Hargens AR

Language: English
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The invention and development of the Cuban Boot 40 years ago was a major, pioneering milestone to reproduce the effects of Earth gravity on Cosmonauts while they were in space.(1) The Cuban boot allowed crew members to simulate standing posture for 4-6 hours in a way so comfortable that Cosmonauts enjoyed wearing them. This Cuban boot was invented by Dr. C. Roberto Paulino Hernández and González Corvo and was decades ahead of its time. Moreover, the invention has facilitated the subsequent development of integrated physiologic countermeasures to improve crew health in space and to aid re-adaptation to ground-reaction forces and normal weight bearing after return to Earth. Crew members often complain of higher sensitivity and pain on the foot soles after prolonged space flights. 40 years ago, the joint flight of Cuban cosmonaut Tamayo and Russian cosmonaut Romanenko tested the Cuban boots and discovered how beneficial they were.

REFERENCES

1. Dorta Contreras AJ. A 40 años del uso del experimento “Soporte” en el espacio cósmico. Rev Cubana Inv Bioméd. 2020 [access: 21/08/2020]; 39(3). Available in: http://www.revibiomedica.sld.cu/index.php/ibi/article/view/1123

2. Hargens AR, Richardson S. Cardiovascular adaptations, fluid shifts, and countermeasures related to space flight. Respir Physiol Neurobiol. 2009;169(Suppl 1):S30-3. DOI: 10.1016/j.resp.2009.07.005

3. Marshall-Goebel K, Laurie SS, Alferova IV, Arbeille P, Auñón-Chancellor SM, et al. Assessment of Jugular Venous Blood Flow Stasis and Thrombosis During Spaceflight. JAMA Netw Open. 2019;2(11):e1915011. DOI: 10.1001/jamanetworkopen.2019.15011. Erratum in: JAMA Netw Open. 2020;3(1):e1920195. PMID: 31722025

4. Ashari N, Hargens AR. The Mobile Lower Body Negative Pressure Gravity Suit for Long-Duration Spaceflight. Front Physiol. 2020;11:977. DOI: 10.3389/fphys.2020.00977