April 16, 1998. Copyright, 1998, Graphic News. All rights reserved

SHUTTLE MISSION PROBES DIZZYING WORLD OF INNER SPACE
By Oliver Burkeman

LONDON, April 16, Graphic News: INSOMNIACS, long-haul air travellers and people who get dizzy when they stand up too quickly all stand to benefit from a space shuttle research mission which blasts off today from the Kennedy Space Centre in Florida, carrying seven astronauts and thousands of insects, fish and small mammals on a 16-day trip.
On board Columbia, Commander Richard Searfoss and his crew will study the effects of weightlessness on human and animal nervous systems using Spacelab, a reusable laboratory carried in the shuttleÕs payload bay. The nervous system, which controls blood pressure, maintains balance, co-ordinates motion and regulates sleep, is designed for use on Earth Ð but little is known about what happens when gravity is taken out of the equation.
The results could help astronauts overcome Ôspace legsÕ Ð the balance and motion problems they experience on returning to earth Ð and, more importantly, could prepare them for longer stays on planets like Mars, where they would have to adapt quickly from the weightlessness of space to a greater gravitational force.
The same findings also offer hope for the millions who suffer from orthostatic intolerance Ð dizziness from standing up too quickly Ð as well as for sufferers from motion sickness, vertigo, insomnia and neurological diseases like ParkinsonÕs.
The centrepiece of the apparatus will be a rotating chair, the Ôoff-axis rotatorÕ, which will spin astronauts at 45rpm while measuring their eye movements Ð a key clue to the effect on their sense of balance.
Meanwhile the on-board menagerie, including over 1,500 crickets and 135 snails, will be analysed for the effects of weightlessness on their development, on their methods of sensing gravity, and on pregnancy.
/ENDS
Source: European Space Agency (Press: +33 (0) 1 53 69 71 55)