fluid study

Nasa and Roscosmos are jointly working to identify how fluids shift to the upper body when in space, and their role in visual deficits experienced by astronauts, in preparation for future missions to Mars.

Being conducted at the International Space Station, the fluid shift study is part of the one-year project between Nasa’s Human Research Program and Roscosmos that is designed to study how space flight changes the human body.

Nasa fluid shifts investigation co-principal investigator Michael Stenger said: "The fluid shifts investigation is very complex because it’s really a combination of three independent research studies with similar goals but different specific aims."

The largest-of-its-kind investigation on the station will primarily focus on the effects of weightlessness on increased intracranial pressure, and decreased visual capacity, as well as testing countermeasures to prevent these reactions using a Russian-made ‘lower body negative pressure’ suit, Chibis.

The Chibis suit is located in the Zvezda service module on the Russian side of the space station.

Nasa said that necessary hardware and equipment from the US segment is being relocated to the Russian module to support the investigation.

"If we want to stay in space longer than six months to explore, we have to determine what causes these vision changes."

The crew is using the cerebral and cochlear fluid pressure (CCFP) device and distortion product otoacoustic emissions (DPOAE), to measure changes in intracranial pressure. The optical coherent tomography (OCT) imaging machine is being used as a portable camera.

"We’ve never actually measured intracranial pressure in-flight and its possible role in the Visual Impairment Syndrome," Stenger added.

"If we want to stay in space longer than six months to explore, we have to determine what causes these vision changes so that we can begin developing countermeasures to prevent them."

The Human Research Program is currently evaluating the behaviour of Scott Kelly and Mikhail Kornienko, who are on a one-year in space.

Nasa has collaborated with the Henry Ford Medical Center, University of California, San Diego and Wyle Science, Technology and Engineering Group.

Image: Nasa scientist testing non-invasive techniques to evaluate and measure intracranial pressure in astronauts. Photo: courtesy of Nasa.