Exposure to space flight has been shown to results in changes in many physiological systems, including the musculoskeletal system, the cardiovascular system, the immune system, and the neurovestibular system. These changes could negatively impact the ability of humans to undertake long-term habitation and exploration of space. However, there are limits to the studies that can be done with humans in space. Both ground-based and space flight animal model systems are currently used for these studies as an alternative. This volume covers the latest developments in the use of animal models to...

During the past several years there has been a shortage of flight opportunities for biological and medical projects. And those that were available usually had severe restrictions on instrumentation, number of subjects, duration, time allotted for performing the experiments, a possibility for repetition of experiments. It is our hope and expectation that this will change once the international Space Station is in full operation. The advantages of a permanent space station, already demonstrated by the Russian Mir station, are continuous availability of expert crew and a wide range of equipment,...

This fourth volume in the series, dedicated entirely to the results of the first European study of the effects of long-term confinement and isolation. The volume continues to attempt to fulfill the aim of this series, to bring the findings and accomplishments in the field of space biology and medicine to a wider group of scientists than merely the relatively small group of biologists and physiologists currently involved in space experimentation.
The contributions are not only nicely spread geographically with three chapters from the United States, two each from Russia, Europe, and Japan,...

In this volume of ASPA, devoted to developmental biology research, 9 authors from different fields of developmental biology present their investigations on various developing plant and animal models. An a priori concern in mind that weightlessness might have negative effects on developmental processes, it is encouraging to know that the overall development of various organisms tested so far is essentially correct under spaceflight conditions, leading to viable individuals with viable offspring. On the other hand, particular studies on specifically neurophysiological aspects in...