Mercury · Gemini & Apollo · Shuttle · Soviet & Russian · Other · Incident descriptions · References

Mercury ("Original 7")

Benign lesion on chest X-ray. 4s . The lesion was discovered at Tripler Army Hospital during scrutiny of chest x-rays taken to evaluate the ASTP toxic gas episode (see above). "The lesion had actually appeared in preflight X rays, but nobody had caught it; you had to be a very good radiologist to see it." The "precancerous" lesion was surgically removed in Houston. Slayton had recovered by September 1975 6i

Checked into the Mayo Clinic under the name Dick K. King in 1971. "They ran me through the usual tests -- angiograms, whatever. Not only was there no sign of any coronary artery disease, which had been one of the worries back in 1962, there was no recurrence of atrial fibrillation." 4q He was approved for spaceflight by Mayo's Dr. Hal Mankin. Six of the seven physicians he'd previously consulted were perfectly willing to approve the new status. The seventh grumbled but ultimately said he would not stand in Slayton's way. 4r

Atrial fibrillation kept Slayton out of space for more than 10 years. Had first episode in August 1959 after riding the Johnstown centrifuge 4m Later examined by cardiologists Eugene Braunwald 4n and Paul Dudley White 4o Interestingly, White makes operational, not medical, judgment. Slayton thinks vitamins cured his afib 4p

Snored loudly. According to John Glenn, "I've been in barracks and BOQs for years, but Deke was the worst snorer I had ever heard. He could rattle the pictures off the wall." 4l

Claimed three months of eye exercises in 1951 got his vision to 20/20. "After all, your eye is nothing but a muscle." 4k

Smoker, but quit while astronaut 5c Before his Mercury flight, "smoked right up to the launch pad." 10k

The Apollo 7 crew disobeyed a direct order to wear their helmets during re-entry, because all had headcolds and worried about rupturing an ear drum. 1b See APOLLO7EARDRUM incident

Successfully used a little bit of Neosporin cream to lubricate the gears of his jammed Hasselblad camera on Apollo 7. 5i

First American to suffer the common cold in space (Apollo 7). Cunningham accused him of having known about the cold before launch and concealing it, "which is sheer nonsense. A flight surgeon at the cape had noticed a slight inflammation of my throat, and he said that everyone in Florida seemed to have a sore throat." 5h See APOLLO7EARDRUM incident

Parachute deployment during Gemini 6A re-entry was so violent that Schirra's helmet faceplate cracked from impacting the metal glove-attachment ring on his spacesuit. The same maneuver also cracked the faceplates of both Grissom and Young on Gemini 3 6f

On the trip to the launch pad before the first (of three) liftoff attempts for Gemini 6, "Wally lit up a Marlboro. He had not yet given up smoking, figuring he could survive a twenty-four-hour flight without getting the shakes." He did not smoke before the successful liftoff of Gemini 6A 6h

Hand laceration when he blew open the hatch on his Mercury spacecraft after splashdown.

Two days before his Mercury flight Schirra had a "very red, inflamed eye." Flight surgeon Fred Kelly removed a synthetic fiber from the eye and "felt like I had just removed the thorn from the lion's paw." 12b

Nodes on his vocal cords, which were surgically removed before he was medically cleared for the Mercury selection. 5f

Smoker, but quit in 1968 5e Before his Mercury flight, "smoked right up to the launch pad." 10k

Malfunction of Redstone booster on MR-2 flight caused Ham to pull 15 Gs on re-entry instead of 12. On splashdown, the spacecraft began to leak and eventually sank. "Ham was one very pissed-off little chimp by the time they got him back to the Cape." 4g

A lever malfunctioned on his MA-5 flight. As a result "the poor little bastard received nearly 80 undeserved shocks." 13a

Got seasick and vomited while bobbing in his Gemini 3 spacecraft after splashdown. 3d

Parachute deployment during Gemini 3 re-entry was so violent that Grissom's helmet faceplate was holed from impacting a knob on the spacecraft instrument panel. The same maneuver also cracked the faceplate of his Gemini 3 crewmate, Young, and Schirra's faceplate on Gemini 6A 6f

