PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR (S ) : Jeri W. Brown 



EXPERIMENT TITLE/NUMBER : Crew Height Measurement 



PROGRAM/MISSION : Apollo-Soyuz Test Project 



CLASSIFICATION : Human 



DISCIPLINE(S) : Musculoskeletal 



OBJECTIVES : To quantify the effects of zero-g on crewman height and to 

 determine the change as a function of time over a mission length comparable to 

 the projected initial Space Shuttle flights. 



PROTOCOL : Sitting height and eye-level height were measured pref light, 

 inflight and postf light. 



EQUIPMENT : Tape measure. 



RESULTS : Increased stature was noted. This increase occurred as a two-step 

 "growth". Only a small change (1.3 cm average) occurred between launch and 

 mission day 6. The major change, as much as 6.6 cm total, occurred between 

 mission days 6 and 9. 



CONCLUSIONS : The smaller initial change may result from removing g-loads on 

 the body and thus permitting loss of spinal curvature. A similar expansion is 

 observed on Earth when stature is compared between standing and supine body 

 positions. The second larger "growth" may be accounted for from the expansion 

 of the now unloaded intervertebral disks. This expansion may be further 

 affected by the body fluid shifts in zero-g. 



PUBLICATIONS : 90, 91 



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