated microgravity and could be targets for future space health initiatives.

Herpes Virus Reactivation in Astronauts During Spaceflight and Its Application on Earth.

Latent herpes virus reactivation has been demonstrated in astronauts during shuttle (10–16 days) and International Space Station (≥180 days) flights. Following reactivation, viruses are shed in the body fluids of astronauts. Typically, shedding of viral DNA is asymptomatic in astronauts regardless of mission duration; however, in some cases, live/infectious virus was recovered by tissue culture that was associated with atopic-dermatitis or skin lesions during and after spaceflight. Hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) and sympathetic-adrenal-medullary (SAM) axes activation during spaceflight occurs as indicated by increased levels of stress hormones including cortisol, dehydroepiandrosterone, epinephrine, and norepinephrine. These changes, along with a decreased cell mediated immunity, contribute to the reactivation of latent herpes viruses in astronauts. Currently, 47/89 (53%) astronauts from shuttle-flights and 14/23 (61%) astronauts from ISS missions shed one or more herpes viruses in saliva/urine samples. Astronauts shed Epstein–Barr virus (EBV), varicella-zoster virus (VZV), and herpes-simplex-1 (HSV-1) in saliva and cytomegalovirus (CMV) in urine. Larger quantities and increased frequencies for these viruses were found during spaceflight as compared to before or after flight samples and their matched healthy controls. The shedding did not abate during the longer ISS missions, but rather increased in frequency and amplitude. These findings coincided with the immune system dysregulation observed in astronauts from shuttle and ISS missions. VZV shedding increased from 41% in space shuttle to 65% in ISS missions, EBV increased 82 to 96%, and CMV increased 47 to 61%. In addition, VZV/CMV shed ≤30 days after ISS in contrast to shuttle where VZV/CMV shed up to 5 and 3 days after flight respectively. Continued shedding of infectious-virus post-flight may pose a potential risk for crew who may encounter newborn infants, sero-negative adults or any immunocompromised individuals on Earth. Therefore, developing spaceflight countermeasures to prevent viral reactivation is essential. Our spaceflight-developed technologies for saliva collection/rapid viral detection have been extended to include clinical applications including zoster patients, chicken pox, post-herpetic neuralgia, multiple sclerosis, and various neurological disorders. These protocols are employed in various clinics and hospitals including the CDC and Columbia University in New York, as well as overseas in Switzerland and Israel.

One-Year Mission on ISS Is a Step Towards Interplanetary Missions.

in the 1990s Russian cosmonauts performed six long-duration missions on Mir that went from 312 to 438 d. In 2015 a mission on the International Space Station that continued for 340 d, 8 h, and 47 min was successfully accomplished. It was a joint U.S./Russian mission completed by Scott Kelly and Mikhail Kornienko (KM). The intensity of in-flight physical exercises and postflight motor changes were measured in KM and in the six cosmonauts who made shorter flights (173.3 ± 13.8 d) on ISS while using similar countermeasures against the adverse effects of microgravity. It was found that both parameters varied similarly in spite of the difference in the duration of ISS missions. KM maintained adequate physical performance throughout the entire flight; moreover, the level of postflight changes he displayed was comparable to that recorded in the group of cosmonauts who completed 6-mo missions on ISS. In summary, the 1-yr mission has clearly demonstrated the high efficacy of the countermeasures used by KM.Fomina EV, Lysova NYu, Kukoba TB, Grishin AP, Kornienko MB. One-year mission on ISS is a step towards interplanetary missions. Aerosp Med Hum Perform. 2017; 88(12):1094-1099.

Evolution of Russian Microgravity Countermeasures.

Countermeasures to prevent or partially offset the negative physiologic changes that are caused by the effects of microgravity play an important role in supporting the performance of crewmembers in flight and their safe return to Earth. Research conducted in Russia on the orbital stations Salyut and Mir, as well as simulation experiments on the ground, have demonstrated that changes that occur during extended spaceflight in various physiologic systems can be prevented or significantly decreased by using countermeasures. Hardware and techniques used on the ISS have been substantially improved to reflect the experience of previous extended missions on Russian orbital stations. Countermeasures used during early ISS missions consisted of the U.S. treadmill (TVIS), cycle ergometer (ВБ-3), a set of resistance bands, a postural muscle loading suit (Penguin-3), electrical stimulator (Tonus-3), compression thigh cuffs (Braslet-М), a lower body negative pressure (LBNP) suit (Chibis), a lower body g-loading suit (Kentavr), and water/salt supplements. These countermeasures are described in this article.

Functional Fitness Testing Results Following Long-Duration ISS Missions.

