Home-Base: finding your way home without gravity
The Home-Base experiment will gather data on how astronauts keep track of their location while in microgravity.
Background
The ability to orient yourself is necessary for safely moving through your day-to-day life. We can use several indicators to judge our position, like how close objects and people are to us or how close they are to each other. However, human senses are calibrated to Earth's gravity, and researchers are gathering data on how astronauts' judgement of their location and movement may be affected by the microgravity environment on the International Space Station (ISS). Home-Base builds on previous Canadian experiments BISE and VECTION.
Objectives
This study will:
- assess how astronauts adapt to the transitions between different environments during critical spaceflight procedures
- assess perception of location and movement before, during and after their mission to understand sensory changes and how to mitigate the effects
Impacts on Earth
Perception of your environment is key to living life on Earth, from driving a car to taking a walk in the park. As we age, up to 35% of adults over 40 will experience some form of vestibular dysfunction (a disturbance of the body's balance system). This disturbance can increase reliance on visual information for orientation. Diseases like Parkinson's can also impact gait and motion. Better understanding how humans orient themselves when moving could help minimize the side effects of balance disorder.
How it works
- Astronauts wear a virtual reality helmet that runs a program that simulates movement. They are given a starting point (a home base) and then virtually move through a tunnel, taking a turn midway through the course. They are then asked to indicate their starting location and assess how far they have travelled.
- Astronauts will be tested before, during and after their mission to gather data on the differences in perception of motion and how long it takes to return to pre-flight levels. A control group that remains on Earth will also take the test.
- Researchers will analyze the data collected to further understand the impacts of microgravity on the perception of orientation and movement.
Home-Base will use a sample size of eight to ten astronauts and a control group that remains on Earth.
Timeline
Preparation for the experiment began in fall , with data analysis scheduled to conclude in .
Canadian Space Agency (CSA) astronaut David-Saint Jacques takes part in activities for Vection, a predecessor of Home-Base, while on board the International Space Station. (Credit: CSA)
Research team
Principal investigator
- Professor Robert Allison, York University
Co-investigator
- Professor Michael Jenkin, York University
- Professor Emeritus Laurence Harris, York University
- Dr. Meaghan McManus, York University
- Research Professor Joseph McIntyre, Ikerbasque Science Foundation / Tecnalia Research and Innovation