The fluid shift experienced in microgravity is one of the causes of spaceflight-associated risks in humans, including spaceflight-associated neuro-ocular syndrome (SANS) inflight and orthostatic intolerance (OI) after the transition to Earth or partial gravity in future planetary landings.
This long-term cranial fluid shift, as the primary cause for the prevalence of SANS and OI, can be temporarily reversed by applying lower-body negative pressure (LBNP), decreasing intracranial pressure (ICP), unloading cerebral structures, and inducing baroreceptor stress.
We aim to investigate the feasibility of a mobile LBNP suit in microgravity by parabolic flight. This GravitySuit combines cardiovascular stress from caudal fluid redistribution with mechanical load on muscle and bones from ground-reaction forces. Physiological responses inflight can be compared to those obtained from posture changes in the laboratory.
PI Lonnie Petersen demonstrating Ground Reaction Forces with mobile GravitySuit.
Primary Goals:
Demonstrating the feasibility of mobile LBNP in 0G
Assess Ground Reaction Forces in 0 and potentially partial G
Monitor physiological reactions to LBNP by HR and cont. MAP
Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License (CC-BY 4.0)
