Project Title:

A Whole Body Calorimeter for Space Station Astronauts

12.01-9396
A Whole Body Calorimeter for Space Station Astronauts
Geoscience Limited
410 S. Cedros Avenue
Solana Beach
CA
92075
Heinz F.
Poppendiek
(619-755-9396)
JSC

Abstract:

A suitable direct calorimeter system for the measurement of metabolic outputs from
astronauts in orbital laboratories would allow better understanding of such processes
as changes in bone mineral content, muscle status, and the immune system as a result
of weightlessness. The metabolic terms, that can be accurately measured with a direct
calorimeter, would quantify the controlling processes being studied by NASA medical
scientists.
This project includes preliminary design of two calorimeter systems, one with a rigid
envelope and one with a non-rigid or disassemblable envelope, both designed to conserve
space. The concepts would be analyzed mathematically and evaluated by some laboratory
verification experiments. Final designs with back-up documentation would be delivered
to NASA describing the system performances.

Potential Commercial Application:

Potential Commercial Applications:  The value of direct calorimetry in biomedical
research at the earth's surface has been amply demonstrated in the last ten years.