The Vertical Inversion Drawings: The Symbol

I observed vertical inversion illusions while completing a drawing blindfolded in microgravity. I had completed a comparison drawing on the ground before flight, as recommended by Millard Reschke of NASA’s Neuroscience Laboratory. Reschke indicated that the experiment should be based upon drawing of a simple geometric object with a strong vertical orientation. I selected a simple icon of a train engine from a series of symbols that were used in hobo iconography. (Hobo signs were used by gypsies in Europe and vagabonds in America. These symbols acted as the private language of these nomads, who used them to direct their colleagues away from danger and toward safety and comfort.) The icon I chose met Reschke’s structural criteria (Fig. 11). The train engine icon also refers to transportation between spaces and to the analogies Einstein used to describe his Theory of Relativity.

Perception informs us about our orientation in the world. Sight significantly influences our perception and is augmented by proprioceptors in the muscles and vestibular functions. Richard Harding in Survival in Space, states,

“All of these inputs are combined to provide a knowledge of the body’s position, attitude, and movement in relation to fixed references which, on Earth, are usually the force of gravity and a horizon. From the earliest age, these powerful external influences combine to provide perception of correct orientation.…Of the three sensory modalities concerned with orientation, that of sight is the most important in virtually all circumstances, for, if visual function is normal and external visual cues are unambiguous, the eyes provide very reliable sensory information.” [26]

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