NeurOn ExPress Your Brain in Space

NASA Space Life Sciences studies the brain in Space

Science starts with questions. In April 1998, NASA will give many of the world's top neuroscientists the opportunity to get their questions answered. "Neurolab" is a spaceflight mission dedicated to studying the brain.

Why study the brain in space? We already know that there are "sensors" in the inner ear which depend on Earth's gravity to tell us things like which way is up and whether or not we are moving. In space, these gravity sensors work differently and the brain interprets the signals differently. But how? That is one of the many questions the Neurolab scientists hope to answer .

The Space Shuttle Columbia will take seven astronauts and the life sciences experiments into orbit. Members of the Neurolab crew will be very busy during their flight. They are scheduled to perform over thirty scientific experiments in just sixteen days. That's truly amazing when you consider the fact that most of those experiments are the result of years of research here on Earth. Each experiment was designed by a scientist referred to as the Principle Investigator (P.I.) The P.I. is an expert in his/her field and each experiment was chosen because of its unique use of weightlessness to study the nervous system. Imagine what it would feel like to spend years of your life designing an experiment and then turn it over to an astronaut for the final test. Now that's trust and teamwork!

Who would you trust with your brain research? Read next month's SpaceLife ExPress to find out more about the Neurolab crew.