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STS-90 Mission Overview

The STS-90 mission launch was held on April 17, 1998 on-board Space Shuttle Columbia at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida. Canadian Space Agency's Dr. Dafydd Rhys (Dave) Williams was one of the seven astronauts on this special mission.

What is Neurolab?

The STS-90 mission, entitled Neurolab, was one of a series of NASA's research missions dedicated to the study of life sciences. This mission was a very exciting quest that joined the two remaining frontiers of the 20th century, outer space and inner space-the flight of Columbia coupled with research into the workings of the human nervous system. The focus of Neurolab's research was the neurosciences. The 17-day international mission directed its attention to the effects of weightlessness on the nervous system, the most complex and least understood parts of the human body. Made up of the brain, spinal cord, nerves, and sensory organs, these systems face major challenges during space flight. They are involved in the regulation of blood pressure, coordination of movement, and sleep regulation-all of which are affected on a space shuttle mission like STS-90.

During the flight of Neurolab, astronauts conducted life science experiments in Columbia's Spacelab module, a fully equipped international space laboratory. The coordinated efforts of thousands of scientists, engineers, and astronauts from across Canada, the United States, Europe, and Japan were involved in the success of this mission.

This international collaboration was an excellent model for examining how life science research might be selected, managed and funded on the International Space Station (ISS).

How is Canada Involved?

The Canadian Space Agency (CSA) actively supports Canadian researchers with high-quality microgravity flight opportunities. Two of the twenty-six Neurolab experiments chosen by NASA from about 140 proposals had Canadian co-investigators. One of these, the Visuo-Motor Coordination During Space Flight experiment, involved a study of changes in movement during weightlessness that affect such things as pointing and grasping objects. This project provides insights into muscular performance on Earth with implications for recovery after injuries.

This experiment was performed using the Visuo-motor Coordination Facility (VCF) developed by Bristol Aerospace in Winnipeg. The Canadian scientist responsible for this experiment was Dr. Barry Fowler of York University.

The other Canadian experiment, the Role of Visual Cues in Spatial Orientation, studied the process by which astronauts orient themselves in microgravity. How do they switch from reliance on their inner ear balance organs (which they use on Earth) to using strictly visual cues? The investigation looked at the use of "fake gravity" by putting pressure on the bottom of the feet to see if it overrides the visual cues, and how long it took to re-adapt on return to the Earth. These results have a bearing on motion sickness, which is one of the more serious problems of human travel, whether into space, or just around the corner. The Canadian scientist responsible for this experiment is Dr. Ian Howard of the Human Performance Laboratory (HPL) at the Centre for Research and Space Technology (CRESTech) in Toronto.

CSA astronaut Dave Williams, in addition to performing experiments in space, was the first astronaut from outside the United States to be named official Crew Medical Officers, and the third Canadian Mission Specialist to have flown on a space shuttle mission. Also, CSA Astronaut Chris Hadfield was named CAPCOM during the mission.

What Does Neurolab Mean to You?

Neurolab's focuses was put on basic research in neuroscience, providing a unique opportunity to study neurological diseases and disorders in a microgravity environment and to investigate potential treatments and therapies. While the mission's main aim was to expand our understanding of how the nervous system develops and functions in space, this knowledge will have direct applications to its development and function on Earth.

The weightless environment of the shuttle in orbit is a unique research environment with some fascinating possibilities for advancing the treatment of disease.

For the over half million North Americans with orthostatic intolerance (e.g. dizziness from standing too quickly), Neurolab's research will help define the disorder, bringing therapeutic intervention closer.

People with neurological diseases such as Parkinson's disease, basal ganglia disorders, and cerebellar deficiencies will benefit from insights gained in Neurolab's sensory motor experiments.

Disease or trauma to the ear's vestibular apparatus (the system that senses balance and motion) is a problem that affects over 90 million North Americans. Neurolab research, with head-mounted virtual reality displays, studied these conditions, offering the possibility of visual prosthetics as a treatment approach.

Insomiacs will be aided by advances in the understanding of the way the "sleep" hormone melatonin functions, as well as the development of novel portable equipment for home-based sleep studies.

New knowledge of neuronal plasticity, the way nerve cells "re-wire" to compensate for disease or injury, will aid in many areas of nervous system therapy.

The role of gravity in the development of the mammalian nervous system was studied, offering insights into how genetics and the environment interact during this crucial process.

An on-board aquatic system shed light on various forms of motion sickness and vertigo.

Why a Neurolab Mission?

President George Bush and the Congress of the United States declared the 1990s to be the "Decade of the Brain". This declaration recognized the spectacular advances that have taken place in neuroscience research over the past 25 years. Aptly called "the last frontier of human biology", neuroscience research holds infinite possibilities for greater understanding of how the nervous system works, and for treating and preventing nervous system ailments.

With all of the data collected over the years on how astronauts adapt to microgravity, researchers are beginning to understand the basics of space physiology, and the experience has posed as many questions as it has answered. For example, how do we learn to function so quickly without gravity, given that all our basic movements (walking, catching, etc.) were learned in the presence of gravity? How do the gravity-sensitive parts of the body like the inner ear, cardio-vascular system and muscles learn to cope without gravity? Why are sleep and biological rhythms changed in space? Must gravity be present at the point in life when basic skills such as walking are usually learned? These questions will be answered on the mission by taking measurements on the crew and research animals before, during and after the flight. The experiments on the crew include blood pressure, hand-eye coordination, inner ear research with emphasis on balance, and the problems associated with sleep. The animal research looks at such things as neuronal plasticity (the nervous system's adaptation to change), the development of the mammalian system under microgravity conditions, and how animal gravity sensors are affected in space.