Flights On G-Force One Research "Vestibular
Disorientation"
Ever get dizzy, disoriented, or nauseated on a roller coaster?
It's a feeling similar to space sickness, and understanding how it
works could aid the development of countermeasures for one of the
lesser understood problems associated with human spaceflight.
Dr. Jon French, a professor of Human Factors at Embry-Riddle
Aeronautical University, believes the "vestibular disorientation"
experienced by some astronauts can result in acute fatigue, a
condition known as Sopite Syndrome.
He will explore this relationship with the help of over 50
volunteers who will experience microgravity this weekend aboard
Zero Gravity Corporation's G-Force One, a specially modified
aircraft that creates weightlessness by performing parabolic
arcs.
"Vestibular disorientation is nothing new, and our bodies are
known to acclimate themselves to disorienting situations," said
French. "However, the disorientation appears to take its toll in
other ways, like fatigue. This could be a significant issue in how
successfully or completely astronauts can complete their missions,
and for agencies like the FAA that may soon develop qualification
guidelines for commercial spaceflight crews and passengers."
French's volunteers will wear wrist monitors to measure their
sleep patterns for several days before and after their flights.
They will also provide preflight and postflight saliva samples from
which Dr. French will measure key hormones related to stress and
fatigue.
The research is made possible
through a 2007 agreement between Embry-Riddle and Zero Gravity
Corp. aimed at using G-Force One as a microgravity science platform
under a partnership with the state of Florida.French plans to
enlist other volunteers on future flights to expand his research
database.
The volunteers are from a larger group of space-industry
employees who were selected to participate in a month-long Florida
Aerospace Microgravity Training Program, an initiative designed to
expose workers to weightless conditions such as those found in
space.
The program, which includes three flights on June 14-15 from
Space Coast Regional Airport in Titusville, FL is administered by
Brevard Community College and the SpaceTEC National Center of
Excellence for aerospace technical education, with sponsorship by
the Brevard Workforce Development Board and Workforce Florida
Inc.