Readings | Bibliographies | Still Images | Links

Overview

As humans, animals, and plants all evolved under the influence of Earth's gravity, it is rational to assume that they all would be affected by an environment with altered gravitational force. Much of the content on this site focuses on how space and its microgravity environment affect biological systems, but other gravitational effects can also alter biological function.

Greater-than-normal gravity, known as hypergravity, has its own effects on living systems. Hypergravity studies employing centrifuges, devices that rotate at various speeds about a fixed, central point, had previously been used to test fighter pilots, who must regularly operate under high gravity conditions. Early in the history of the space program, centrifuges were used to test the ability of experimental research payloads to withstand the gravity forces of launch and re-entry. Centrifuges are still used for hardware verification and for ground control experiments, to assess how launch and landing may affect experimental results. Hypergravity can also be used to estimate which physiological processes may be affected by microgravity. If a change is noticed in hypergravity conditions, the process is most likely gravity-dependent, and would experience change in microgravity.

While hypergravity conditions are easy to simulate on Earth, scientists must turn to ground-based models of microgravity to study the effects of decreased gravity on living systems outside of the space environment.

Readings

Artificial Gravity and the Architecture of Orbital Habitats
Description: A brief article discussing the role of artificial gravity in designing orbital habitats in space. (Posted on 05/04)

Drug May Treat Orthostatic Intolerance in Astronauts
Description: A discussion of a drug that may reduce orthostatic intolerance (dizzy spells and feelings of faintness) that often plague astronauts upon returning to Earth. (Posted on 11/03)

Genetic Changes during Space Flight and Aging
Description: This article describes research into how microgravity changes gene expression, and how these genetic changes mimic the aging process. (Posted on 11/03)

Gravity Shapes Life
Description: This document discusses the effects of gravity upon an individual's development as well as the possible effects of gravity upon evolution. (Posted on 12/00)

The Pull of Hypergravity
Description: Using a 58-ft diameter centrifuge, researchers are gaining new insight into how humans adjust to hypergravity. (Posted on 04/05)

Studies of Artificial Gravity Yield Insights into Importance of Touch in Motor Control
Description: Description: This article from NASA's Space Life Sciences Research Highlights series discusses new studies that challenge long-held assumptions about humans' ability to adapt to the coriolis forces that accompany artificial gravity. The new findings provide insight into the neurological mechanisms of motor control, suggesting that humans can adapt to rotation. (Posted on 04/05)

Bibliographies

NASA Hypergravity Literature Database
Description: This database documents an extensive body of literature related specifically to hypergravity environments. (Posted on 12/00)

Still Images

View the image 20-G Centrifuge
Source: Ames Research Center
Format: JPEG
Description: This image contains a picture and description of NASA's 20-G Centrifuge, which is used in hypergravity and aviation studies. (Posted on 12/00)

Links

The Center for Gravitational Biology Research
The Center for Gravitational Biology Research (CGBR) hosts facilities for conducting ground-based gravitational experiments with cells, animals, and humans.