Developing a Low Budget System to Mix, Store, and Deliver CO2-rich Air for Human Research in the Small Liberal Arts College Setting”

Authors

  • Justin R Miller Carthage College
  • Denise R Cook-Snyder Carthage College
  • Kirstyn Buchholz Carthage College
  • Annika Evenhouse Carthage College
  • Tim Nicosia Carthage College
  • Amanda Grove Carthage College
  • Theresa Regetz-Mularney Carthage College
  • Kelly Moench Carthage College
  • Sophia Tajnai Carthage College
  • Daniel P Miller Carthage College
  • Paul Frank Martino Carthage College

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.17307/wsc.v1i1.240

Keywords:

CO2, Gas mixing and delivery, Extended Space Travel

Abstract

Carbon dioxide (CO2) levels are elevated on the International Space Station, and preliminary reports associate this increased CO2 with headaches, changes in vision, and enhanced emotional experiences, including anxiety. As the duration of space travel extends, improved understanding of the physiologic effects of elevated CO2 exposure is necessary to ensure the capabilities and safety of astronauts. However, studying human breathing has proven difficult at small liberal arts college due to cost and laboratory space constraints. Therefore, the goal of this project is to develop and validate a low budget system that can accurately and dependably mix, store, and deliver enhanced respiratory gases for human research in a liberal arts college setting. Our results provide user-friendly guidelines for building, validating, and maintaining such a system, and broad implementation of this system may increase the quantity and diversity of respiratory research relevant for space travel.

Author Biographies

Justin R Miller, Carthage College

Assistant Professor, Biology

Denise R Cook-Snyder, Carthage College

Assistant Professor, Neuroscience

Daniel P Miller, Carthage College

Professor, Neuroscience

Paul Frank Martino, Carthage College

Chair and Associate Professor of Biology

References

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Published

2019-09-13

How to Cite

Miller, J. R., Cook-Snyder, D. R., Buchholz, K., Evenhouse, A., Nicosia, T., Grove, A., … Martino, P. F. (2019). Developing a Low Budget System to Mix, Store, and Deliver CO2-rich Air for Human Research in the Small Liberal Arts College Setting”. Proceedings of the Wisconsin Space Conference, 1(1). https://doi.org/10.17307/wsc.v1i1.240

Issue

Section

Biosciences & Geosciences