ALBERT

Description: Food systems and meal components are constantly under review and development at the National Aerospace and Space Administration. The goal of this work is to generate a diet that meets the nutrient requirements of astronauts and satiates them. The constraints involved in shorter- and longer-term missions are described. The insight provided by observations of astronauts from the Skylab and Shuttle eras will allow researchers to consider the fact that, for any nutritional regimen to work, it must consider the limitations and taste buds of the individuals involved. Otherwise, the best diet design generated by their work may never be consumed.

Description: Experience with space exploration to date has raised more questions regarding nutritional requirements for astronauts than it has answered. As mission lengths continue to increase, nutrient imbalances due to alterations in intake, dietary requirements, bioavailability, or excretion, may become more important. Factors adversely affecting intake include those as straightforward as stress and as complex as space-adaptation syndrome. Metabolic alterations induced by shifts in fluid and electrolyte balance, neuroendocrine function, and changes in hepatic protein synthesis and skeletal muscle type that result in nutrient partitioning to different biochemical pathways may also affect dietary requirements. Food processing effects on nutrient stability and digestibility, which apply to limited quantities of our usual diet on Earth, may become more important for diets that contain little fresh food during extended-length missions. Whereas nutrient and water recycling through ecosystems is taken for granted on Earth, specific effects of trace contaminant accumulation will require greater attention for prolonged space flights. Human factors, esthetics, and user-friendly operations will be necessary to facilitate the psychological as well as physiological health of the astronauts.

Description: Analysis of electron and ion density measurements obtained with rockets suggests simple model of the quiet ionosphere

Description: Model of the quiet ionosphere

Description: Results are presented from the experiments conducted by the first Shuttle/Spacelab mission dedicated entirely to the life sciences, the Spacelab Life Sciences 1, launched on June 5, 1991. The experiments carried out during the 9-day flight included investigations of changes in the human cardiovascular, pulmonary, renal/endocrine, blood, and vestibular systems that were brought about by microgravity. Results were also obtained from the preflight and postflight complementary experiments performed on rats, which assessed the suitability of rodents as animal models for humans. Most results verified, or expanded on, the accepted theories of adaptation to zero gravity.

Description: Single station doppler-interferometer rocket tracking system

Description: Results of a life science impact analysis for accommodation to the Space Station of a manned Mars mission are discussed. In addition to addressing such issues as on-orbit vehicle assembly and checkout, the study also assessed the impact of a life science research program on the station. A better understanding of the effects on the crew of long duration exposure to the hostile space environment and to develop controls for adverse effects was the objective. Elements and products of the life science accommodation include: the identification of critical research areas; the outline of a research program consistent with the mission timeframe; the quantification of resource requirements; the allocation of functions to station facilities; and a determination of the impact on the Space Station program and of the baseline configuration. Results indicate the need at the Space Station for two dedicated life science lab modules; a pocket lab to support a 4-meter centrifuge; a quarantine module for the Mars Sample Return Mission; 3.9 man-years of average crew time; and 20 kilowatts of electrical power.

Description: This document describes some of the life sciences research that was conducted on Spacelab missions. Dr. Larry Young, Director of the National Space Biomedical Research Institute, provides an overview of the Life Sciences Spacelabs.

Description: Data obtained with rockets flown over New Mexico, U.S.A. and Manitoba, Canada have always shown the sporadic-E layer to be a thin layer with a large electron density gradient. The vertical electron density profiles and the horizontal uniformity of the sporadic-E layer are discussed herein. These layers have a strong tendency to form at preferential altitudes separated by approximately 6 km, and a striking correlation exists with wind- shears and magnetic field variations. In two cases where comparisons with ionograms were possible, the minimum frequency of the F-region echoes was found approximately equal to the plasma frequency of the sporadic-E layer reduced by half the gyrofrequency. On the other hand, the maximum frequency of the sporadic-E echoes as noted on ionograms was sometimes as much as 1 to 2 Mc greater than the plasma frequency.

Description: Experimental feeding of Yellow-eyed Penguins (Megadyptes antipodes) with meals containing cephalopod beak pairs and otoliths of known weight, and subsequent flushing of stomachs at 2-48 h intervals after feeding, were carried out to determine the rate of digestion of beaks and otoliths. Otoliths and beaks were placed in HCl to observe changes. All otoliths were totally digested after 24 h in penguin stomachs, disappearance rate was inversely related to size of the otolith. After 24 h squid beaks showed increasing signs of wear, the extent of which was dependent on the presence or absence of small stones in the stomach. Experiments showed that HCl only causes otolith erosion at pH 1.5; erosion rate was twice as slow as in the stomachs. Acid had no effect on squid beaks after 78 h immersion. /// Se llevó a cabo alimentación experimental de pingüinos (Megadyptes antipodes) con comida previamente pesada que contenía otolitos y picos de cefalópodos, para determinar la velocidad de digestión de picos, y de picos-y-otolitos. Para determinar la velocidad de digestión se lavó el estómago de las aves utilizando la técnica de Wilson (1984) a intervalos de 2-48 h, una vez los pingüinos eran alimentados. Otolitos y picos fueron también colocados en HCl para observar cambios en estos. Los otolitos fueron totalmente digeridos luego de pasar 24 h en el estómago de los pingüinos. La velocidad de desaparición fue inversamente proporcional al tamaño del otolito. Después de 24 h los picos de los calamares mostraban signos de desgaste; la extención del desgaste estuvo relacionado con la presencia o ausencia de gúijaros en el estómago de los pingüinos. Los experimentos in vitro demostraron que el HCl solo causa erosión de los otolitos a un pH de 1.5; la velocidad de erosión resultó ser dos veces más lenta que en el estómago de los pingüinos. Los picos de calamares no se afectaron después de estar sumergidos por 78 h en ácido.