Relationships between orientation, movement and posture in weightlessness: preliminary ethological observations

Weightlessness in man induces changes in astronaut orientations and consequently in his patterns of movements and postures. An ethological method has been used to describe the "overall" spontaneous behaviour of astronauts as seen from video recordings made during Space Flights. The work has consisted in analysing the relationships between orientation, movement and posture as an indication of a motor adaptative reorganization in such a situation. The results obtained lead us to consider three different aspects: (1) Orientation references. The astronaut orientates himself with reference to the Space Shuttle's internal structure; the increase of visual activity confirms the choice of the retinal vertical as frame of reference. (2) Motor coordination. The main data reveals a decrease in motor stereotypes by the diversity of motor acts observed and the importance of the link between orientation and posture described as follows: slightly inclined forward position, with legs flexed at about 135 degrees. (3) Cognitive references. There appears to be a new organization of the cognitive image of the body scheme, the missing vestibular information being supplied by peripheral vision instead which could play a role in the astronaut's perception of his own movement.