Spatial Orientation in Weightless Environments

Abstract

Illusions of body inversion and of vehicle inversion can be evoked by exposure to weightlessness in the microgravity conditions of orbital and parabolic flight. Such illusions can involve all possible combinations of self-inversion and vehicle inversion. In the absence of any patterns of external stimulation, individuals may lose all sense of body orientation to their surroundings while retaining a sense of their overall body configuration and cognitive awareness of their actual position. Touch and pressure cues provide a perceptual ‘down’ in the absence of visual input. When vision is allowed, apparent orientation is influenced by a variety of factors including the direction of gaze, the architectural layout of the vehicle, and sight of the body. The relative importance of the various factors affecting orientation changes with repeated exposure. The virtual absence of sensations of falling during exposure to free-fall emphasizes the role of cognitive factors in experienced orientation.