Losing Control





The Apollo spacecraft had about four times more room than its Gemini predecessors, but conditions were still cramped and uncomfortable. Space food was hardly home cooking, observed Commander Walter Schirra Jr., and its disposal was no treat either. “The waste management system for collecting solid body wastes was adequate, though annoying,” according to NASA’s own description . “The bags certainly were not convenient and there were usually unpleasant odors.” Apparently the three men only used them 12 times during the nearly 11-day trip.But worst of all, the astronauts got sick. Schirra came down with a severe head cold about 15 hours into the flight, with the rest of the crew soon joining him. And as annoying as colds usually are, space-colds are even worse, since there’s no gravity to pull at and drain mucus from the head. As a result, the Apollo 7 crew had typical symptoms — stuffy noses, dry nostrils, congestion — and little relief.A demanding work environment does not typically mix well with feeling awful. Reporters soon noted the increasing “snappishness” of the crew in their conversations with mission control.When Schirra wanted to delay that first-time live TV broadcast so they could complete crucial mission tests, he met with resistance. Deke Slayton back on the ground tried to persuade him to squeeze in some camera time. Schirra would have none of it.“We do not have the equipment out; we have not had an opportunity to follow setting; we have not eaten at this point,” Schirra said ( page 115 of the official voice transcriptions). “At this point, I have a cold. I refuse to foul up our time lines this way.” (The crew did at least seem to enjoy their TV broadcast when the time came.)An even bigger breach of protocol came toward the end of the mission, and centered on the crew’s helmets. Every previous crewed re-entry and landing, during the Mercury and Gemini missions, required the astronauts to wear their helmets. But Schirra and his crew had been relieving sinus pressure by pinching their noses and blowing; their helmets, new models for the Apollo mission with no visor openings, would make this impossible. They were particularly concerned that the changing pressures during re-entry would wreak havoc with their sinuses, possibly even bursting their ear drums. So they simply refused to wear the helmets. Ground control was not happy.(From page 1169 ):