ABSTRACT
The paper presents body mass and leg volume measurements of 21 prime crewmembers of Salyut-6 and Salyut-7 flights. It was found that body mass variations were different in sign. In most crewmembers body mass decreased by 1.2-2.0 to 6.0 kg. In some crewmembers this parameter increased by 1.0 to 4.5 kg during the entire flight or at certain flight stages. This observation confirms the concept that metabolism produces an important effect on body mass variations. It also points out that the space diets used are adequate to metabolic requirements. Leg volume of all cosmonauts decreased in the following manner: the decrease was the greatest during the first flight day, slightly less during the first flight month and still less during the subsequent 2 or 3 months of flight. Exercises that were performed at a larger workload, especially during the second half of flight, seemed to help stabilize or occasionally increase leg volume.
Subject(s)
Body Weight , Muscles/metabolism , Space Flight , Weightlessness , Anthropometry , Body Water/metabolism , Food, Formulated , Humans , LegABSTRACT
In 1986 in USSR medical investigations were continued in 125-day flight on "Salyut-7" and "Soyuz-T-15" orbital stations and on "Mir" basic block. Medical program consisted of medical control during active parts of flight and works in open space, profound medical examinations in rest and in function tests, metabolism and its regulation analysis, hygienic estimation of environment, estimation of prophylactic methods to prevent unfavourable influence of weightlessness on human organism. Cosmonauts felt well in all parts of flight on the dates of radio exchange, TV-seances, self- and each other control. Profound medical investigations discovered several individual changes in parametres of every cosmonaut's blood system. This charactaral changes appeared not in rest only, but with the influence of loading test and depended on initial hemodynamic status before the test.
Subject(s)
Blood Circulation , Exercise , Hemodynamics , Lower Body Negative Pressure , Space Flight , Weightlessness , Adaptation, Physiological , Aerospace Medicine , Cardiovascular Physiological Phenomena , Exercise Therapy , Humans , Time FactorsABSTRACT
During 140-day space flight body mass changes of the Commander and Flight-Engineer were measured. No correlation between body mass losses and flight duration was found. Greatest body mass losses occurred on MD 44--59 in Commander (2.3--2.4 kg), and on MD 86 in Flight-Engineer (5.4 kg). Later the losses decreased. The results suggest that body mass changes varied on an individual basis and depended on many spaceflight factors.
Subject(s)
Body Weight , Space Flight , Diet , Humans , Physical Exertion , Stress, Physiological/physiopathology , Time Factors , Water-Electrolyte BalanceABSTRACT
The purpose of the present investigation was to assess, using a specially built sensor, variations and level of fluid redistribution as well as atrophic changes in leg muscles of test subjects exposed to prolonged head-down tilt and cosmonauts in a real space flight. Hypokinetic test subjects were examined before, during and after head-down tilt, whereas cosmonauts were examined before and during flight. The results obtained show that a change in the hydrostatic component of blood pressure is followed by displacement of a substantial fluid volume (about 7%). Adequate performance of pre-assigned countermeasures seems to prevent atrophic developments of leg muscles.
