Tara Ruttley - Academia.edu (original) (raw)

Papers by Tara Ruttley

NPJ microgravity, Mar 29, 2024

The ISS is the springboard to the next great leap in exploration, enabling research and technolog... more The ISS is the springboard to the next great leap in exploration, enabling research and technology development that will benefit human exploration of destinations beyond low-Earth orbit. It is the blueprint for global cooperation-one that enables a multinational partnership and advances shared goals in space exploration. Results represent research accomplishments sponsored by the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA), the State Space Corporation Roscosmos (Roscosmos), the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA), the European Space Agency (ESA), and the Canadian Space Agency (CSA). This report includes highlights of collected ISS results as well as a complete listing of this year's ISS results that benefit humanity, contribute to scientific knowledge, and advance the goals of space exploration for the world. Overall, the number of publications collected in 2017-2018 represents a year-over-year increase of 10% from the previous year of 2031 publications collected. 1 As of October 1, 2018, the ISS Program Science Office has identified a total of 2237 publications since 1999 with sources in peerreviewed journals, conferences, and gray literature, representing the work of more than 5000 scientists worldwide (Figure 1).

Since the first module was assembled on the International Space Station (ISS), on-orbit investiga... more Since the first module was assembled on the International Space Station (ISS), on-orbit investigations have been underway across all scientific disciplines. The facilities dedicated to research on ISS have supported over 1100 investigations from over 900 scientists representing over 60 countries. Relatively few of these investigations are tracked through the traditional NASA grants monitoring process and with ISS National Laboratory use growing, the ISS Program Scientist's Office has been tasked with tracking all ISS investigations from objectives to results. Detailed information regarding each investigation is now collected once, at the first point it is proposed for flight, and is kept in an online database that serves as a single source of information on the core objectives of each investigation. Different fields are used to provide the appropriate level of detail for research planning, astronaut training, and public communications. This database can be accessed at http://www.nasa.gov/iss-science/. With each successive year, publications of ISS scientific results, which are used to measure success of the research program, have shown steady increases in all scientific research areas on the ISS. Accurately identifying, collecting, and assessing the research results publications is a challenge and a priority for the ISS research program, and we will discuss the approaches that the ISS Program Science Office employs to meet this challenge. We will also address the online resources available to support outreach and communication of ISS research to the public.

With the retirement of the Space Shuttle and the transition of the International Space Station (I... more With the retirement of the Space Shuttle and the transition of the International Space Station (ISS) from assembly to full laboratory capabilities, the opportunity to perform life science research in space has increased dramatically, while the operational considerations associated with transportation of the experiments has changed dramatically. US researchers have allocations on the European Automated Transfer Vehicle (ATV) and Japanese H-II Transfer Vehicle (HTV). In addition, the International Space Station (ISS) Cargo Resupply Services (CRS) contract will provide consumables and payloads to and from the ISS via the unmanned SpaceX (offers launch and return capabilities) and Orbital (offers only launch capabilities) resupply vehicles. Early requirements drove the capabilities of the vehicle providers; however, many other engineering considerations affect the actual design and operations plans. To better enable the use of the International Space Station as a National Laboratory, gr...

International Astronautical Congress (IAC), Sep 12, 2019

The International Space Station (ISS) facilitates research that benefits human lives on Earth and... more The International Space Station (ISS) facilitates research that benefits human lives on Earth and serves as the primary testing ground for technology development to sustain life in the extreme environment of space. To date, investigators have published a wide range of ISS science results, from improved theories about the creation of stars to the outcome of data mining "omics" repositories of previously completed ISS investigations. Because of the unique microgravity environment of the ISS laboratory and the multidisciplinary and international nature of the research, analyzing ISS scientific impacts is an exceptional challenge. As a result, the ISS Program Science Forum (PSF), made up of senior science representatives across the ISS international partnership, uses various methods to describe the impacts of ISS research activities. For the most part, past papers written by PSF members to assess the overall ISS research impact have focused on exhibiting ISS research impact by quantifying ISS research output or its perceived benefits for humanity. This paper proposes a new assessment of ISS impact from the perspective of the end users' needs. To that end, the authors use visualizations and metrics of scientific publication data to show the ISS research influence on traditional scientific fields, its global reach and the benefits to people across the globe.

72nd International Astronautical Congress (IAC), Oct 1, 2021

The Artemis program has catalyzed NASA to develop principles of sustainability as the agency and ... more The Artemis program has catalyzed NASA to develop principles of sustainability as the agency and its partners contemplate returning humans to the Moon, and then to Mars, for long-term exploration. The Office of Chief Scientist collaborates with directorates within NASA, as well as with other government agencies and stakeholders, to represent the scientific endeavors in the agency, including developing a working definition of sustainability. The stays on the lunar surface under the Artemis program will be longer that those via the Apollo missions. Studying the requirements, challenges, and lessons learned from decades of human spaceflight and from analog sites in hostile environments on Earth will inform a framework for human sustainability requirements. This paper will provide an overview of the core sustainability goals as identified by NASA's Office of the Chief Scientist and describe several activities underway to support a broad-based lunar program with a long-term view of success and achievement.

