Neuroscience Research in Short-duration Human Spaceflight encapsulates a groundbreaking neuroscience portfolio conducted during the Axiom Mission 2 in May 2023, offering an examination of the effects of short-duration orbital spaceflight on aspects of the human brain. Addressing limitations in existing literature, the research includes astronauts of diverse ages, genders, and ethnic backgrounds, broadening the understanding of the impact of spaceflight on human physiology. A significant aspect of the suite of studies is the validation of two novel devices providing unprecedented information about the pupillary light reflex and neuroimaging in microgravity: automated pupillometry and functional near-infrared spectroscopy. The portfolio extends to explore spaceflight-associated neuro-ocular syndrome, offering valuable contributions to the evolving field of space medicine. Furthermore, the research delves into the utilization of electroencephalography to monitor brain activity, acknowledging its potential in assessing cognitive health, stress levels, and mental workload in real time. Despite promising prospects, challenges in electroencephalography system adaptability within the International Space Station environment are highlighted, emphasizing the need for specialized design considerations. In addition, analysis is extended into the molecular biomarkers through minimally invasive blood monitoring. This book represents a pivotal advancement in space neuroscience, laying the foundation for safer space travel and fostering the development of monitoring tools crucial to observing adverse changes and potentially developing countermeasures that can aid in the establishment of a permanent human presence beyond Earth. - Offers in-depth coverage of the effects of spaceflight on human physiology and the brain - Includes novel data from astronauts on the Axiom Mission 2 - Includes a range of monitoring tools to assess neurological activity during and after spaceflight

This book offers an overview of neuroscience research performed in space since the observations made during the first manned space flights to the detailed scientific investigations currently being carried out onboard the International Space Station. This book is for the general scientific reader. Each project and the reason why it was done is described with illustrations, rationale and hypothesis, and a summary of results. Also, reference lists guide readers to the published papers from experiments. This book is a legacy of what we have learned on brain mechanisms and functions through research done in space, and a guide for what could be investigated in the future.

This book consolidates the current knowledge of how short and long-duration spaceflight affects the anatomy and physiology of the central nervous system. It also incorporates the methodology and constraints of studying the central nervous system in space. Chapters detail advances in imaging techniques available to assess intracranial and intraocular pathology as well as translational medicine with an emphasis on brain cancer and neurodegenerative disease in spaceflight. Additionally, the book offers theoretical background information, tested laboratory protocols, and step-by-step methods for reproducible lab experiments to aid neuroscientists and neurobiologists in laboratory testing and experimentation. Spaceflight and the Central Nervous System is the first to comprehensively include all aspects of spaceflight-induced changes in the central nervous system. It is an invaluable resource for basic and clinical laboratory trainees and researchers in aerospace medicine and physiology or for those looking to gain specific knowledge in spaceflight neuroscience.

Offers solutions and best practices to respond to recurrent problems and contemporary challenges in the field Since the publication of the first edition of Environmental Impact Assessment in 2003, both the practice and theory of impact assessment have changed substantially. Not only has the field been subject to a great deal of new regulations and guidelines, it has also evolved tremendously, with a greater emphasis on strategic environmental, sustainability, and human health impact assessments. Moreover, there is a greater call for impact assessments from a global perspective. This Second Edition, now titled Impact Assessment to reflect its broader scope and the breadth of these many changes, offers students and practitioners a current guide to today's impact assessment practice. Impact Assessment begins with an introduction and then a chapter reviewing conventional approaches to the field. Next, the book is organized around recurrent problems and contemporary challenges in impact assessment process design and management, enabling readers to quickly find the material they need to solve tough problems, including: How to make impact assessments more influential, rigorous, rational, substantive, practical, democratic, collaborative, ethical, and adaptive How each problem and challenge-reducing process would operate at the regulatory and applied levels How each problem can be approached for different impact assessment types-sustainability assessment, strategic environmental assessment, project-level EIA, social impact assessment, ecological impact assessment, and health impact assessment How to link and combine impact assessment processes to operate in situations with multiple overlapping problems, challenges, and impact assessment types How to connect and combine impact assessment processes Each chapter first addresses the topic with current theory and then demonstrates how that theory is applied, presenting requirements, guidelines, and best practices. Summaries at the end of each chapter provide a handy tool for structuring the design and evaluation of impact assessment processes and documents. Readers will find analyses and new case studies that address such issues as multi-jurisdictional impact assessment, climate change, cumulative effects assessment, follow-up, capacity building, interpreting significance, and the siting of major industrial and waste facilities. Reflecting current theory and standards of practice, Impact Assessment is appropriate for both students and practitioners in the field, enabling them to confidently respond to a myriad of new challenges in the field.

More than four decades have passed since a human first set foot on the Moon. Great strides have been made in our understanding of what is required to support an enduring human presence in space, as evidenced by progressively more advanced orbiting human outposts, culminating in the current International Space Station (ISS). However, of the more than 500 humans who have so far ventured into space, most have gone only as far as near-Earth orbit, and none have traveled beyond the orbit of the Moon. Achieving humans' further progress into the solar system had proved far more difficult than imagined in the heady days of the Apollo missions, but the potential rewards remain substantial. During its more than 50-year history, NASA's success in human space exploration has depended on the agency's ability to effectively address a wide range of biomedical, engineering, physical science, and related obstacles-an achievement made possible by NASA's strong and productive commitments to life and physical sciences research for human space exploration, and by its use of human space exploration infrastructures for scientific discovery. The Committee for the Decadal Survey of Biological and Physical Sciences acknowledges the many achievements of NASA, which are all the more remarkable given budgetary challenges and changing directions within the agency. In the past decade, however, a consequence of those challenges has been a life and physical sciences research program that was dramatically reduced in both scale and scope, with the result that the agency is poorly positioned to take full advantage of the scientific opportunities offered by the now fully equipped and staffed ISS laboratory, or to effectively pursue the scientific research needed to support the development of advanced human exploration capabilities. Although its review has left it deeply concerned about the current state of NASA's life and physical sciences research, the Committee for the Decadal Survey on Biological and Physical Sciences in Space is nevertheless convinced that a focused science and engineering program can achieve successes that will bring the space community, the U.S. public, and policymakers to an understanding that we are ready for the next significant phase of human space exploration. The goal of this report is to lay out steps and develop a forward-looking portfolio of research that will provide the basis for recapturing the excitement and value of human spaceflight-thereby enabling the U.S. space program to deliver on new exploration initiatives that serve the nation, excite the public, and place the United States again at the forefront of space exploration for the global good.