By Dr. Fabian Moeller, Department of Aeronautics and Astronautics, Aerospace Physiology Lab
Contributors: Prof. Lonnie Grove Petersen, Daniela Davalos
This project tests the feasibility of a novel wearable lower-body negative pressure (LBNP) suit in partial gravity and weightlessness and quantifies resulting cardiovascular responses and ground reaction forces. In general, countermeasures are integral to all sojourns in reduced gravity to diminish the risks induced by adaptations of the physiological system. These risks include spaceflight-associated neuro-ocular syndrome (SANS) in flight, orthostatic intolerance (OI) after the transition to Earth or partial gravity in future planetary landings, and deterioration of the cardiovascular and musculoskeletal systems. Long-term cranial fluid shift, as the primary cause for the prevalence of SANS and OI, can be temporarily reversed by applying LBNP. The novel suit design combines these effects with cardiovascular and musculoskeletal benefits by generating mechanical load on muscle and bones from ground-reaction forces and increasing operational feasibility during mission-related tasks. This work is a step toward quantifying the optimum dosage and duration for LBNP protocols to advance it as a countermeasure for deep space exploration.