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Bulgarian scientist in NASA team studying astronauts' movements in space

Photo: BTA

Bulgarian neurologist Ognyan Kolev is an author of one of the largest NASA studies ever conducted. The large-scale research by Professor Ognyan Kolev of the Institute of Neurobiology at the Bulgarian Academy of Sciences and his colleagues has been published in the prestigious Journal of Vestibular Research. 

The publication, "Astronauts eye-head coordination dysfunction over the course of twenty space shuttle flights", is the result of years of collaboration between the US space agency and the Bulgarian professor. It follows 20 NASA space shuttle missions and examines problems in the coordination of astronauts' movements. The study focuses on two aspects - successful control of the spacecraft, especially during landing and in-flight manoeuvres, and the correct execution of routine tasks and experiments during flight.

"As advanced as the technology of the spacecraft and its instrumentation has become and continues to improve, the human factor - the astronaut - is the key to the successful completion of the flight and its tasks," said Prof Kolev, as quoted by the Ministry of Education and Science. Kolev has been working with NASA for more than two decades.



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