Buckey, Pawelczyk and Mission Specialist Kay Hire once again will
take part in an experiment aimed at exploring the influence of gravity
on blood pressure. The lower body negative pressure test places a
stress on the cardiovascular system similar to that experienced when
standing in Earth's gravity. Pawelczyk also is scheduled to take
part in the Valsalva test, which stimulates the pressure receptors in
the neck and chest and measures those responses. Both Buckey and
Pawelzyk will participate as subjects and as operators in tests of the
autonomic nervous system. All four science crew members will conduct
tests of their pulmonary systems as well as additional runs in a
rotating chair to measure the response of their eyes and inner ears in
maintaining balance in a weightless environment.
This afternoon, Commander Rick Searfoss and Pilot Scott Altman will
fire Columbia's reaction control system jets in a small orbital
adjustment maneuver to maintain the proper landing opportunities for
the end of the flight about a week from now. At 4:19 this afternoon,
Pawelczyk will take a few minutes out of his research work to take
part in a question and answer session with students at Penn State.
Columbia remains in a 153 x 133 nautical mile orbit, circling the
Earth every 90 minutes. All systems on board continue to operate in
excellent fashion.
The next STS-90 status report will be issued about 6 p.m. Monday or as
events warrant.
On Monday, April 27, 1998, 5:45 p.m. CDT, STS-90 MCC Status Report # 22
reports:
Today was another busy day of science on board Columbia as the crew
members conducted investigations into vestibular, pulmonary and
autonomic functions.
In studies which used crew members Rick Linnehan, Dave Williams and
Kay Hire, and Payload Specialists Jay Buckey and Jim Pawelczyk as
operators and subjects, the crew members' eye movements were tracked
in a study of how the brain adapts to microgravity, and whether
altered breathing patterns influence how well the astronauts sleep.
In the afternoon, Buckey conducted dexterity experiments with 19- to
25-day old rats, monitoring the young rats as they walked on a
specially-designed apparatus resembling a jungle gym. This was the
second of three planned behavioral sessions to try to understand if
gravity is essential for normal development of the motor system.
Members of Neurolab's Mammalian Development Team have
re-prioritized their science activities following an unexpectedly high
mortality rate among the rat neonates. Mission managers reported today
that 45 young rats died, likely as the result of maternal neglect.
Forty-five of the original complement of 96 neonates remain, with six
having been euthanised as part of scientific protocols during the
course of the mission. Columbia's astronauts investigated the animal
enclosures after noticing a drop in water consumption by nursing rat
dams. Payload Commander Rick Linnehan and his crew mates intervened,
providing fluid and nourishment to some of the young rats by hand, in
an effort to save them.
Crew members talked about the progress of their mission to date with
reporters in the U.S. and Canada during their traditional in-flight
crew news conference this morning. Pawelczyk took time this afternoon
to discuss Neurolab science with students at Penn State University,
his alma mater.
This afternoon, Commander Rick Searfoss and Pilot Scott Altman fired
Columbia's reaction control system jets in a small orbital adjustment
maneuver to support landing opportunities for the end of the flight
about a week from now. The astronauts will begin an eight-hour sleep
period at 8:59 p.m. central time today.
Columbia remains in a 153 x 133 nautical mile orbit, circling the
Earth every 90 minutes. All systems on board continue to operate in
excellent fashion.
The next STS-90 status report will be issued about 6 a.m. Tuesday or
as events warrant.
Go to STS-90 Flight Day 12 Highlights: