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Space Physiology and Psychology

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Life Support Systems for Humans in Space

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Abstract

No textbook about spaceflight life support systems can be written without a basic overview of physiology. After all, the life support system is what keeps astronauts alive. To fully understand the intricacies of these engineering systems, it is necessary to first understand the physiological systems. To that end, Chap. 2 delves into basic physiology, with some psychology thrown in. One aspect of physiology emphasized in this chapter is that we humans can only operate within very, very narrow environmental parameters. For example, a partial pressure that is too high or too low can cause all sorts of problems. Thus, human limitation represents a big challenge for life support system engineers. Another aspect highlighted is the adaptive timeline across physiological systems. Some systems, such as the fluid system, adapt to microgravity after 4–6 weeks, but other systems, such as the skeletal system, have no clinical horizon, so this is a good place to start.

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Notes

  1. 1.

    LET is the retarding force acting on a charged ionizing particle as it passes through material, whether that material happens to be a spacecraft or an astronaut. The term describes how much energy the particle transfers to the material traversed per unit distance. LET also depends on the type of radiation and the material traversed.

  2. 2.

    MeV is short for megaelectron volt and is equivalent to 1 million electron volts (eV). 1 eV is the amount of kinetic energy gained by an electron as it accelerates through an electric potential difference of 1 volt.

  3. 3.

    The AST measures attention and cognitive flexibility in rats. It is based on the intradimensional/extradimensional component of the Cambridge Neuropsychological Test Automated Battery (CANTAB) which is used to assess cognitive dysfunction in humans. An attentional set is created when a person learns that a set of rules can be used to distinguish between relevant and irrelevant cues

  4. 4.

    Neurogenesis is a term that describes the formation of neurons. In adults, this process occurs in the subventricular zone (SVZ) and the subgranular zone of the brain. Scientists are still researching the role that neurogenesis plays in cognition . Since the formation of neurons may be sensitive to radiation, it is possible that long-term exposure may result in cognitive deficits.

  5. 5.

    Oxidative stress is a term that describes the imbalance between the production of free radicals and the ability of the body to neutralize these free radicals through the use of antioxidants . Free radicals are molecules that contain oxygen. These molecules have one or more unpaired electrons, which means they are very reactive with other molecules which in turn means they are capable of chemically interacting with and destabilizing cells such as DNA. Under normal conditions, antioxidants prevent these reactions.

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Suggested Reading

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  • Endurance by Alfred Lansing.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Embry Riddle Aeronautical University, Daytona Beach, FL, USA

    Erik Seedhouse

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  1. Erik Seedhouse
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Correspondence to Erik Seedhouse .

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Seedhouse, E. (2020). Space Physiology and Psychology. In: Life Support Systems for Humans in Space. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-52859-1_2

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-52859-1_2

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