Operational Performance Effects and Neurophysiology in Partial Gravity (OPEN-PG)

Background: Understanding human performance under various partial-gravity loadings is critical to NASA’s crewed mission strategies. For example, current vehicle and mission designs for Mars landings require the crew to use robotic teleoperation within 24 hours of landing—unaided from Earth—to connect landing craft power systems with pre-positioned power generators. This design requires the crew to perform complex sensorimotor operations to maintain life support, as soon as possible after a gravitational transition, and in an unfamiliar partial-gravity setting. Unfortunately, there remains limited knowledge about how the sensorimotor system is affected by exposure to both partial gravity and gravity transitions. Addressing these gaps will in part require integrated assessment of operational and sensorimotor performance alongside neurovestibular and neurophysiological responses during exposure to various gravitational loads.

Aim 1: Characterize and quantify changes in operationally-relevant sensorimotor and vestibular performance as a function of gravitational load.

Aim 2: Characterize and quantify changes in physiology—particularly in brain function and autonomic activation during behavioral performance—as a function of gravitational load.

Aim 3: Develop a model to predict behavioral performance and neurophysiological responses under different gravitational loads based on preflight ground testing data.

Hypotheses: (Hyp1) We predict a monotonic but non-linear relationship between Robotics On-Board Trainer-r (ROBoT-r) performance and gravitational load, with larger departures from 1g leading to more impaired performance. (Hyp2) Behavioral alterations will be paralleled by physiological changes at different gravity loads, including activation of prefrontal and vestibular cortex, and autonomic nervous system activation. (Hyp3) Ground-based challenges to the vestibular system will induce detectable neurophysiological responses, and the amplitude of these responses (i.e., an indicator of individual “sensitivity” to these provocations) will help (3a) predict neurophysiological responses in-flight, and (3b) predict behavioral performance in flight.

Deliverables: Overall, our project will characterize (1) operationally-relevant performance and (2) neurophysiological responses as a function of gravity load, as well as (3) providing models to predict performance and neurophysiological impacts of partial gravity based on preflight-data. This work has the potential to identify individuals who are particularly resilient to altered gravity, and will be key for planning future exploration-class missions where survival will depend on the operational capabilities of astronauts in partial-gravity environments.

The proposed parabolic flights will help fill critical knowledge gaps regarding human exposure to fractional-gravity conditions. Specifically, our project will address gaps regarding operational performance, neurophysiological status, individual sensitivity to different gravitational loads between 0-1g, as well as prediction of behavioral performance and physiological responses to partial gravity. In addition to filling key gaps surrounding human performance of operationally-relevant tasks in partial gravity, this work may provide a method to help identify crewmembers who are particularly resilient for performing particular tasks under novel gravity loadings. The results have the further benefit of providing a better understanding of the role of disorientation in Earth-based operational performance. This is relevant not only to fighter pilots, but to task performance by individuals with neurological or medical conditions that adversely affect the vestibular system (e.g., stroke, infections).

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