Station Science Top News: Feb. 23, 2023

by ISS Program Science Office | 2023-02-23

Researchers found that during spaceflight, astronauts perceive one minute to go by faster and previous events to have happened more recently than they did. These results suggest that neurovestibular dysfunction that occurs in microgravity alters time perception, which could affect performance on time-critical tasks.

Time Perception in Microgravity examined changes in time perception by asking astronauts to estimate the duration of one minute and the time between a previous activity and the present. Time perception is an important part of overall cognitive performance needed to perform tasks. Previous studies have shown that spaceflight alters mental representation of space (including the perception of object size, distance, and depth), and ground-based studies suggest that perception of time and space overlap. Understanding and addressing these changes is necessary to ensure future mission success.

NASA astronaut Anne McClain is shown in the Columbus module performing the Time Perception in Microgravity investigation. Crew members are asked to evaluate or reproduce the display duration of a blue square presented in the center of the head-mounted display. The results are compared with pre and postflight baselines. Credits: Anne McClain/NASA

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The Crew-6 mission is scheduled to launch on Wednesday, March 1, carrying NASA astronauts Stephen Bowen and Warren Hoburg, UAE (United Arab Emirates) astronaut Sultan Al Neyadi, and Roscosmos cosmonaut Andrey Fedyaev. During their time on station, these crew members are scheduled to work on a variety of scientific investigations, including:

· SoFIE-MIST, which examines thermally assisted burning in microgravity under a variety of conditions. Results could help scientists assess the flammability of materials used in future space missions, a critical factor in spacecraft and facility safety.

· Immunity Assay, an ESA investigation of a new inflight tool to monitoring spaceflight’s effect on cellular immune function. Testing during rather than after flight could provide a clearer assessment of immune changes and inform the development of countermeasures.

· Cardinal Heart 2.0, which tests clinically approved drugs to help prevent spaceflight-induced changes in heart cell function and gene expression. Results could guide drug development strategies on Earth to more effectively treat people with heart conditions.

· Engineered Heart Tissues-2, a test of therapies to prevent space-induced changes in heart tissue that could lead to cardiac disease. This research supports the development of countermeasures to protect future space explorers and patients at risk of developing heart disease on Earth.