Citation

Shelhamer M. J. Appl. Physiol. (APS Bethesda) 2016; 120(12): 1442-1448.

Affiliation

The John Hopkins University School of Medicine mjs@dizzy.med.jhu.edu.

Copyright

(Copyright © 2016, American Physiological Society)

DOI

10.1152/japplphysiol.01046.2015

PMID

26796759

Abstract

Ground-based analog facilities have had wide use in mimicking some of the features of space flight, in a more controlled and less-expensive manner. One such analog is parabolic flight, in which an aircraft flies repeated parabolic trajectories that provide short-duration periods of free fall (0g) alternating with high-g pullout or recovery phases. Parabolic flight is unique in being able to provide true 0g in a ground-based facility. Accordingly, it lends itself well to the investigation of specific areas of human space flight that can benefit from this capability, which predominantly includes neurovestibular effects, but also others such as human factors, locomotion, and medical procedures. Applications to research in artificial gravity, and to effects likely to occur in upcoming commercial suborbital flights, are also possible.

Language: en