Encyclopedia Of Bioastronautics

This comprehensive encyclopedia serves the needs of biomedical researchers, space mission planners and engineers, aerospace medicine physicians, graduate students, and professors interested in obtaining an up-to-date and readable introduction to bioastronautics, the science of humans in space. Following the excitement and progress of the birth of the space age in the fifties and sixties, with the successes in human space flight – culminating with the Moon landings – the field of bioastronautics retreated into the more workmanlike arena of successively longer stays in low Earth orbit. At this time, major new initiatives are ahead both in human and robotic space exploration. The International Space Station, along with the developing Chinese space station and lunar program, will permit the development and testing of the means of astronaut protection for long duration missions – eventually to Mars and its moons, as well as visits to asteroids, other NEOs, and the Lagrange points. New life support systems and innovative approaches to radiation protection beyond Earth’s magnetic field will all be developed and tested. Meanwhile, the search for extraterrestrial life, past or even present, is accelerating – with the spectacular finds of Martian water and the discovery of potentially habitable extra-solar planets. A new generation of scientists is ready to attack a new set of problems, and is in need of an efficient, accurate and searchable means of discovering the essentials of the field. This reference work also covers the challenges, past achievements, and potential solutions inherent to the safe exploration of distant space and the search for life off our planet. The entries summarize the tertiary literature and include sufficient data and illustrations to introduce each topic, while avoiding the length and detail of scientific review articles.

The effects of microgravity on the human organism have been studied for over 60 years. The experience of short- and long-term space flights revealed alterations in multiple physiological systems either in the course of the flight or afterward. Some of these changes represent serious risks for crew health and functional capacity. This fact served as the trigger for multiple countries with space program participants to develop spaceflight countermeasures and medical support systems. These activities are intended to counteract space flight effects such as axial and support unloading, muscle disuse, monotony, fluid redistribution, sensory deficit, etc. Some countermeasures have been adapted from Earth medicine and sports, while others have been created especially for space flights. Many of the observed space flight effects have similarities to conditions seen on Earth, such as: decrease of motor activity in aging people, immobilized patients, and professions associated with forced physical inactivity and isolation. Thus, many space countermeasures and medical support systems can be applied in Earth medicine and rehabilitation. For example, countermeasures like loading suits, lower body negative pressure suits, electromyostimulation of various regimens, water-salt supplements, vestibular training means, etc. have been used in Earth medicine and sports conditioning over the last 20 years.

Extending the spatial and temporal boundaries of human space flight is an important goal for the nation and for the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA). However, human space flight remains an endeavor with substantial risks, and these risks must be identified, managed, and mitigated appropriately to achieve the nation's goals in space. The Bioastronautics Roadmap (BR) is the result of extensive, commendable efforts on the part of NASA to prioritize research efforts to meet these challenges. In 2003, NASA asked the Institute of Medicine (IOM), in collaboration with the Division on Engineering and Physical Sciences of the National Academies, to conduct a review of the BR. Specifically, NASA asked the committee to (1) conduct a comprehensive assessment and report of the strengths and weaknesses of the content and processes of the Bioastronautics Roadmap as applied to the missions described in the President's exploration initiative and (2) identify the unique challenges for accomplishing its goals and objectives. In September 2004, the committee released its preliminary report to NASA entitled Preliminary Considerations Regarding NASA's Bioastronautics Critical Path Roadmap. That document presented the committee's preliminary conclusions about the strengths and weaknesses of the April 2004 version of the BR. This report, A Risk Reductions Strategy for Human Exploration of Space, builds on those preliminary conclusions and provides recommendations to NASA about how to address the issues identified by the committee.

The Extraterrestrial Encyclopedia is an A-to-Z of the search for life in the Universe. Entries cover astrobiology, the origins and evolution of life, the hunt for exoplanets, SETI, and extraterrestrial life in science fiction, philosophy, and popular speculation (including UFOs). The book is written in an engaging style for the layperson and contains numerous B&W illustrations. Keywords: Encylopedia, ET, SETI, Science, Extraterrestrial, Origins, Evolution, Planets, Universe, David, Darling, Dirk, Schulze Makuch, Stars, Life

The first encyclopedia in the field, the International Encyclopedia of Ergonomics and Human Factors provides a comprehensive and authoritative compendium of current knowledge on ergonomics and human factors. It gives specific information on concepts and tools unique to ergonomics. About 500 entries, published in three volumes and on CD-ROM, are pre