[Current problems in aviation physiology].

Soviet aviation has developed an efficient system of medical support based on physiological knowledge and aimed at the solution of various problems associated with pilot selection and training, his professional activity, arrangement of his working place, etc. It is understood that the following lines of research hold great promise in protecting the human body against adverse flight effects: methods of protection against high altitude effects which also help maintain high operational efficiency; conditioning of transport, regulation and energy mechanisms of oxygen supply; methods of predicting man's tolerance to motion sickness; study of mechanisms of photoreception of blinding brightnesses; development of photoprotectors, etc. With respect to professional selection, it is important to use EEG data for prognostic purposes, to investigate lateral functions of paired organs, and to explore their relationship with body tolerance to flight factors and efficiency of training.

[Characteristics of the medical support for aviation and space flight].

Comparison of the specific features of the environment and human activities in aviation and space flights allows us to distinguish the major relations in the system man--vehicle--environment as related to their medical support. It is concluded that in the aviation flight the man-vehicle interaction plays the leading role while in the space flight the man-environment interaction comes to the foreground. Having in view these differences, medical and professional selection, prediction, medical monitoring and medical support of pilots and cosmonauts are discussed.