Which Way Is Up? NASA Funds Study Of Weightlessness

Hershey – Which way is up? That’s a good question if you are in outer space without gravity’s pull to keep your feet firmly planted on the ground. Through research funded by the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA), Lawrence Sinoway, M.D., delves into understanding how the human body fares under prolonged periods of weightlessness.

Sinoway simulates the effects of weightlessness by having his study patients stay in bed for two weeks, prone with their heads tilted at a 60 degree angle. This study and others help Sinoway understand the effects of stress or reduction of stress on the sympathetic nervous system.

His clinical research is funded by prestigious sources such as the NIH, NASA, and the Veterans Administration. "Money is available for research, but the competition is keen," he says. "Research is based on scientific inquiry, and scientists now face the dilemma of sacrificing curiosity to be sure they ask the ‘right’ questions."

Sinoway’s clinical studies, which fall under the aegis of the General Clinical Research Center, help him and other practicing clinicians understand cardiovascular function.

This appeared in the Winter 2000 edition of Penn State Medicine. Contact The College of Medicine Office of Public Relations at 717-531-8606.