Vision technology used and modified by Bar-Ilan University chosen by a 2022 RAKIA space mission for testing on Israeli astronaut

Vision technology used and modified by Bar-Ilan University chosen by a 2022 RAKIA space mission for testing on Israeli astronaut

Humans were not “built” for prolonged exposure to microgravity conditions during space missions. They are much more suited to life on the planet Earth. But as astronauts go to space for limited time – and space agencies look to the possibility of settling on moons or other planets or living in space stations for extended periods of time, health must be protected as much as possible. 

Extended exposure to microgravity can harm various physiological functions in general and the visual system in particular. The so-called neuro-ocular syndrome reported in prolonged space missions characterized by low gravity includes reduced vision, changes in the optic nerve and the retina and a change in the refractive error – and all may continue after returning to Earth. 

 

Little information is currently available on subtle, in-flight effects of weightlessness on spatial and temporal visual function in short-duration flights. The current research is aimed at the following: To evaluate the space flight effects of weightlessness on visual function and the recovery of the visual functions following return to normal gravity.

 

Digital tablet software used by Prof. Uri Polat, head of the School of Optometry and Vision Science, and Prof. Yossi Mandel, head of the ophthalmic science and engineering lab at Bar-Ilan University (BIU) in Ramat Gan near Tel Aviv makes possible the detection of slight changes in functional vision capabilities during flight. 

Together with Dr. Eran Schenker, chief medical innovation officer at the Israel Aerospace Medicine Institute, Polat and Mandel modified the technology to enable them to monitor astronauts’ vision during space missions.

During the study, the dedicated DeTest software installed on a hand-held device (tablet) will be tailored to mission needs and will be easy to operate. Each testing session will take just 10 minutes, and data will be taken as early as possible during the second to fourth mission days and taken again during seventh and eight days. The results will be stored on the device for offline post-flight report.

 

DeTest also evaluates the ability to process letters under conditions of crowding and temporal load, by combining all parameters, thus yielding a more comprehensive diagnostic measurement.

The results established during and after the mission will be compared to the results established before the mission. Any difference between the measures will be interpreted as an effect of the differences in gravitational fields on functional vision.  

The technology has been selected by the Israel Space Agency and the Ramon Foundation – named in memory of Ilan Ramon, Israel’s first astronaut who died tragically in 2003 along with six other crew members upon re-entry of the fatal Columbia mission. 

The technology will be placed on board the RAKIA mission scheduled for early 2022. The second Israeli astronaut, Eytan Stibbe, will cross the atmosphere on his way to the International Space Station, for a national RAKIA mission, which is expected to strengthen the space industry and significantly advance Israeli space exploration.

AX1, the first private mission to the International Space Station, is the initiative of Axiom Space. The Israeli section of the mission is managed by the Ramon Foundation in collaboration with Israel Space Agency in Israel’s Ministry of Science and Technology. It serves as a rare opportunity for researchers from a wide range of fields and for technological researchers and entrepreneurs to carry out studies and experiments in space using the infrastructure of the International Space Station.

 

Stibbe will spend 200 hours on the International Space Station, during which he will carry out scientific experiments and technological demonstrations for those commercial companies chosen to participate during 2021.

The experiments and the technologies have been chosen by a scientific committee headed by Inbal Kreiss, Israel’s senior space expert and head of innovation systems missiles & space division at Israel Aerospace Industries. The committee is made up of senior representatives from the Israel Space Agency, the Health Ministry and the leading academic institutions in the country. The committee evaluated the call of proposals by their research potential and the commercial impact, and selected ideas that will achieve a significant contribution to the civilian space industry and the Israeli space research.

 

The mission organizers say it is “an extraordinary opportunity for Israeli researchers and entrepreneurs to examine the feasibility and viability of initiatives and to advance space research and products designated for the aerospace industry in diverse fields – renewable energy, water and air purification technologies, agriculture, medical instruments, astrophysics, materials engineering, biology, psychology, quantum communication, remote sensors and more. These technologies and studies will contribute to a profound understanding of technological processes, advancing science and improving the quality of life on Earth.”

One of the main barriers to entering the aerospace industry is the high cost of astronaut hours for carrying out the research. Israeli companies will be able to test components and products in space through this mission, and Israeli researchers will have access for testing upon the International Space Station.

Using a digital eye examination on a tablet computer, the researchers will monitor the in-flight effects of microgravity on Stibbe’s visual function during the mission.

Polat commented that “technology is based on an application that can be downloaded to any tablet. During Eytan Stibbe’s time in space, we will remotely examine his vision and understand at what point in time changes occur. The results will allow us to draw conclusions about neuro-visual damage in space and may constitute a breakthrough in treatment.”

Schenker added: “I have no doubt that this research will greatly contribute to understanding microgravity and vision function that will be of great use even during long-term missions to Mars and space.”