The DESDEMONA Motion Facility: Applications for Space Research

The research facility DESDEMONA features a unique motion platform, combining a fully gimbaled cabin with the capability of producing sustained g-loads. Originally designed for ground-based simulation as well as training of spatial disorientation in aviation, the motion capabilities are also interesting for other areas. In this paper we will provide examples of space-related research questions that can be addressed on DESDEMONA. Some questions are concerned with centrifugation as a means to create artificial gravity. For instance, with its variable radius and gimbaled cabin, DESDEMONA allows for studying possible trade-offs between g-load and angular velocity. Other questions relate to the effects of g-level transitions on the astronauts’ well-being and performance. During the last two decades, research at TNO has shown that after prolonged exposure to centrifugation at 3 g astronauts experience the same vestibular adaptation symptoms as observed in real space flight. In DESDEMONA, the hyper-gravity stimulus can be applied and the consequences for control of simulated spacecraft can be examined in the same device. Furthermore, DESDEMONA also provides a ‘clinical’ tool for vestibular examination of astronauts, and for the provocation and desensitization of motion sickness in unusual G-environments.