David Dinges: Gauging Effects of Fatigue and Stress
Astronaut Heidemarie Stefanyshyn-Pipe holds a Psychomotor Vigilance Test (PVT) device while aboard NEEMO, NASA's underwater laboratory.
Courtesy of NASA.
David F. Dinges, PhD, professor at the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine, is working with the National Space Biomedical Research Institute (NSBRI), to developing a test that will help astronauts gauge their own stress and fatigue levels while in space.
The test, which takes no more than three minutes to complete, could aid astronauts in gauging their fitness to perform critical and potentially dangerous tasks, like rendezvous and docking, space walking, or repairs on the International Space Station.
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