Experiment to be conducted on upcoming NASA Space Shuttle mission

 

TORONTO, November 30, 2006 -- York University and the Canadian Space Agency held a media briefing this afternoon to demonstrate a crucial experiment that aims to solve the hand-eye coordination problems experienced by astronauts in space.

 

The experiment, called PMDIS (Perceptual Motor Deficits in Space), is the work of York’s Dr. Barry Fowler. It will be deployed on the upcoming NASA Space Shuttle Discovery Mission STS-116, set to launch Dec. 7, 2006.

 

Canadian astronaut and York alumnus Steve MacLean was on hand to demonstrate portions of the experiment, which works like a simple computer game and uses a joystick to manipulate targets.

 

When performed aboard the shuttle, the tests will provide researchers with answers as to why deficits in hand-eye coordination occur and how they can remedy this problem.

 

"In microgravity, accomplishing high-precision tasks is always a challenge for an astronaut, especially in the first few days of a mission," said MacLean. "Our body and brain are constantly searching for new points of references to adapt our movements to this strange environment."

 

Dr. Fowler, a neuroscientist in York’s new Faculty of Health, said the knowledge gained through this experiment will help improve the safety of human presence in space.

 

“Space shuttle pilots and payload operators need quick and accurate hand-eye coordination to manoeuvre objects in space. However, while in microgravity, astronauts have a harder time reaching and pointing to objects than when they are on Earth,” Dr. Fowler said.

 

“For example, to dock the shuttle safely to the International Space Station, the pilot must be accurate within a few centimetres while both vehicles move through space at 30,000 km per hour. So, it’s critical that we find ways to improve the accuracy of such precise manoeuvres.”

 

Dr. Harvey Skinner, Dean of York’s Faculty of Health, cited Dr. Fowler’s research as an example of the faculty’s ability to tap into a wide range of disciplines.

 

"PMDIS is a leading example of the innovative, interdisciplinary research that is taking place in our new Faculty of Health. It brings together the best of the worlds of kinesiology, vision research and space science,” Skinner said.

York University is the leading interdisciplinary research and teaching university in Canada. York offers a modern, academic experience at the undergraduate and graduate level in Toronto, Canada’s most international city. The third largest university in the country, York is host to a dynamic academic community of 50,000 students and 7,000 faculty and staff, as well as 190,000 alumni worldwide. York’s 11 faculties and 23 research centres conduct ambitious, groundbreaking research that is interdisciplinary, cutting across traditional academic boundaries. This distinctive and collaborative approach is preparing students for the future and bringing fresh insights and solutions to real-world challenges. York University is an autonomous, not-for-profit corporation.

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Media contact:

 

Keith Marnoch, Associate Director, Media Relations, York University, 416 736 2100 x22091 / marnoch@yorku.ca