Balancing Brains

Koyaanisqatsi writes "NASA researchers are learning more about the human brain by studying how astronauts regain their balance upon returning from space. Back home, an astronaut's brain no longer knows how to interpret what the senses tell it. The brain has to adapt to a zero gravity environment in space, then readjust back on Earth. The transition may bring on motion sickness. Ever wonder how your brain would react? (Full Story). Same article is also available via streaming audio or as a downloadable mp3 file."

reminds me of those commercials

[the_other_one]

This is your brain

This is your brain on gravity

Any questions?

Like riding a bike

[Trane Francks]

It's interesting that our "like riding a bike" idiom that suggests we cannot forget how to do something is patentently false when we remove the organism from its native habitat. The article makes it pretty obvious that if we humans wish to engage in manned space exploration, we'll need artificial gravity in the ships if we've any chance of disembarking on a planet to check things out without tripping all over ourselves.

The moon is one thing, but even Mars is a 3-year-flight away.

Re:Like riding a bike

[pythorlh]

The moon is one thing, but even Mars is a 3-year-flight away.

Mars is only a 3 year flight if you go for a least-fuel cost route. Constant acceleration during the correct flight window brings that down to 2 weeks. And pretty much anything in between is possible.

Not to nitpick, but this is a common misconception that is a building block for many arguments against Mars missions.

Re:Like riding a bike

[Trane Francks]

Mars is only a 3 year flight if you go for a least-fuel cost route.

A fair and reasonable rejoinder. I apologize if my statement came off as an absolute; it was not intended in that fashion. That said, the economics of space flight currently requires that we only carry enough fuel to get the job done. There's still very little margin for "wasteful" burns.

Not to nitpick, but this is a common misconception that is a building block for many arguments against Mars missions.

Again, a fair comment. :) As technology brings us ever more efficient fuels and engine designs, we may within our lifetime find an adequate solution to that enables us to approach such a mission based on least-time rather than least-cost. I don't expect that to happen within, say, the next ten years, however.

trane

uploading a new kernel...

[jki]

Somehow reading the article reminds me of the Neo's training period in the Matrix movie. If they actually can make the brains..

"We know that astronauts are just on the verge of readapting to Earth in the 2 to 4 day time frame after short duration space flight. So we thought, why don't we go to day 3, when we think somebody is just about adapted, and see if we can cause the brain to switch states."

shift states, would not the next thing to try to be able to create those states. Like fast-forwarding (as in FF>>) or uploading a scenario into the brains and balance control...

Err.. yeah

[doru]

I thought this was yet another circus number.

Nevermind...

Spock's brain?

[Fredbo]

Brain and brain, what is brain?

Obligatory "Terrestrial Benefits" clause

[RobertB-DC]

From the article:

And for us on Earth? Paloski's work may help here, too. Ultimately his research is about making it easier to learn--and that's something we do every day of our lives.

As usual, NASA is compelled to point out some way that space research will generate a tangible benefit on Earth. It's like a mantra: "Yes, we've spent billions, but look at all the space program spinoffs we use every day on Earth!"

I wish that there were a way to harness the pure excitement of exploration, without having to make excuses. Of course, as seen elsewhere on Slashdot [slashdot.org], you can only spend so many billions of dollars before folks start expecting results.

Meanwhile, I'm rooting for Armadillo Aerospace [slashdot.org] and the other backyard hobbyists with deep pockets.