> Astronauts’ fainting tendencies probed
Astronauts’ fainting tendencies probed
Contact:
Andrew Blaber, 778.782.3276/5694; ablaber@sfu.ca
After Nov. 1: Marriott-Residence Inn, 661.947.4204
Marianne Meadahl, PAMR, 778.782.4323
Andrew Blaber, 778.782.3276/5694; ablaber@sfu.ca
After Nov. 1: Marriott-Residence Inn, 661.947.4204
Marianne Meadahl, PAMR, 778.782.4323
October 31, 2007
Astronaut Clay Anderson returns from space Nov. 7 and will spend his first hour in the hands of researchers studying how space flights affect human physiology –and why astronauts can be prone to fainting after their return to Earth.
SFU kinesiologist Andrew Blaber is on the research team waiting for Anderson’s return from the International Space Station (ISS).
While Blaber’s colleagues from the University of Waterloo await the landing at the Kennedy Space Centre, Blaber’s team will be on the team at the alternate landing base in Dryden, California.
Blaber says the two teams are necessary because it would be impossible for one team to get to Dryden fast enough – and timing is critical - if landing plans change.
Wherever he lands, Anderson will be whisked into a waiting lab and undergo a 62-minute battery of tests focusing on his cardiovascular system. The team earlier collected data during pre-flight tests in May and also have data on Anderson while he was in space, thanks to tests he ran during his free time in flight.
“This is an amazing opportunity to produce first of its kind data on an astronaut before, during and after space flight,” says Blaber, who has packed a portable lab and leaves Nov. 1 for Dryden. Researchers at both sites will undertake dry test runs to prepare for the final phase of the study.
Blaber is responsible for taking ultra-sound readings of Anderson’s cerebral blood flow – measurements he also took on Anderson during a pre-flight test in May. Tests will be carried out while Anderson’s lower body is contained in a negative pressure box.
The study, titled Cardiovascular and Cereroscular Control on Return from the ISS – or CCISS – is funded by NASA and the Canadian Space Agency. Researchers hope to determine the ‘weak link’ that might cause astronauts to be susceptible to fainting when they return to earth.
“In a sense we’re trying to spy on the cardiovascular system to see how it works when we take away gravity and then add it. The only way to effectively do that is to track the system in orbit.
“Understanding what happens and how the body recovers could also help us to treat aging patients who suffer from this condition.”
If the shuttle is diverted to Dryden it could potentially land on Nov. 7 at 3:40 a.m. PST – but times are still subject to change.
For more on the study see http://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/station/science/experiments/CCISS.html
SFU kinesiologist Andrew Blaber is on the research team waiting for Anderson’s return from the International Space Station (ISS).
While Blaber’s colleagues from the University of Waterloo await the landing at the Kennedy Space Centre, Blaber’s team will be on the team at the alternate landing base in Dryden, California.
Blaber says the two teams are necessary because it would be impossible for one team to get to Dryden fast enough – and timing is critical - if landing plans change.
Wherever he lands, Anderson will be whisked into a waiting lab and undergo a 62-minute battery of tests focusing on his cardiovascular system. The team earlier collected data during pre-flight tests in May and also have data on Anderson while he was in space, thanks to tests he ran during his free time in flight.
“This is an amazing opportunity to produce first of its kind data on an astronaut before, during and after space flight,” says Blaber, who has packed a portable lab and leaves Nov. 1 for Dryden. Researchers at both sites will undertake dry test runs to prepare for the final phase of the study.
Blaber is responsible for taking ultra-sound readings of Anderson’s cerebral blood flow – measurements he also took on Anderson during a pre-flight test in May. Tests will be carried out while Anderson’s lower body is contained in a negative pressure box.
The study, titled Cardiovascular and Cereroscular Control on Return from the ISS – or CCISS – is funded by NASA and the Canadian Space Agency. Researchers hope to determine the ‘weak link’ that might cause astronauts to be susceptible to fainting when they return to earth.
“In a sense we’re trying to spy on the cardiovascular system to see how it works when we take away gravity and then add it. The only way to effectively do that is to track the system in orbit.
“Understanding what happens and how the body recovers could also help us to treat aging patients who suffer from this condition.”
If the shuttle is diverted to Dryden it could potentially land on Nov. 7 at 3:40 a.m. PST – but times are still subject to change.
For more on the study see http://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/station/science/experiments/CCISS.html