Skeletal Consequences of Spaceflight Background Early flights: very little idea of physiological changes to expect -big concerns: respiration, cardiovascular -bone probably wasn't a serious consideration What has been learned in the past 37 years of human spaceflight?
Thematic Analysis: Outside Communications Receive Replacement Personnel or Visitors Receive Information F rom Outside Receive Mail or Fax From Friends or Family I Write, Fax, or Telephone t o Friends or Family
Robot / Human Comparisons (how inhumane) Table I presents some of the elements of robotic and animal movement systems neatly compared for your viewing pleasure. Table I. Comparison of Movement Control Systems in the Robot and Human
Early Ideas about Muscular Contraction Hippocrates thought that the tendons caused the body to move (he confused tendons with nerves, and in fact used the same word, neuron, for both)
Principal Aim To assess the strength changes, and associated change in fracture risk, due to structural alterations in the proximal femora of astronauts experiencing longterm weightlessness
In weightlessness, “down” cues from the inner ear otolith organs are absent. Astronauts are thought to rely more heavily on vision. Many astronauts perceive a “subjective vertical”. When it changes direction, it can cause disorientation and motion sickness