Subscribe free to our newsletters via your
. 24/7 Space News .




STATION NEWS
Testing astronauts' lungs in Space Station airlock
by Staff Writers
Paris (ESA) Mar 12, 2015


ESA astronaut Samantha Cristoforetti on the International Space Station working with equipment for the Airway Monitoring investigation. With each lungful of air, our bodies absorb oxygen and exhale waste-product molecules such as carbon dioxide - and the important signalling molecule nitric oxide. The Airway Monitoring experiment looks at the amount of nitric oxide the astronauts expel in the airlock. Image courtesy ESA/NASA. For a larger version of this image please go here.

Air was pumped out of the International Space Station's air lock for the first time in the name of science last week. Inside the cylindrical Quest airlock, ESA astronaut Samantha Cristoforetti and NASA's Terry Virts monitored their breathing for researchers back on Earth.

With each lungful of air, our bodies absorb oxygen and exhale waste-product molecules such as carbon dioxide and the important 'signalling' molecule nitric oxide. The Airway Monitoring experiment looks at the amount of nitric oxide the astronauts expelled by the astronauts in the airlock.

Nitric oxide is a gas found in cigarette smoke and car exhaust, for example, and it is produced in our bodies to regulate blood vessels and act as an antibacterial agent.

Doctors measure the amount of nitric oxide exhaled by patients to help diagnose inflamed lungs and asthma.

Airway monitoring for space and Earth
On Earth, dust drifts to the floor where vacuum cleaners or a damp cloth remove it easily. In weightlessness, dust circulates freely and often irritates and inflames eyes and lungs.

In addition, dust on the Moon and probably Mars sticks to astronauts through static electricity and has sharp edges - all making it more likely that dust will enter astronauts' lungs and do harm.

The Airway Monitoring experiment will test the use of nitric oxide as a tool to monitor lung inflammation as well as charting lung health in astronauts.

Four sessions will see the pair exhale into the equipment. Samantha and Terry made their first contributions before flight at NASA and ran their first space session in space in January.

On Friday, they entered the Station's Quest airlock for their last run and reduced the pressure by 30% - equivalent to being on a mountain at 3000 m altitude.

They are the first of eight astronauts to collect data on their lungs for this experiment. It is also the first time that Quest is used for scientific purposes - the module was installed to allow astronauts to venture outside on spacewalks.

A complete view of lung health
Testing the nitric oxide diagnostic technique in space adds to the data for use on Earth. More than 300 million people suffer from asthma, so a quick and simple lung test would be of great benefit.

Lars Karlsson, lead investigator for this experiment from the Karolinska Institutet of Sweden, is hopeful that the experiment in the airlock will open up new fields of research in reduced pressure in space: "In the future, it is quite likely that drugs could be designed based on exhaled nitric oxide measurements, to find the most effective molecules to treat inflamed airways and lungs. This type of research is a first step down this road."


Thanks for being here;
We need your help. The SpaceDaily news network continues to grow but revenues have never been harder to maintain.

With the rise of Ad Blockers, and Facebook - our traditional revenue sources via quality network advertising continues to decline. And unlike so many other news sites, we don't have a paywall - with those annoying usernames and passwords.

Our news coverage takes time and effort to publish 365 days a year.

If you find our news sites informative and useful then please consider becoming a regular supporter or for now make a one off contribution.
SpaceDaily Contributor
$5 Billed Once


credit card or paypal
SpaceDaily Monthly Supporter
$5 Billed Monthly


paypal only


.


Related Links
Futura at ESA
Station at NASA
Station and More at Roscosmos
S.P. Korolev RSC Energia
Watch NASA TV via Space.TV
Space Station News at Space-Travel.Com






Comment on this article via your Facebook, Yahoo, AOL, Hotmail login.

Share this article via these popular social media networks
del.icio.usdel.icio.us DiggDigg RedditReddit GoogleGoogle




Memory Foam Mattress Review
Newsletters :: SpaceDaily :: SpaceWar :: TerraDaily :: Energy Daily
XML Feeds :: Space News :: Earth News :: War News :: Solar Energy News





STATION NEWS
International Space Station 'Lost' Without Russia Says NASA Chief
Moscow (Sputnik) Mar 09, 2015
A top NASA official confirmed Wednesday that the US has no backup plan to maintain the International Space Station if Russia should decide to pull out of the joint operation. NASA Administrator Charles Bolden's frank admission of US dependence on Russia for the ISS' continued existence follows his reluctance to address the issue head on, the Houston Chronicle reported. "We would make ... read more


STATION NEWS
China Gets One Step Closer to Completing its Ambitious Lunar Mission

Core work: Iron vapor gives clues to formation of Earth and moon

Application of laser microprobe technology to Apollo samples refines lunar impact history

NASA releases video of the far side of the Moon

STATION NEWS
Mystery Giant Mars Plumes Still Unexplained

Use of Rover Arm Expected to Resume in a Few Days

Revolutionary Engine Could Fuel Human Life on Mars

Have you ever used a camera on board an interplanetary spacecraft

STATION NEWS
Orion's Launch Abort System Motor Exceeds Expectations

Planetary Society Announces Test Flight for Privately Funded LightSail Spacecraft

Space soprano plans first duet from ISS

Cheap yen, fading Fukushima fears lure Japan tourists

STATION NEWS
China has ability but no plan for manned lunar mission: expert

Tianzhou-1 cargo ship to dock with space lab in 2016

China's test spacecraft simulates orbital docking

China at technical preparation stage for Mars, asteroid exploration

STATION NEWS
International Space Station 'Lost' Without Russia Says NASA Chief

US astronauts speed through spacewalk at orbiting lab

Watching Alloys Change from Liquid to Solid Could Lead to Better Metals

NASA Hopes to Continue Cooperation on ISS Until 2024

STATION NEWS
THOR 7 being fueled for Arianespace's dual-payload April mission

Arianespace wins SES-15 launch contract

Soyuz Installed at Baikonur, Expected to Launch Wednesday

Arianespace's Soyuz ready for next dual-satellite Galileo launch

STATION NEWS
'Habitable' planet GJ 581d previously dismissed as noise probably does exist

Scientists: Nearby Earth-like planet isn't just 'noise'

Exorings on the Horizon

Planet 'Reared' by Four Parent Stars

STATION NEWS
Sony virtual reality head gear set for 2016 release

Breakthrough in nonlinear optics research

Google gearing Android for virtual reality: report

Video game makers grapple with need for diversity




The content herein, unless otherwise known to be public domain, are Copyright 1995-2014 - Space Media Network. All websites are published in Australia and are solely subject to Australian law and governed by Fair Use principals for news reporting and research purposes. AFP, UPI and IANS news wire stories are copyright Agence France-Presse, United Press International and Indo-Asia News Service. ESA news reports are copyright European Space Agency. All NASA sourced material is public domain. Additional copyrights may apply in whole or part to other bona fide parties. Advertising does not imply endorsement, agreement or approval of any opinions, statements or information provided by Space Media Network on any Web page published or hosted by Space Media Network. Privacy Statement All images and articles appearing on Space Media Network have been edited or digitally altered in some way. Any requests to remove copyright material will be acted upon in a timely and appropriate manner. Any attempt to extort money from Space Media Network will be ignored and reported to Australian Law Enforcement Agencies as a potential case of financial fraud involving the use of a telephonic carriage device or postal service.