BIOMEDICAL POTENTIAL OF A CENTRIFUGE IN AN ORBITING LABORATORY
Abstract
Five studies concerning the potential of a centrifuge in an orbital laboratory were conducted. The first three studies include consequences of heart-to-foot gradients on tolerance to positive acceleration, a parametric study of the power requirements of a short radius centrifuge, and a technique utilizing the centrifuge for determining body mass in a null gravity state. The salient generalization from studies in which bed rest was used as the analog of null gravity were presented. The fourth study was conducted to study the influence of periodic centrifugation as a method of alleviating physiological disturbances, with emphasis on the cardiovascular system, brought about by 20 days of bed rest. It was shown that motion sickness in the subjects was not a problem when exposed to high angular rates of rotation. Deterioration produced by recumbency was alleviated by periodic centrifugation, and subjects exposed to +4GZ four times daily showed less lability of blood pressure than did those receiving less acceleration. The fifth study extended the results of the fourth study by increasing the integrated g-time, added approximately 700 kcal of exercise, and distributed the rides over a 24-hr period as contrasted with the 8-hr schedule of the prior study. The final section examines the evidence for a space-based centrifuge and its potential to enhance both mission success and the cost and effectiveness of extending manned operations significantly beyond 30 days.
Document Details
- Document Type
- Technical Report
- Publication Date
- Jul 01, 1965
- Accession Number
- AD0472550
Entities
People
- J. W. Nyberg
- L. M. Finney
- P. D. White
- R. H. Grimes
- W. J. White
Organizations
- Douglas