|
|
Spacelab-1 Mission Onboard P
…
| Name of Image |
Spacelab-1 Mission Onboard Photograph-Vestibular Experiment in Space |
| Date of Image |
1983-11-01 |
| Full Description |
In this Spacelab-1 mission onboard photograph, astronaut Byron Lichtenberg performs a drop experiment, one of the Vestibular Experiments in Space investigations. The experiment examined spinal reflexes to determine whether they changed in microgravity. In Earth's environment, the otoliths signal the muscles to prepare for jolts associated with falling. During the flight, the normal reflex between the otoliths and the muscles was partially inhibited early in flight, declined further as the flight progressed, and returned to normal immediately after landing, suggesting that the brain ignored or reinterpreted otolith signals during space flight. Crewmembers reported a lack of awareness of position and location of feet, difficulty in maintaining balance, and a perception that falls were more sudden, faster, and harder than similar drops experienced in preflight. Crewmembers experienced illusions as they performed prescribed movement tests. When crew members viewed various targets and then pointed at them while blindfolded, their perception of target location and position of their own limbs was inaccurate in flight compared with similar tests on the ground. The Spacelab-1 was a multidisciplinary mission, that is, investigations were performed in several different fields of scientific research. The overall goal of the mission was to verify Spacelab performance through a variety of scientific experiments. The Spacelab-1 was launched aboard the Space Shuttle Orbiter Columbia for the STS-9 mission on November 28, 1983. The Marshall Space Flight Center had management responsibilities for the mission. |
|
Activities During Spacelab-1
…
| Name of Image |
Activities During Spacelab-1 Mission |
| Date of Image |
1983-11-01 |
| Full Description |
This STS-9 mission (Spacelab-1) onboard photograph shows astronaut Owen Garriott drawing a blood sample from astronaut Byron Lichtenberg inside Spacelab-1 science module for one of the life sciences experiments, called "Effects of Prolonged Weightlessness on the Humoral Immune Response of Humans." The purpose of this experiment was to determine the effect of weightlessness on the body's immune response or ability to resist disease. Blood samples were obtained from crewmembers at designated times before, during, and after flight. These specimens were analyzed for changes in antibody levels. More than 70 experiments in 5 disciplines from 14 nations were conducted during the mission. The five disciplines included Astronomy and Solar Physics, Space Plasma Physics, Atmospheric Physics and Earth Observations, Life Sciences, and Materials Science. The Spacelab mission (STS-9), managed by the Marshall Space Flight Center, was launched on November 28, 1983. |
|
|
