SPATIAL ORIENTATION DURING LOCOMATION FOLLOWING SPACE-FLIGHT

To investigate changes in spatial orientation ability and walking perf ormance following space flight, 7 astronaut subjects were asked pre- a nd post-flight to perform a goal directed locomotion paradigm which co nsisted of walking a triangular path with and without vision. This new paradigm, involving inputs from different sensory systems, allows qua ntification of several critical parameters, like orientation performan ce, walking velocities and postural stability, in a natural walking ta sk, The paper presented here mainly focusses on spatial orientation pe rformance quantified by the errors in walking the previously seen path without vision, Errors in length and reaching the corners did not cha nge significantly from pre- to post-flight, while absolute angular err ors slightly increased post-flight, The significant decrease in walkin g velocity and a change in head-trunk coordination while walking aroun d the corners of the path observed post-flight may suggest that during re-adaptation to gravity the mechanisms which are necessary to perfor m the task have to be re-accomplished.