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Review of NASA's Biomedical Research Program (2000) / Chapter Skim
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4 Muscle Physiology
Pages 26-32

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From page 26...
... Maintaining muscle health requires elucidating underlying mechanisms and developing effective countermeasures through well-controlled, scientific flight investigations. Extensive attempts to obtain such data over the past decade through supplemental mission objectives rather than as primary investigations have not yielded definitive results (NASA, 1987, 1991, 1994, 1999~.
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From page 27...
... Investigators in NASA centers, NSBRI, and NRA extramural programs collaborate on exercise testing during bed rest, rodent hindlimb unloading (exercise, pharmacological and hormonal countermeasures) , calcium signaling in human skeletal muscle cultures, and gravity effects on sarcolemmal structure and function.
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From page 28...
... In summary, research to date has been descriptive, and the next generation of experiments promises to elucidate mechanisms and identify effective countermeasures. The objectives of the muscle physiology investigations supported by NASA's BR&C and FBRP are consistent with the Strategy report recommendation to determine how muscle cells sense the mechanical stress of gravity.
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From page 29...
... The uncontrolled nature of these studies and the small number of subjects contributed to the failed consensus on defining an optimal exercise regimen for maintaining muscle health. Medical Operations at the Johnson Space Center (JSC)
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From page 30...
... Without this change or a formal process to translate potential countermeasures from both intra- and extramural laboratories, progress in solving muscle-related problems will fall further behind that required to support the continuous presence of humans in space. EPIDEMIOLOGY AND MONITORING Plans for Monitoring Crew Health and Fitness on the International Space Station A program of operational monitoring and validation of in-flight countermeasures will be implemented on the ISS (NASA, 1998a)
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From page 31...
... Additional advanced technologies are being pursued by NSBRI, NASA centers, and NRA extramural technology development programs. These include development of rapid freeze equipment to preserve muscle cell constituents for biochemical and molecular analyses, more ergonomic space suits to reduce muscle fatigue, and imaging instruments for documenting muscle deterioration and real-time assessment of countermeasure efficacy.
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From page 32...
... In the era of ISS, progress on preventing muscle debilitation will depend greatly on the close coordination of medical operations monitoring of crew health and fitness with basic research flight investigations on humans. New technologies for noninvasive monitoring of muscle health during spaceflight are being developed.
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Key Terms

  • skeletal muscle
  • flight investigations
  • muscle atrophy
  • muscle physiology
  • muscle health

  • resistance exercise
  • muscle deterioration
  • crew health
  • potential countermeasures
  • muscle research

  • maintaining muscle
  • report recommendation
  • formal process
  • medical operations
  • international space

  • bed rest
  • mechanical stress
  • muscle cells
  • space biomedical
  • sciences dsos

  • space station
  • cells sense
  • rodent hindlimb
  • molecular mechanisms
  • conducted aboard

  • dsos conducted
  • muscle mass
  • hindlimb unloading
  • close coordination
  • continuous presence


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