Longueuil, Quebec, December 13, 2006 – A unique Canadian experiment on hand-eye coordination capacity of astronauts in microgravity was done yesterday aboard space shuttle Discovery. York University's Dr. Barry Fowler led this experiment funded by the Canadian Space Agency (CSA).
Space shuttle pilots and payload operators need quick and accurate hand-eye coordination to manoeuvre objects in space. To dock the shuttle safely to the International Space Station, for example, the pilot must be accurate within a few centimetres while both vehicles move through space at 30,000 km per hour. Manoeuvring a satellite worth tens or hundreds of millions of dollars with the shuttle's Canadarm, or handling a truss weighing close to 20 tons with the Space Station's Canadarm2, are also delicate operations requiring very precise hand-eye coordination.
Yet, experience and science experiments have shown that, while in microgravity, astronauts have a harder time reaching and pointing to objects than when they are on Earth. This could be critical in emergency situations. Dr. Fowler is researching the causes of this reduction in hand-eye coordination. To study perceptual-motor deficits in space (PMDIS), he designed an experiment that resembles a simple computer game.
" Once the 'why' of perceptual-motor deficits in space is known ", said Dr. Fowler, "we can start looking at how to remedy this problem. This research in space could also lead to new medical knowledge on how the brain adapts or not to disease or injury that can confound hand-eye coordination".
Astronaut Sunita Williams, aboard Space Shuttle Discovery (STS-116), was put in front of various situations: in some trials she used a joystick to click on targets appearing on a computer screen, while in others, she tapped with a pointer directly on the touch screen specially designed for this experiment. The difficulty of the task varied with the size of the targets. In other trials that simulate multi-tasking, the astronaut was asked to push a button in response to a tone while hitting targets.
Bristol Aerospace Ltd. from Winnipeg was awarded the CSA contract to build hardware for the PMDIS experiment.
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NOTE: A b-roll with images of the interaction between CSA Program Manager Louise Beauchamp and the astronaut is available. Contact the CSA to obtain a copy or visit the CSA website at www.space.gc.ca.
For more information:
Carole Duval
Media Relations and Information Services
Canadian Space Agency
Telephone: (450) 926-4370
E-mail: carole.duval@space.gc.ca