Long-duration spaceflight missions lead to the loss of muscle strength and endurance. Significant reduction in muscle function can be hazardous when returning from spaceflight. To document these losses, NASA developed medical requirements that include measures of functional strength and endurance. Results from this Functional Fitness Test (FFT) battery are also used to evaluate the effectiveness of in-flight exercise countermeasures. The purpose of this paper is to document results from the FFT and correlate this information with performance of in-flight exercise on board the International Space Station. The FFT evaluates muscular strength and endurance, flexibility, and agility and includes the following eight measures: sit and reach, cone agility, push-ups, pull-ups, sliding crunches, bench press, leg press, and hand grip dynamometry. Pre- to postflight functional fitness measurements were analyzed using dependent t-tests and correlation analyses were used to evaluate the relationship between functional fitness measurements and in-flight exercise workouts. Significant differences were noted post space flight with the sit and reach, cone agility, leg press, and hand grip measurements while other test scores were not significantly altered. The relationships between functional fitness and in-flight exercise measurements showed minimal to moderate correlations for most in-flight exercise training variables. The change in FFT results can be partially explained by in-flight exercise performance. Although there are losses documented in the FFT results, it is important to realize that the crewmembers are successfully performing activities of daily living and are considered functional for normal activities upon return to Earth.

Portable radiography: a reality and necessity for ISS and explorer-class missions.

On ISS missions and explorer class missions, unexpected medical and surgical emergencies could be disastrous. Lack of ability to rapidly assess and make critical decisions affects mission capability. Current imaging modalities on ISS consist only of ultrasound. There are many acute diagnoses which ultrasound alone cannot diagnose. Portable X-Ray imaging (radiography) technology has advanced far enough to where it is now small enough, cheap enough, and accurate enough to give diagnostic quality images sent wirelessly to the onboard computer and on Earth for interpretation while fitting in something the size of a briefcase. Although further research is warranted, Portable Radiography is an important addition to have on ISS and future Explorer Class Missions while maintaining a very small footprint.

Medical care for Russian cosmonauts on board the ISS

Established with the personal participation of O.G. Gazenko, the Russian system of medical care for cosmonauts has been largely preserved to this day. The system was fully functional on board the orbital complex Mir and, with appropriate modifications, has been adopted as the core of the medical care for Russian members of ISS crews. In 2000–2008, 22 cosmonauts were members of 17 ISS missions lasting from 140 to 216 days. The main functions of the medical care system were to control health, physical, and mental performance, and to support space research. Readaptation to normal gravity was, in most cases, similar to what has been typical on the return from Russian orbital stations; some deviations are accounted for by the use of in-flight countermeasures. The paper presents some aspects of the theoretical work of Academician Gazenko in the field of medical care in space flights. It outlines the principles of ISS medical management. The integrated medical support system combines medical equipment and items available in the Russian and U.S. segments; the integrated medical group consists of flight surgeons, medical experts, and biomedical engineers of international partners and coordinates the planning and implementation of medical operations. In addition, challenges of health care in the phase of ISS operation are defined.

Testing and evaluation of a method for locating potentially hazardous sites of eventual microdestruction and detecting marks of ISS RS hull leakage

In 2008, two experiments – BAR and EXPERT – were performed on the Russian segment (ISS RS) during ISS missions 16 and 17 using diagnostic equipment BAR. The experiments were aimed to enhance ISS safety by proposing means and methods of detecting leaks due to many factors including microdestruction of pressurized modules of the vehicle. The BAR experiment was designed to assess the ultraviolet background in 56 potentially dangerous locations identified by RS ISS designers and engineers. The method for locating sites carrying the risk of microdestruction of pressurized structure was verified. The study showed that the rate of microdestruction is highly affected by level of ultrasound vibrations caused by onboard equipment. The ultrasound measurements in 200 RS ISS sites were performed within the BAR experiment. The method consists of looking for surfaces with atmospheric condensate in the areas of increased levels of ultrasound vibrations. Twenty six sites were added to the nomenclature of potentially risky sites to be monitored on the regular basis. Some of these sites were contaminated by fungi and bacteria.

From Earth's orbit to the outer planets and beyond: Psychological issues in space

Current planning for the first interplanetary expedition to Mars envisions a crew of 6 or 7 people and a mission duration of around 2.5 years. However, this time frame is much less than that expected on expeditions to the outer solar system, where total mission durations of 10 years or more are likely. Although future technological breakthroughs in propulsion systems and space vehicle construction may speed up transit times, for now we must realistically consider the psychological impact of missions lasting for one or more decades. Available information largely deals with on-orbit missions. In research that involved Mir and ISS missions lasting up to 7 months, our group and others have studied the effects of psychological and interpersonal issues on crewmembers and on the crew-ground relationship. We also studied the positive effects of being in space. However, human expeditions to the outer planets and beyond will introduce a number of new psychological and interpersonal stressors that have not been experienced before. There will be unprecedented levels of isolation and monotony, real-time communication with the Earth will not be possible, the crew will have to work autonomously, there will be great dependence on computers and other technical resources located on board, and the Earth will become an insignificant dot in space or will even disappear from view entirely. Strategies for dealing with psychological issues involving missions to the outer solar system and beyond will be considered and discussed, including those related to new technologies being considered for interstellar missions, such as traveling at a significant fraction of the speed of light, putting crewmembers in suspended animation, or creating giant self-contained generation ships of colonists who will not return to Earth.

