site.btaBulgarian Neurologist Among Lead Authors of Largest Ever NASA Study

Ognyan Kolev, Professor at the Institute of Neurobiology at Bulgarian Academy of Sciences, is а lead author in a major study by NASA scientists that was 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 joint work between the US space agency and the Bulgarian Professor.

It monitors 20 NASA space shuttle missions and explores problems in the coordination of astronauts' movements. The study concerns two aspects - successful piloting of the spacecraft, especially during landing and in-flight manoeuvres, and the correct performance 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 key to the successful completion of the flight and its tasks," pointed out Kolev.

The published study is the largest ever done by NASA and Kolev’s leading role in it is an exceptional recognition for Bulgaria. He has taken part in several other joint papers with NASA scientists, one of which was published several years ago in Nature Sci Reports. "I am delighted to have collaborated with the world's largest scientific organization, NASA, for more than two decades in conducting scientific experiments, and to have been awarded by it," said the Professor.