Animals were injected with a dose of ketamine at 5 mg/kg of body weight before flight, several hours after landing, and during the readaptation period. Five minutes after injection, blood was drawn and the serum prepared. Using both the Wet-Test biochemical analyzer and dry slides, albumin, BUN, creatine, globulin, alkaline phosphatase, alanine aminotransferase, glutamate, dehydrogenase, calcium, phosphate, and bilirubin were measured.

Results:

The flight animals had a biochemical baseline within normal limits of similarly aged rhesus monkeys. At landing, total protein, BUN, albumin, and calcium content had changed significantly. Phosphate concentration was at the baseline level. Alkaline phosphatase, glutamate, alanine aminotransferase, dehydrogenase, creatine and bilirubin levels were unaltered at landing and remained the same during readaptation. From this, it can be concluded that the capsule was sufficient to comfortably support the animals for the fourteen day mission. Alterations in calcium level suggest that calcium usage changes in microgravity. Further analysis leads to the conclusion that carbohydrate metabolism was not altered significantly during flight.