STUDY OF COSMONAUTS' CAPABILITIES WHEN PERFORMING VISUAL/INSTRUMENT
OBSERVATIONS AND TEST TASKS DURING THE FIRST ORBITS AND DAYS OF FLIGHT (VITOK-2),
FOUR INVESTIGATIONS
Research Area: Vision
Expedition(s): 1
Principal Investigator(s): ● Valery V. Morgun, PhD, Yu.A. Gagarin Research and
Test Center for Cosmonaut Training, Star City, Moscow region,
Russia
RESEARCH OBJECTIVES
The Study of Cosmonauts’ Capabilities when Performing
Visual/Instrument Observations and Test Tasks during
the First Orbits and Days of Flight (Vitok-2) consists of 4
distinct investigations which obtained experimental data
on International Space Station (ISS) crew members’
capabilities when performing visual/instrument
observations and test tasks during the first orbits and
days of flight, when acute adaptation to spaceflight
occurs. The most serious effect is weightlessness,
accompanied by space motion sickness.
The goal of the Vitok-2 experiment is to obtain
experimental data on the capacities of cosmonauts to
conduct visual/ instrument observations and test tasks
on the first orbits and days of flight during acute
adaptation to spaceflight factors. On the first orbits and
days of spaceflight, a crewmember works under
conditions of acute adaptation to spaceflight factors, the
most serious of which is weightlessness and its
accompanying space motion sickness. At this time, flow
of information a crewmember receives about the surrounding environment drops sharply,
which is related to the distortion of the majority of perception by mechanoreceptors about the
position of the body and its individual parts in weightlessness and structural limitations on
position and locomotion activity. Under these conditions, the flow of information received
through the visual analyzer significantly increases for the crewmember. It has been established
that in weightlessness, no indicators from sensory organs, except vision, are providing reliable
information for spatial orientation. The majority of tasks performed by crewmembers in flight
involve the participation of vision, including: controlling the position of a manned space vehicle,
monitoring instrument readings, looking for, identifying, and recognizing various objects, etc.
Therefore it is deemed that the visual analyzer provides the crewmember with up to 90% of
information. The Vitok-2 experiment is the first attempt made to comprehensively assess the
impact of spaceflight factors on the types of crewmember work skills enumerated above using
cutting-edge equipment and procedures.
Russian cosmonaut Yu.M. Baturin
performs the Vitok-2 experiment aboard
the International Space Station.
Roscosmos image.