Simulations and sleeping on the job

February 2 - February 6
This week started with another L-60 (60 days left to launch) baseline data collection session. The first experiment that I participated in Monday morning was the microneurography session with the autonomic team. This group of experiments is designed to determine the changes in the control of blood pressure that take place while in space and after a mission. Astronauts suffer from lightheadedness (orthostatic intolerance) when they stand up quickly after a space flight, an observation that may be linked to altered regulation of blood pressure.

To prepare for the experiment, an IV catheter was placed in each of my forearms. These were used to draw blood specimens during the experiment and one was used to administer tritiated norepinephrine. After the catheter insertion an electrode was placed in the peroneal nerve in my leg to record activity in the sympathetic nerves, one of the parts of the nervous system involved in the regulation of blood pressure. Continuous recordings of the nerve activity were obtained while I breathed in a controlled manner, held by breath and strained forcefully (Valsalva maneuver), performed a maximal hand grip, placed my hand in a cold pack and lastly, was tilted to a vertical postion. Each of these activities allows the investigators to assess the regulation of blood pressure in response to a number of different situations. The first slide (Autonomic BDC) shows me lying on the tilt table with the equipment for the controlled ventilation beside me.

After the BDC session, we had a bailout class in the crew compartment trainer (CCT) in building 9. This class was a continuation of previous classes that we had at the NBL where we practiced bailout into the water. The session started with instruction on using the bailout pole after which we got into our ACES and LES suits to practice getting out of our seats, deploying the pole and simulating a bailout. The next photo shows me simulating a bailout from the orbiter. For practice we rolled out of the side hatch onto a mat.

Tuesday brought more BDC sessions with data collection for the VEG and rotating chair experiments. This was followed by an EMU (spacesuit) caution and warning class in which all of the procedures to prepare for an EVA are reviewed. The class is in preparation for the suited run in the vacuum chamber to simulate preparing for and performing an EVA. During the vacuum chamber run I will conduct 2 simple experiments, one is to look at what happens to water in a beaker as the chamber is brought to a vacuum. The other is to compare dropping a feather and a small ball while in the vacuum chamber. Tuesday night the crew participated in the sleep experiment, sleeping in crewquarters fully instrumented for the sleep team.

On Wednesday, the BDC sessions continued with more VEG data collection, the pulmonary function tests, the COG test and in the evening another sleep session at crew quarters.

After deinstrumenting from the sleep experiment Thursday morning, we went to building 9 for a full day simulation of ascent, postinsertion and the deorbit phases of flight. The crew donned our ACES and LES suits and strapped into our seats for ascent.

This slide shows me on the flight deck getting ready to connect to my parachute in the MS1 seat.

After we attach our parachutes, we are strapped in and ready for ascent.

In this photo one of the suit technicians helps with these activities.

After the ascent portion of the flight we followed the postinsertion timeline where we get out of our suits and get the orbiter ready for the mission. This took about 3 hours during the simulation as we wanted to review each step of the procedure and allocate responsibilities to specific crew members. The afternoon session was essentially the reverse of the morning as we followed the deorbit prep timeline getting the orbiter ready to return and getting into our suits.

Friday morning started with a four hour suited ascent simulation in the motion simulator. This was our first integrated ascent simulation, in which we were supported by Mission Control throughout the simulation. As you can imagine, we simulated a number of malfunctions in the various shuttle systems and had a good review of the off nominal procedures. In the afternoon, I had photo TV training in the simulator in building 9 to review the use of the payload bay cameras and the video cameras that we use inside the shuttle.

It was an exciting week and we look forward to flying the mission in April.