A NOVEL METHOD OF STRESS MEASUREMENT BASED ON THERMODYNAMICS – RESULTS FROM THE CHILL ICE II SPACE ANALOG MISSION
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| Year of publication | 2023 |
| Type | Conference abstract |
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| Description | The aim was to measure physiological markers of stress response (heart rate variability, stress entropic load) along with cognitive performance (vigilance) in analog astronauts during the 7days long Lunar space analog mission. Moreover, it validated the feasibility of using a prototype owned by Entrant LLC for stress entropic load measurement in a conditions of cave-based space analog mission. STRESS ENTROPIC LOAD Current state-of-the-art repository of the human space research lacks methods for precise estimation of the stress response across different conditions. The Stress Entropic Load (SEL)[1] is a novel model developed in the team of Prof. Dobrovolná for stress assessment based on thermodynamic modelling of entropy change between human and his surroundings. It quantifies the accumulation of entropy produced by specific individual in a given time interval as a response to given stressor or combination of stressors independently of their character. Unlike interviews, questionnaires or other indirect physiology markers of stress (such as hormones, cardiovascular markers, galvanic skin response, etc.), SEL allows to calculate and compare stress across individuals and contexts objectively (based on measured physical quantities). CHILL ICE II SPACE ANALOGUE MISSION CHILL-ICE 2022 is an analog mission organized to provide researchers with an extreme environment and conditions to conduct analog research related to human planetary exploration (Moon). It was based in Iceland lava tubes, because of high geological resemblance to the Moon. They provide shelter from radiation, temperature fluctuations as well as micro-meteorites. For this mission, a crew of 3 analog astronauts were deploying a habitat 100m deeper in the lava tube of Stefanshellir and assessed, for 6 days, its suitability for long-term settlement. Astronauts also conducted series of research experiments including this one. METHODS We measured three analog astronauts 5 times: pre-mission, three times during the mission, and post-mission. On the pre-mission and post-mission, two analog astronauts were measured as well. Measurements consisted of 5-minutes resting phase and 5-minutes of cognitive test (Psychomotor Vigilance Task). Each measurement was conducted in the morning, at least 30m after waking up, on an empty stomach. Measurements were taken by analog astronauts themselves. Based on the measurements, we calculate SEL, HRV (pNN50), parameters of vigilance, and their trajectories for each individual. Results will be descriptively compared in a form of series of cases study. |