Life Sciences And Space Research

This last volume of the SpringerBriefs in Space Life Sciences series is setup in 5 main parts. The 1st part shortly summarizes the history of life science research in space from the late 40s until today with focus on Europe and Germany, followed by a part on describing flight opportunities including the Space Shuttle/Spacelab system and the International Space Station ISS; in the 3rd part it focuses on extraordinary success stories of this constantly challenging research program and highlights some important key findings in space life science research. The book introduces in the 4th part innovative developments in non-invasive biomedical diagnostics and training methods for astronauts that emerge from this program and are of benefit for people on Earth especially in the aging society. Last but not least in its 5th part it closes with an outlook on the future of space life sciences in the upcoming era of space exploration. The book is intended for students and research scientists in the life sciences and biomedicine as well as for interested lay persons, who wish to get an overview of space life science research: its ́ early days, current status and future directions.

A little-known yet critical part of NASA history Life in Space explores the many aspects and outcomes of NASA’s research in life sciences, a little-understood endeavor that has often been overlooked in histories of the space agency. Maura Mackowski details NASA’s work in this field from spectacular promises made during the Reagan era to the major new directions set by George W. Bush’s Vision for Space Exploration in the early twenty-first century. At the first flight of NASA’s space shuttle in 1981, hopes ran high for the shuttle program to achieve its potential of regularly transporting humans, cargo, and scientific experiments between Earth and the International Space Station. Mackowski describes different programs, projects, and policies initiated across NASA centers and headquarters in the following decades to advance research into human safety and habitation, plant and animal biology, and commercial biomaterials. Mackowski illuminates these ventures in fascinating detail by drawing on rare archival sources, oral histories, interviews, and site visits. While highlighting significant achievements and innovations such as space radiation research and the Neurolab Spacelab Mission, Mackowski reveals frustrations—lost opportunities, stagnation, and dead ends—stemming from frequent changes in presidential administrations and policies. For today’s dreams of lunar outposts or long-term spaceflight to become reality, Mackowski argues, a robust program in space life sciences is essential, and the history in this book offers lessons to help prevent leaving more expectations unfulfilled.

Life Sciences and Space Research, Volume XVII contains the proceedings of the Open Meeting of the Working Group on Space Biology of the Twenty-first Plenary Meeting of COSPAR, held in Innsbruck, Austria, from May 29 to June 10, 1978 and of the Symposium on Gravitational Physiology which also took place in Innsbruck, Austria, on June 2 and 3, 1978. The papers review the results of research in the life sciences with respect to space biology, including chemical data returned from the Viking Lander experiments. The engineering design of biologically closed ecological systems suitable for very long term space flight or space colonies is also described. This volume is comprised of 41 chapters and begins with a discussion on closed regenerative life support systems for space travel and their implications for ecological science. Subsequent chapters examine closed ecology in space from a bioengineering perspective; technology requirements for nonterrestrial ecosystems; carbon suboxide polymer as an explanation for the wave of darkening observed on Mars; and volcanism and soil mercury on Mars, along with their consequences for terrestrial microorganisms. The next sections focus on the biology of extreme environments such as Central Antarctica, radiation biology in space, and gravitational physiology in relation to humans and animals. This book will be of interest to space scientists, space biologists, and those engaged in the life sciences, space research, molecular biophysics, biochemistry, and physiology.

Construction of the international space station, scheduled to start in late 1998, ushers in a new era for laboratory sciences in space. This is especially true for space life sciences, which include not only the use of low gravity as an experimental parameter to study fundamental biological processes but also the study of the serious physiological changes that occur in astronauts as they remain in space for increasingly longer missions. This book addresses both of these aspects and provides a comprehensive review of ground-based and space research in eleven disciplines, ranging from bone physiology to plant biology. It also offers detailed, prioritized recommendations for research during the next decade, which are expected to have a considerable impact on the direction of NASA's research program. The volume is also a valuable reference tool for space and life scientists.

Since 1969, the Universities Space Research Association (USRA), a private, nonprofit corporation, has worked closely with the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) to advance space science and technology and to promote education in those areas. USRA's Division of Space Life Sciences (DSLS) has been NASA's life sciences research partner for the past 18 years. For the last six years, our Cooperative Agreement NCC9-41 for the 'Space Life Sciences Research and Education Program' has stimulated and assisted life sciences research and education at NASA's Johnson Space Center (JSC) - both at the Center and in collaboration with outside academic institutions. To accomplish our objectives, the DSLS has facilitated extramural research, developed and managed educational programs, recruited and employed visiting and staff scientists, and managed scientific meetings.Coats, Alfred C.Johnson Space CenterAEROSPACE ENGINEERING; EDUCATION; LIFE SCIENCES; RESEARCH AND DEVELOPMENT; SCIENTISTS; PUBLIC RELATIONS; NASA PROGRAMS