SpaceRef - Astrobiology and Life Science

SpaceRef - Astrobiology and Life Science - Gravitational Biology

29 May 2006

A Strategy for Research in Space Biology and Medicine into the Next Century (1998), NRC Space Studies Board - This report, like its predecessors,1 2 emphasizes the importance of investigating fundamental mechanisms of the effects elicited by microgravity and other aspects of the space environment, in contrast with the largely descriptive studies of the earlier era of space biology and medicine.

NASA ARC Center for Gravitational Biology Research - This center at NASA Ames Research Center coordinates a wide variety of research activities into a broad range of basic and applied problems in gravitational biology and physiology.

American Society for Gravitational and Space Biology (ASGSB) - founded in 1984 and is a growing organization which fosters research, education, training and development in gravitational and space biology. Society members are drawn from university, government, and industry and represent many disciplines bonded by a interest in a common issue, gravity.

Invited review: gravitational biology of the neuromotor systems: a perspective to the next era - Early indications are that gravity also plays a key role in the ontogenesis of some of these design features. The purpose of the present review is not to assess and interpret a body of knowledge in the usual sense of a review but to look ahead, given some of the general concepts that have evolved and observations made to date, which can guide our future approach to gravitational biology.

Models to Study Gravitational Biology of Mammalian Reproduction, Biology of Reproduction - Mammalian reproduction evolved within Earth's 1 g gravitational field. As we move closer to the reality of space habitation, there is growing scientific interest in how different gravitational states influence reproduction in mammals.

Centrifuge Accommodation Module, Boeing (now cancelled) - Unique among ISS modules, this one will permit long-term study of the effects of varying gravity levels on the structure and function of generations of living organisms and test methods for countering the negative results of those variations. The Module will house the Centrifuge Facility, a more than 8-ft. diameter centrifuge drum or rotor, and a Gravitational Biology Facility, with racks for holding plants, animals and habitats.