FEASIBILITY STUDY OF A CENTRIFUGE EXPERIMENT FOR THE APOLLO APPLICATIONS PROGRAM VOLUME Ⅳ MANNED CENTRIFUGE TEST REPORT

摘要

This study examines the application of an on-board centrifuge as a versatile research tool for the measurement of human physiological responses in the space environment. A realistic orbital centrifuge is configured based on a specified series of experiments dealing primarily with vestibular and cardiovascular physiology. Experiment feasibility is established in terms of spacecraft stability, reliability safety, economics, weight, power and other influential factors. A ground based prototype of the orbital machine is defined and the required test program outlined. The effect of cross-coupled angular accelerations induced by the interaction of the astronaut/machine/vehicle motions is examined by a series of ground centrifuge tests with human subjects.