Perceived orientation in free-fall depends on visual, postural, and architectural factors. 1983

J R Lackner, and A Graybiel

In orbital flight and in the free-fall phase of parabolic flight, feelings of inversion of self and spacecraft, or aircraft, are often experienced (2,3). We show here that perceived orientation in free-fall is dependent on the position of one's body in relation to the aircraft, the architectural features of the aircraft, and one's visual appreciation of the relative configurations of his body and the aircraft. Compelling changes in the apparent orientation of one's body and of the aircraft can be reliably and systematically induced by manipulating this relationship. Moreover, while free-floating in the absence of visual, touch, and pressure stimulation, all sense of orientation to the surroundings may be lost with only an awareness of the relative configuration of the body preserved (7). The absence of falling sensations during weightlessness points to the importance of visual and cognitive factors in eliciting such sensations.

UI MeSH Term Description Entries
D009949 Orientation Awareness of oneself in relation to time, place and person. Cognitive Orientation,Mental Orientation,Psychological Orientation,Cognitive Orientations,Mental Orientations,Orientation, Cognitive,Orientation, Mental,Orientation, Psychological,Orientations,Orientations, Cognitive,Orientations, Mental,Orientations, Psychological,Psychological Orientations
D010812 Physical Stimulation Act of eliciting a response from a person or organism through physical contact. Stimulation, Physical,Physical Stimulations,Stimulations, Physical
D006801 Humans Members of the species Homo sapiens. Homo sapiens,Man (Taxonomy),Human,Man, Modern,Modern Man
D000337 Aerospace Medicine That branch of medicine dealing with the studies and effects of flight through the atmosphere or in space upon the human body and with the prevention or cure of physiological or psychological malfunctions arising from these effects. (from NASA Thesaurus) Aviation Medicine,Space Medicine,Medicine, Aerospace,Medicine, Aviation,Medicine, Space
D014110 Touch Sensation of making physical contact with objects, animate or inanimate. Tactile stimuli are detected by MECHANORECEPTORS in the skin and mucous membranes. Tactile Sense,Sense of Touch,Taction,Sense, Tactile,Senses, Tactile,Tactile Senses,Tactions,Touch Sense,Touch Senses
D014796 Visual Perception The selecting and organizing of visual stimuli based on the individual's past experience. Visual Processing,Perception, Visual,Processing, Visual
D014893 Weightlessness Condition in which no acceleration, whether due to gravity or any other force, can be detected by an observer within a system. It also means the absence of weight or the absence of the force of gravity acting on a body. Microgravity, gravitational force between 0 and 10 -6 g, is included here. (From NASA Thesaurus, 1988) Microgravity,Zero Gravity,Gravity, Zero

Related Publications

J R Lackner, and A Graybiel
January 2011, Frontiers in integrative neuroscience,
J R Lackner, and A Graybiel
January 2016, eNeuro,
J R Lackner, and A Graybiel
September 1999, Aviation, space, and environmental medicine,
J R Lackner, and A Graybiel
January 1993, Perception & psychophysics,
J R Lackner, and A Graybiel
January 2013, The journals of gerontology. Series B, Psychological sciences and social sciences,
J R Lackner, and A Graybiel
September 1993, Vision research,
J R Lackner, and A Graybiel
January 1989, Brain, behavior and evolution,
J R Lackner, and A Graybiel
January 2004, Perception,
Copied contents to your clipboard!