Assessment of Nutrient Stability in Foods from the Space Food System After Long‐Duration Spaceflight on the ISS

Maintaining an intact nutrient supply in the food system flown on spacecraft is a critical issue for mission success and crew health. Ground-based evidence indicates that some vitamins may be altered and fatty acids oxidized (and therefore rendered useless, or even dangerous) by long-term storage and by exposure to radiation, both of which will be issues for long-duration exploration missions in space. In this study, the stability of nutrients was investigated in food samples exposed to spaceflight on the Intl. Space Station (ISS). A total of 6 replicates of 5 different space food items, a multivitamin, and a vitamin D supplement were packaged into 4 identical kits and were launched in 2006 on the space shuttle. After 13, 353, 596, and 880 d of spaceflight aboard the ISS, the kits were returned to Earth. Nine replicates of each food item and vitamin, from the same lots as those sent into space, remained in an environmental chamber on Earth to serve as controls at each time point. Vitamins, hexanal, oxygen radical absorbance capacity, and amino acids were measured in identical-lot food samples at each time point. After 596 d of spaceflight, differences in intact vitamin concentrations due to duration of storage were observed for most foodstuffs, but generally, nutrients from flight samples did not degrade any faster than ground controls. This study provided the 1st set of spaceflight data for investigation of nutrient stability in the food system, and the results will help NASA design food systems for both ISS and space exploration missions.

Human Space Technology for Supporting Both the ISS and Future Lunar Missions -Strategy of Space Radiation Measurement and Foundation Research-

Human Space Technology for Supporting Both the ISS and Future Lunar Missions -Strategy of Space Radiation Measurement and Foundation Research-

Static and dynamic vestibulo-cervico-ocular responses after prolonged exposure to microgravity

The vestibular function was investigated in 13 Russian crew members of the ISS missions on days 1(2), 4(5), and 8(9) after prolonged exposure to microgravity (126 to 195 days). The static torsional otolith-cervico-ocular reflex was studied, as well as the dynamic vestibulo-cervico-ocular responses, vestibular reactivity, and spontaneous oculomotor activity using videooculography (VOG) and electrooculography (EOG) for simultaneous recording of eye movements. On days 1-2 of return to the gravity (R+1-2), the cosmonauts were found to increase the spontaneous oculomotor activity (floating eye movements, both typical and atypical forms of spontaneous nystagmus, square wave jerks, gaze nystagmus) with the head held in the vertical position. The otolith function during static head inclinations to the right or left shoulder at 30 degrees was suppressed as determined by the inversion or absence, or reduction by half of the amplitude of torsional compensatory eye counter-rolling and the vestibular reactivity during head yaw movements at 0.125 Hz was increased as revealed by a lowered threshold and an increased intensity of vestibular nystagmus. The pattern, depth, dynamics, and velocity of the vestibular function recovery varied with individual participants in the investigation. However, the suppressed otolith functioning in the period of readaptation to the normal gravity was, as a rule, accompanied by an exaggerated vestibular reactivity.

The effect of microgravity on thein vitro NK cell function during six International Space Station Missions

The level of natural killer (NK) cytotoxic activity was measured during co-cultivation of human lymphocytes and target cells (K-562) in microgravity. Flight experiments were carried out using special instrumentation, the “Fibroblast-1 “ cassettes, in the frame of Russian scientific program during six ISS missions. Lymphocyte suspensions from human venous blood were used in experiments during short-term flights on six ISS missions (7–12). Russian space crew members performed the experiments after Soyuz docking. The first step was mixing lymphocytes and3H-labeled K-562 cells and their incubation at 37°C during 24 hs; the second step was filtration of the cell suspension. The frozen medium and filters were analyzed for the cytokine level and cytotoxic activity after landing. It was found that lymphocytes with different basal levels of cytotoxic activity kept the ability of recognizing and lysing malignant cells. In microgravity, cytotoxity increased to 160% of the basal levels. Donor individual features modulated the magnitude of the increase. The measurement of interleukin levels (TNF-α, IL-1, IL-2) in medium showed that synthesis of TNF-α increased during cell co-cultivation in microgravity. The level of IL-2 was very low inflight and ground control samples. The production of IL-1 by lymphocytes decreased after in-flight incubation. The results indicate that microgravity did not disturb the cytotoxic function of immune cells in vitro during 24 h incubation with specific target cells.

Centenary mission - first brazilian microgravity experiments at ISS

Following the European example, the Brazilian technical-scientific community has sent through a Soyuz flight, several experiments as part of a project called Centenary Mission, coordinated by the Brazilian Space Agency. The mission, that took place on March 2006, also contemplated the first Brazilian astronaut in the International Space Station. Brazil has a Microgravity Program that, up to now, was mainly based on sounding rockets and some Space Shuttle flights. This was the first flight to ISS and the community expects that it will be the starting point for new opportunities to regular ISS missions. In the Centenary Mission eight experiments, covering technological, biological and educational areas were developed. This paper presents a brief account of those experiments, as well as the efforts made by the small Brazilian committee, responsible for the organization and testing process of the experiments and their technical and safety approval in the five months interval between the decision to send a Brazilian astronaut to ISS and the Soyuz launch itself.