RESEARCH ON THE DIURNAL PERIODICITY OF PHSIOLOGICAL FUNCTIONS AND OF PERFORMANCE LEVEL; INCLUDING STUDIES OF THE EFFECTS OF REMOVING, OR OF CHANGING THE PERIOD OR THE PHASE OF, ENVIRONMENTAL TIME INDICATORS (R-24).
Abstract
In projected space flights, astronauts will be confined for several weeks in a rather constant environment of the space capsule. The normal 24-hour cycles of the earthly environment, such as light-darkness, temperature, humidity, etc. acting as timegivers to which the nearly 24-hour (circadian) cycles of physiological functions become synchronized, are either absent or greatly modified. It has not been determined whether the free running of cycles of physiological functions has effects on performance levels, which are known to also show diurnal cycles under normal conditions. Furthermore, it is not known whether the functions of the organism remain synchronized among themselves during the shift from local time in the constant environment, or whether they become dissociated. For this reason, an experiment was designed to monitor a larger number of physiological functions simultaneously, in two subjects, during confinement in a constant environment and to measure, also, performance levels. (Author)
Document Details
- Document Type
- Technical Report
- Publication Date
- Oct 23, 1964
- Accession Number
- AD0703102
Entities
People
- Karl E. Schaefer