Table of Contents

Space Medicine

Canadian Astronaut Program Space Unit Life Simulation (CAPSULS)

Mission Type

• Mission simulation
• Materials and Life Sciences research

Payloads

Twenty-two experiments:

• Five operational experiments in telemedicine, computer voice recognition, and operational medicine;
• Five physiological experiments in circadian rhythms, vestibular (balance) disturbances, and optical illusions;
• Nine psychological experiments in group interaction, performance, motor control, and social behaviour;
• Three physical science experiments in fluid dynamics and material sciences.

Location

Defence and Civil Institute of Environmental Medicine (now DRDC-Toronto)
1133 Sheppard Avenue, North York, Ontario

Equipment

Diving Research Facility comprised of:

• Communications/Life Support Systems
• Hyperbaric chamber in three modules: habitat module, transfer chamber, and experiment module

Date

• From February 20 , 1994 at noon to February 27, 1994 at noon

Duration

• Seven days

Crew

Ground Crew

• Canadian Astronaut Program staff
• DCIEM Experimental Diving Unit staff
• International team of investigators

Mission Overview

The Canadian Astronaut Program Space Unit Life Simulation (CAPSULS) was an earth-based initiative that simulated a typical space shuttle or space station mission. A collaborative venture between the Canadian Space Agency's Astronaut Program (now the Canadian Astronaut Office) and the Department of National Defence's Defence and Civil Institute of Environmental Medicine (now DRDC- Toronto), CAPSULS was the first simulation of its kind to be conducted outside of Russia.

CAPSULS involved four Canadian astronauts who were isolated in the hyperbaric (pressure) chamber at DCIEM's Diving Research Facility for seven days. During their stay, the astronauts conducted twenty-two life and materials science experiments on behalf of twenty-two principal investigators from around the world. These researchers, who represented universities, government agencies, and the private sector in Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Russia, the United Kingdom, and the United States, had the astronauts perform experiments in telemedicine, computer voice recognition, psychology of confinement and group behaviour, physiology, and physical science.

The solid steel hyperbaric chamber used in CAPSULS was comprised of two primary modules, the habitat module and the experiment module, which were connected by a smaller transfer chamber. During the simulation, DCIEM personnel monitored and controlled temperature, humidity, and pressure of oxygen, carbon dioxide, nitrogen, and water vapour twenty-four hours a day. The Mission Control Centre, located outside the chamber, regulated the logistics, mission timeline, payload operations, and communications (including data links and Internet connection so that investigators in their home countries could access the data).

In addition to the data that was collected by the researchers, CAPSULS provided the Canadian astronaut participants with space mission training. The simulation also educated the Canadian Astronaut Program staff and the principal investigators in space
mission preparations and operations.