• NASA research has shown that developing, rapidly growing bodies may be even more sensitive to the effects of  weightlessness than are adults, thus providing more dramatic and rapidly-established models of how gravity affects the formation and maintenance of bone, muscle and cardiovascular function.

• The calcium crystals in the inner ear that provide mechanical information to the brain concerning “up” and “down” form differently in the weightless environment of space, raising new questions about the developmental programs that form our sensory systems and their connections to the brain.

• Modern genetics research has made available a variety of engineered mutations that affect the gravity-sensing systems of the brain and body.  Space research provides the only way to gain a full picture of how these systems develop in microgravity, and will be key to unraveling some of these basic mysteries of gravity-sensing.

• It is well-established that light stimulation is needed to stimulate the immature visual system, and without such stimulation, deficits may arise in visually-guided behavior. Spaceflight studies provide important clues as to how experience with gravity during development contributes to the establishment of balance and our perception of body position.

• New insights from NASA's Neurolab mission into how spatial maps in the brain are formed suggest that our understanding of such basic cognitive mechanisms will be greatly enhanced by knowledge of how gravitational information is integrated into this aspect of brain organization.

• Age-related changes in our sense of balance contribute to many of the dangerous and costly falls sustained by elderly people.  Developmental studies of gravitational effects on our bodies and balance can help reduce some of the risks and pains of the aging population.

• Problems with the balance system can occur in children as well. Vestibular dysfunction can appear early in human life. Fetuses with vestibular disorders are prone to breach births. Vestibular dysfunction is a feature of certain developmental disabilities. Developmental studies utilizing gravitational manipulations hold promise for the development of successful therapies and interventions.

Progress in developmental biology research in space is slowed by a lack of equipment appropriate for maintaining young animals, and the limited number and length of spaceflights. Reduced research support for ground and flight studies will further impede possibilities for important developmental biology research in space.  The American Society for Gravitational and Space Biology asks for your support for the Life and Microgravity Sciences research programs of NASA, and we hope that America will continue to lead the world in utilizing space for improving life.