Body loading is a fundamental parameter that modulates motor output during locomotion, and is esp... more Body loading is a fundamental parameter that modulates motor output during locomotion, and is especially important for controlling the generation of stepping patterns, dynamic balance, and termination of locomotion. Load receptors that regulate and control posture and stance in locomotion include the Golgi tendon organs and muscle spindles at the hip, knee, and ankle joints, and the Ruffini endings and the Pacinian corpuscles in the soles of the feet. Increased body weight support (BWS) during locomotion results in an immediate reorganization of locomotor control, such as a reduction in stance and double support duration and decreased hip, ankle, and knee angles during the gait cycle. Previous studies on the effect during exposure to increased BWS while walking showed a reduction in lower limb joint angles and gait cycle timing that represents a reorganization of locomotor control. Until now, no studies have investigated how locomotor control responds after a period of exposure to a...

Astronauts returning from space flight experience locomotor dysfunction following their return to... more Astronauts returning from space flight experience locomotor dysfunction following their return to Earth. Our laboratory is currently developing a gait adaptability training program that is designed to facilitate recovery of locomotor function following a return to a gravitational environment. The training program exploits the ability of the sensorimotor system to generalize from exposure to multiple adaptive challenges during training so that the gait control system essentially learns to learn and therefore can reorganize more rapidly when faced with a novel adaptive challenge. Evidence for the potential efficacy of an adaptive generalization gait training program can be obtained from numerous studies in the motor learning literature which have demonstrated that systematically varying the conditions of training enhances the ability of the performer to learn and retain a novel motor task. These variable practice training approaches have been used in applied contexts to improve motor ...

During the acute phase of adaptation to novel gravitational environments, sensorimotor disturbanc... more During the acute phase of adaptation to novel gravitational environments, sensorimotor disturbances have the potential to disrupt the ability of astronauts to perform functional tasks. The goal of this project is to develop a sensorimotor adaptability (SA) training program designed to facilitate recovery of functional capabilities when astronauts transition to different gravitational environments. The project conducted a series of studies that investigated the efficacy of treadmill training combined with a variety of sensory challenges designed to increase adaptability including alterations in visual flow, body loading, and support surface stability.

Gait & Posture, 2005

Chapter 5. Multi-sensory integration 33 normal subjects and 80 subacute patients with a first hem... more Chapter 5. Multi-sensory integration 33 normal subjects and 80 subacute patients with a first hemisphere stroke (54 left, 26 right). On the basis of the Scale for Contraversive Pushing (SCP) (Karnath et al., 2000), 45 were considered as upright in sitting and standing, and 35 showed a contralesional lateropulsion. Among these latter 6 showed a contralesional lateropulsion plus pushing. The four groups of subjects were compared: normals, upright patients, patients with lateropulsion but no pushing, pushers. Results: No patient showed an ipsilesional HV or PV tilt whereas 9% showed an abnormal ipsilesional W tilt, of mild magnitude. An abnormal contralesional tilt was found: in 55% for VV, 42% for PV, and 32.5% for HV A marked difference between groups was found. VV, HV, and PV were more tilted in pushers than in all other groups, more tilted in patients showing lateropulsion without pushing than in upright patients and normals, and also more tilted in upright patients than in normals (although their orientation were inside ranges of normality). In pushers PV was more tilted than VV and HV whereas these three modalities did not differ in other groups. In order to further understand how much verticality perception indices could explain the lateropulsion/pushing behaviour, we performed a variable selection. The variable which best explained the SCP was PV, which alone accounted for 51% of the information contained in SCP variations. Discussion: The contralesional lateropulsion frequently observed after a hemisphere stroke seems due to a contralesional tilt in the postural perception of the vertical, patients aligning their erect posture on this erroneous referential. Beyond stroke, this study shows how perception and action with respect to gravity are closely related.

Experimental Brain Research, 2006

Gravitational and Space Biology, 2009

Gravitational and Space Biology 22 (2) September 2009 67 THE IMPORTANCE OF THE INTERNATIONAL SPAC... more Gravitational and Space Biology 22 (2) September 2009 67 THE IMPORTANCE OF THE INTERNATIONAL SPACE STATION FOR LIFE SCIENCES RESEARCH: PAST AND FUTURE Tara M. Ruttley, Cynthia A. Evans and Julie A. Robinson Office of the ISS Program Scientist ...

Quantum Science and Technology

In the coming years we expect to see a diverse array of quantum instruments being developed and f... more In the coming years we expect to see a diverse array of quantum instruments being developed and flown in space, including quantum gas experiments, optical clocks, atom interferometry experiments, and quantum information/quantum optics experiments. The International Space Station has proven itself as an exceptional platform for such missions, providing long-term microgravity in a pressurized and temperature controlled environment, with ample power, thermal and data resources. However the station is currently planned to operate only through 2030, well before many proposed quantum sciences missions could be ready for launch, and we undertake here to explore what an ideal follow-on platform might look like. In particular, we believe that a much smaller and less expensive low Earth orbiting facility, optimized and dedicated to quantum science, could be an exceptionally powerful platform for exploring the quantum world and harnessing quantum technology. Such a platform would allow multipl...

