Astronauts Undergo More Tests Aboard Joined Spacecraft

They call themselves “lab rats,” not astronauts and cosmonauts, as they undergo nonstop examinations measuring every imaginable body function in orbit.

For the third straight day Sunday, American astronaut Norman E. Thagard and his two Russian comrades endured a battery of blood, heart and lung tests aboard the linked U.S. shuttle Atlantis and the Russian space station Mir.

Even as they slept, a blood pressure cuff inflated and deflated automatically every half-hour. And for one 24-hour stretch over the weekend, each had to wear an electronic heart monitor with wires stuck to sandpaper spots on their chests.

“I guess our main function is to be sort of lab rats,” Thagard said Sunday, his 110th day in orbit, nearly all of it on Mir.

Sometimes, enough is enough, even for a doctor. Thagard, a physician, made it clear he only wanted to wear the heart monitor once, said NASA mission scientist Tom Sullivan.

“I’ve had to wear it a few times myself for medical tests, and it’s not a pain at all, but they do have to shave their chest hair off and your skin is kind of sensitive afterward,” Sullivan said.

NASA has never had an opportunity to study such long-duration space fliers, and consequently wants to know everything about Thagard and cosmonauts Vladimir Dezhurov and Gennady Strekalov.

“I know they are tired at the end of the day. It’s a long day,” Sullivan said. “But I think they truly believe in the work that’s being done, and they’re excited about the results.”

The National Aeronautics and Space Administration and the Russian space agency tested the communication systems on Atlantis, Mir and the Soyuz capsule attached to Mir on Sunday in preparation for the undocking Tuesday.

Thagard, who turns 52 today, said that while he is looking forward to leaving Mir, it has been a memorable four months.

“I joked with these guys . . . you call for a taxi and wait forever,” he said. “But the fact is, [Thursday’s docking] was an emotional experience, one of the highest, I guess, of my life. I’m awfully glad to be here, and I’m really looking forward to seeing my family.”

Atlantis-Mir will be visible as a bright star tonight at 22 degrees above the north-northwest horizon, from 9:01 to 9:05 p.m. PDT.