Computer simulations are better than harness experiments, which
merely reduce foot traction but do not account for the lower pendulum
frequency. Such studies show that the walking speed on Mars is only
1.5 mph, with any higher speed requiring a jog. Of course, we all
know that on the Moon the astronauts ended up with a skipping hop as
locomotion. While this is not as big a problem as reduced immune
system functioning, it still counts against low-gee living.
wrote:
> --- In spacesettlers@yahoogroups.com, "Darren Brown"
>
> > Without
> > the encumbrance of a pressure suit, you are going to try to walk
> > normally, on Mars, Luna or anywhere the apparent gravity is lower
> > than a full Earth gravity, you are going to either walk very slow
or
> > use a different gait.
> >
> > Comments?
>
> One nice thing about this problem is that it is pretty much possible
> to find this out on the earth, by using a harness and a
counterweight
bparkyn wrote:
> which merely reduce foot traction but do not account for the
> lower pendulum frequency. Such studies show that the walking
> speed on Mars is only
> 1.5 mph, with any higher speed requiring a jog.
Is any of this info online? I'd be keen to look at it.
> Of course,
> we all know that on the Moon the astronauts ended up with a
> skipping hop as locomotion. While this is not as big a
> problem as reduced immune system functioning, it still counts
> against low-gee living.
Hmmm...we don't know that 1/6th gravity has /any/ detrimental effects on
the immune system. No-one stayed on the Moon longer than 75 hours, and
there wasn't a whole lot of physiological studies going on into that
aspect of the astronaut's stay.
I'm still unconvinced that low gravity (as opposed to microgravity) will
be particularly harmful.
Regards,
Andy G
On Sat, 11 Sep 2004 19:50:25 -0000, bparkyn wrote:
> Computer simulations are better than harness experiments, which
> merely reduce foot traction but do not account for the lower pendulum
> frequency. Such studies show that the walking speed on Mars is only
> 1.5 mph, with any higher speed requiring a jog. Of course, we all
> know that on the Moon the astronauts ended up with a skipping hop as
> locomotion. While this is not as big a problem as reduced immune
> system functioning, it still counts against low-gee living.
(...)
system", but another day a friend of mine just pointed out: "But what
if it is caused by radiation, not microgravity?". Then I realized
that, as far as I know, *all* experiments involving humans in orbit
also involved much higher levels of radiation; there was never a
shielded habitat where the radiation factor was eliminated.
So, since high levels of radiation are a known immuno-depressive
factor, how exactly did the studies conclude that zero-g, and not
radiation, was the main responsible for the immuno-depression observed
in astronauts?
NASA has done studies on Earth where prolonged bed-rest was used to simulate prolonged exposure to 0-G. Therefore I would surmise that NASA would not be attributing the depression of the immune system to 0-G if their Earth-bound experiments had failed to turn up a same or similar effect.
Mike Combs
From: Lucio de Souza Coelho [mailto:lucioc@...]
Sent: Monday, September 13, 2004 3:35 PM
To: spacesettlers@yahoogroups.com
Subject: Re: [spacesettlers] Re: How will we walk? SLOWLY
By the way, I have often read that "microgravity depresses the imune system", but another day a friend of mine just pointed out: "But what if it is caused by radiation, not microgravity?". Then I realized that, as far as I know, *all* experiments involving humans in orbit also involved much higher levels of radiation; there was never a shielded habitat where the radiation factor was eliminated.
So, since high levels of radiation are a known immuno-depressive factor, how exactly did the studies conclude that zero-g, and not radiation, was the main responsible for the immuno-depression observed in astronauts?
I have just seen this article at
http://shot.com/docs/spaceresearch_v2n3june2003_low.pdf where it is
suggested that immune response is weakened because the bones are
weakened and many cells involved in immune response, like macrophages,
come from the bone marrow. Well, considering the Rube Goldberg-machine
design of the human body, that kinda makes sense. :-)
>
> NASA has done studies on Earth where prolonged bed-rest was used to simulate prolonged exposure to 0-G. Therefore I would surmise that NASA would not be attributing the depression of the immune system to 0-G if their Earth-bound experiments had failed to turn up a same or similar effect.
>
> Regards,
>
> Mike Combs
(...)
My objection precisely
As far as that goes, recent findings indicate that living in a
*sterile* environment depresses the immune system. And life in orbit
(so far) tends to be pretty sterile. So is it the micro-G, or the
lack of ordinary germs? And do the bed-rest studies take place in a
sterile environment? And do the bed-rest studies also show a
depressed immune system?
Getting back on subject, this article suggests that walking in Lunar
and Martian gravity without pressure suits has been tried at least in
short periods on the famous "vomit comet".
Anyone know any more about this?
Mark
--- In spacesettlers@yahoogroups.com, "Xenophile"
wrote:
> As far as that goes, recent findings indicate that living in a
> *sterile* environment depresses the immune system. And life in
orbit
> (so far) tends to be pretty sterile. So is it the micro-G, or the
> lack of ordinary germs? And do the bed-rest studies take place in
a