commander Brian O'Connor leaving a crew
out launch day for sts 40 the first
mission dedicated to studying the human
body and microgravity in Colombia's
cargo bay a reusable research facility
called space lab
a tunnel led crew members from
Columbia's main cabin into the lab here
they conducted a series of life sciences
experiments designed by a team of
international investigators studying an
unprecedented detail on the body adapts
to weightlessness how it reacts upon
return and the mechanisms regulating
these changes crew members took turns
wearing a neck chamber to measure the
response of receptors that help govern
blood pressure the work seems to confirm
that this blood pressure regulating
system is impaired in space which might
help explain the lightheadedness
astronauts experience when they stand up
after landing data was also gathered on
variations in blood flow and flexibility
of vessels in the leg this is thought to
contribute to the body's inability to
maintain normal blood pressure
immediately upon return to Earth samples
collected over the course of the
nine-day flight are being analyzed to
determine whether changes in hormone
levels may be part of the reason bone
and muscle deteriorate in space
time spent peddling a stationary bike
served a dual purpose providing
information on exercise capacity in
microgravity as well as heart and lung
functions the distribution of blood and
the lungs did not appear to change has
predicted a surprise scientists are
currently evaluating a number of other
studies tested the theory that visual
perception in conjunction with changes
in the inner ear contribute to motion
sickness symptoms most people experience
when traveling in space but measuring
changes and even determining their
causes is just the beginning according
to mission specialist dr. Rhea Seddon
what we really have to do is decide
whether or not we have to reverse some
of these changes whether we have to
develop countermeasures for instance for
the loss of calcium that we see from the
bones the loss of fluid from the body of
course this mission was for only nine
days and you can never say that what
happens in nine days is all that will
happen in three years and going to Mars
there's no way that you can evaluate the
countermeasures that you develop they
require a space station and that's why
we think space station is so important
for life sciences research wherever
possible the research aboard Spacelab
was done with an eye towards earthly
applications there are a lot of people
who don't regulate their blood pressure
properly and they have high blood
pressure what can we learn about the
changes that take place in
weightlessness about regulation that we
can put to use here on the ground people
as they get older or as they're
bedridden tend to lose calcium from the
bones what regulates that and how is it
the same and how is it different from
weightlessness and if we can counteract
it for astronauts going to Mars perhaps
we can counteract it in in women as they
get older and developing osteoporosis so
their variety of things the
we hope to gain from the mission such as
this space lab life sciences one the
most comprehensive study of human
adaptation ever undertaken enhancing our
future both in space and here on earth
still Roger that Columbia welcome back
and congratulations on a super flight
you