Another very varied day, split between training and medical exams.
First thing in the morning a short introductory lesson on performing the Cardio Ox experiment, a study on the cardiovascular effects of long-duration spaceflight and the correlation between changes in the heart and in the arteries with oxidative and inflammatory stress. While the latter is measured through biomarkers in blood and urine, heart and arteries are observed via ultrasound. Of course we’re not expected to become proficient at performing ultrasound scans: we’ll be remotely guided from the ground as we examine our own brachial and carotid arteries and our heart.
In another class I had a chance to work with Hi-Fidelity EVA hardware and some of the units that could potentially be replaced during a spacewalk, if they failed. From big battery “boxes” that store power from the solar arrays during insulation to the big tanks that contain ammonia for the external cooling loops to the tanks that contain the nitrogen to pressurize those same cooling loops to units that provide venting capability of that ammonia to space from the radiator lines in case of a malfunction… and that’s just a tiny selection of the dozens of units out there that can be replaced on an EVA.
I also had a very sophisticated test of my vestibular system – basically a balance test, but one in which visual and proprioceptive cues are carefully controlled to isolate as much as possible the effect of the vestibular system itself on balance. I will repeat this test once more before flight and then again after returning to Earth: everybody’s vestibular system is in pretty bad shape after a long-duration spaceflight.
Finally, I had a practice class on the SAFER, the jetpack unit attached to the back of the EMU suit that is intended to provide self-rescue capability to a crewmember who should come detached from Station. Just to be clear – it was never actually used (except for testing purposes). Other that George Cloney’s jetpack in Gravity, the SAFER has only very little gas. That’s why we train to fly back to structure in the most fuel-efficient manner possible in a virtual reality environment that replicates the ISS. In the picture you can see a picture of a virtual reality run: the yellow line is the trajectory flown away from Station and then, with the help of the SAFER, back to it.
(Trad IT) Traduzione in italiano a cura di +AstronautiNEWS qui:
https://www.astronautinews.it/tag/logbook/
(Trad ES) Tradducción en español aquí:
https://www.intervidia.com/category/bitacora/
(Trad FR) Traduction en français par +Anne Cpamoa ici:
https://spacetux.org/cpamoa/category/traductions/logbook-samantha/
13/03/2014