EXPERIMENT INFORMATION
Mental Representation of Spatial Cues (3D-Space) (ILSRA_2001_088)
Principal Investigator
Research Area:
Behavior and performance
Species Studied
Scientific Name: Homo sapiens Species: Human
Study Type
Description
OBJECTIVES:
The purpose of the Mental Representation of Spatial Cues During Space Flight (3D-Space) experiment was to investigate the effects of exposure to microgravity on the mental representation of spatial cues by astronauts during and after space flight. The absence of the gravitational frame of reference during space flight may be responsible for disturbances in the mental representation of spatial cues, such as the perception of horizontal and vertical lines, the perception of objects’ depth, and the perception of targets’ distance. This investigation included three perceptual/motor tasks, which were conducted pre-, in- and postflight. One task included writing words horizontally and vertically and drawing geometrical objects using a digitizing tablet. A second task involved adjusting the shape of a geometrical illusion or a three-dimensional object presented in a head-mounted virtual reality display. The third task included estimating the relative or absolute distances between objects and landmarks in three-dimensional images presented in the head-mounted display.
The purpose of the Mental Representation of Spatial Cues During Space Flight (3D-Space) experiment was to investigate the effects of exposure to microgravity on the mental representation of spatial cues by astronauts during and after space flight. The absence of the gravitational frame of reference during space flight may be responsible for disturbances in the mental representation of spatial cues, such as the perception of horizontal and vertical lines, the perception of objects’ depth, and the perception of targets’ distance. This investigation included three perceptual/motor tasks, which were conducted pre-, in- and postflight. One task included writing words horizontally and vertically and drawing geometrical objects using a digitizing tablet. A second task involved adjusting the shape of a geometrical illusion or a three-dimensional object presented in a head-mounted virtual reality display. The third task included estimating the relative or absolute distances between objects and landmarks in three-dimensional images presented in the head-mounted display.
Publications
Clément G, Skinner A, and Lathan C. Distance and Size Perception in Astronauts during Long-Duration Spaceflight. Life. 2013, 3, 524-537.
Clément G, Skinner A, Richard G, and Lathan C. Geometric illusions in astronauts during long-duration spaceflight. Neuroreport. 2012. October 24; 23(15):894-9. [
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Data Availability
Archive is complete. No data sets are available for this experiment. Please Contact LSDA if you know of available data for this investigation.
Parameters
Perception, horizontal lines
Perception, object's depth
Perception, target depth
Perception, vertical lines
Spatial cues
Mission/Study Information
| Mission | Launch/Start Date | Landing/End Date | Duration |
|---|---|---|---|
| Expedition 17 | 04/08/2008 | 10/23/2008 | 198 days |
| Expedition 18 | 10/12/2008 | 04/17/2009 | 187 days |
| Expedition 19 | 03/26/2009 | 10/11/2009 | 199 days |
| Expedition 20 | 05/27/2009 | 10/11/2009 | 137 days |
| Expedition 21 | 10/11/2009 | 12/01/2009 | 51 days |
| Expedition 22 | 11/30/2009 | 03/18/2010 | 109 days |
| Expedition 23 | 03/18/2010 | 06/01/2010 | 75 days |
| Expedition 26 | 11/26/2010 | 03/16/2011 | 111 days |
| Expedition 27 | 03/14/2011 | 05/23/2011 | 70 days |
| Expedition 28 | 05/23/2011 | 09/15/2011 | 115 days |
| Expedition 29 | 09/16/2011 | 11/21/2011 | 40 days |
Additional Information
Co-Investigators
Managing NASA Center
Johnson Space Center (JSC)
Responsible NASA Representative
Johnson Space Center LSDA Office
Project Manager: Eric Gallagher
Project Manager: Eric Gallagher
Institutional Support
European Space Agency (ESA)
Alternate Experiment Name
3D-Space
NNJ05HD92A
Proposal Source
ILSRA-2001