Experimental Brain Research, 2005

The goal of the present study was to investigate the adaptive effects of variation in the directi... more The goal of the present study was to investigate the adaptive effects of variation in the direction of optic flow, experienced during linear treadmill walking, on modifying locomotor trajectory. Subjects (n = 30) walked on a motorized linear treadmill at 4.0 kndh for 24 minutes while viewing the interior of a 3D virtual scene projected onto a scrccn 1.5 in in fioct oftheni. Thc virtiial scene depicted constant ~e l f-m~h~n eqiivalent to either 1) walking around the perimeter of a room to one's left (Rotating Room group) 2) walking down the center of a hallway (Infinite Hallway group). The scene was static for the first 4 minutes, and then constant rate self-motion was siniulated for the remaining 20 minutes. Before and after the treadmill locomotion adaptation period, subjects performed five stepping trials where in each trial they marched in place to the beat of a metronome at 90 stepdmin while blindfolded in a quiet room. The subject's final heading direction (deg), final X (for-aft, cm) and final Y (niedio-lateral, cni) positions were measured for each trial. During the treadmill locomotion adaptation period subject's 3D torso position was measured. We found that subjects in the Rotating Room group as compared to the Infinite Hallway group: 1) showed significantly greater deviation during post exposure testing in the heading direction and Y position opposite to the direction of optic flow experienced during treadmill walking 2) showed a significant monotonically increasing torso yaw angular rotation bias in the direction of optic flow during the treadmill adaptation exposure period. Subjects in both groups showed greater forward translation (in the +X direction) during the post treadmill stepping task that differed significantly from their pre exposure performance. Subjects in both groups reported no perceptual deviation in position during the stepping tasks. We infer that viewing simulated rotary self-motion during treadmill locomotion causes adaptive modification of sensory-motor integration in the control of position and trajectory during locomotion which functionally reflects adaptive changes in the integration of visual, vestibular, and proprioceptive cues. Such an adaptation in the control of position and heading direction during locomotion due to the congruence of sensory infomiation dcmonstraics the potcritial for adqtive trznsfer between sensorimotor systems and suggests a common neural site for the processing and self-motion perception and concurrent adaptation in motor output. This will result in lack of subjects' perception of deviation of position and trajectory during the post treadmill step test while blind folded.

Journal of Vestibular Research

Space flight causes astronauts to be exposed to adaptation in both the vestibular and body load-s... more Space flight causes astronauts to be exposed to adaptation in both the vestibular and body load-sensing somatosensory systems. The goal of these studies was to examine the contributions of vestibular and body load-sensing somatosensory influences on vestibular mediated head movement control during locomotion after long-duration space flight. Subjects walked on a motor driven treadmill while performing a gaze stabilization task. Data were collected from three independent subject groups that included bilateral labyrinthine deficient (LD) patients, normal subjects before and after 30 minutes of 40% bodyweight unloaded treadmill walking, and astronauts before and after long-duration space flight. Motion data from the head and trunk segments were used to calculate the amplitude of angular head pitch and trunk vertical translation movement while subjects performed a gaze stabilization task, to estimate the contributions of vestibular reflexive mechanisms in head pitch movements. Exposure ...

With the assembly of the International Space Station (ISS) nearing completion and the support of ... more With the assembly of the International Space Station (ISS) nearing completion and the support of a full-time crew of six, a new era of utilization for research is beginning. For more than 15 years, the ISS international partnership has weathered financial, technical and political challenges proving that nations can work together to complete assembly of the largest space vehicle in history. And while the ISS partners can be proud of having completed one of the most ambitious engineering projects ever conceived, the challenge of successfully using the platform remains. During the ISS assembly phase, the potential benefits of space-based research and development were demonstrated; including the advancement of scientific knowledge based on experiments conducted in space, development and testing of new technologies, and derivation of Earth applications from new understanding. The configurability -tended and humancapabilities of the ISS provide a unique platform. The international utiliza...

Ground-based space analog projects such as the NASA Extreme Environment Mission Operations (NEEMO... more Ground-based space analog projects such as the NASA Extreme Environment Mission Operations (NEEMO) can be valuable test beds for evaluation of experimental design and hardware feasibility before actually being implemented on orbit. The International Space Station (ISS) is an closed-system laboratory that orbits 240 miles above the Earth, and is the ultimate extreme environment. Its inhabitants spend hours performing research that spans from fluid physics to human physiology, yielding results that have implications for Earth-based improvements in medicine and health, as well as those that will help facilitate the mitigation of risks to the human body associated with exploration-class space missions. ISS health and medical experiments focus on pre-flight and in-flight prevention, in-flight treatment, and postflight recovery of health problems associated with space flight. Such experiments include those on enhanced medical monitoring, bone and muscle loss prevention, cardiovascular hea...