"After his [Mercury] flight, Gus admitted something he did not tell the doctor. He had a sore throat. It had been nagging him for a couple of days but he knew if he mentioned it to anyone he would probably be grounded. Gus wasn't about to let a sore throat send two years of work and waiting down the drain." 3c

During his medical examination for the astronaut program, "the doctors found that he suffered allergic sensitivity to certain substances. He argued out of the threat to disqualify him. 'There won't be any ragweed pollen in space,' he pointed out tersely." 3b

Fell in the bathtub (?) and hit his head, grounding him for some time.

Hand laceration when he blew open the hatch on his Mercury spacecraft after splashdown.

In medical circles there is an urban legend that Glenn had a six or seven beat run of ventricular tachycardia on the launch pad during the count-down for his Mercury flight. The legend further states that a hold was introduced into the count-down while physicians figured out what to do. Ultimately, they looked at each other and said "This is the healthiest guy in the country. We may as well let him fly." Supposedly the monitor strip now hangs on the wall of a prominent Duke University cardiologist. But, according to launch director Chris Kraft, who was asked about it by one of his friends in 1999, the story is not true: "Never happened!"

Supposedly was a typically boistrous and profane Marine fighter pilot, until he achieved fame on a record-setting cross-country flight and appeared on the "Name That Tune" television show. "That's when he got interested in being a boy scout, a hero's hero, which he became." 5d

Died on Oct. 4, 2004, aged 77. The cause of death was not immediately known. He died on the 47th anniversary of the Sputnik 1 launch, which was also the day that SpaceShipOne claimed the Ansari Prize.

After the Gemini 5 mission "Gordo and Pete were wobbly (who wouldn't have been, after sitting in the front seat of a Volkswagen for eight days), but they were still in good shape" 6e

In those days, space crews were kept on a "low-residue" diet for two weeks before their missions. 10h Cooper gives the menu for his Mercury pre-flight breakfast: fresh-squeezed orange juice, filet mignon, scrambled eggs, toast, grape jelly, and coffee. 10i Today, Air Force U-2 pilots eat low-residue diets before their long missions.

Cooper and Conrad were the first Americans to defecate in space, aboard Gemini 5.

Massive systems failure on Mercury flight led to loss of carbon dioxide scrubbing. Claims that the CO2 levels exceeded the levels at which he'd been ground-tested, and that he exhibited signs of CO2 intoxication ("panting shallowly"). 10g

Was the first American to sleep in space. 10e There was also the famous incident in which he fell asleep on the launch pad during the countdown for his Mercury flight. He reports that a contributing cause was the early hour at which he'd been awakened. He fell asleep at a time when his work was done and he had nothing to do. 10f

Cooper claimed to see features of the earth from orbit that are hard to believe, smoke coming from houses being the most impressive. 10d

Says his oxygen consumption on Mercury flight was 33% of predicted. Claims the prediction was based on consumption rates of predecessors in space. Says he was the first lifelong non-smoker to fly for USA, and this accounted for lower oxygen consumption. 10c This physiological explanation is not convincing.

Flushed feeling in face for twenty minutes after the abrupt transition from high positive-G to zero-G. 10c

As part of the his Mercury pre-flight activities, Cooper remembers: "I stripped, and a medical technician glued a half-dozen medical sensors to various spots on my body that he'd first sandpapered and scrubbed with alcohol." 10b Dr Zebra underwent the same procedure at NASA and let me tell you, alcohol on raw-rubbed skin hurts like the Dickens. It is a testament to Cooper's toughness that he does not even mention the discomfort.

Had hay fever. Had to convince doctors: "I can't imagine I'll run into many mixed grasses and sycamore trees in space." 10a

Air Force pamphlet 161-18 (December 1968), page 25-4, gives the range of various laboratory values and physiological data for the seven Mercury astronauts. These include: - fasting cholesterol levels: 184 to 280 mg/ml (they probably meant mg/dl), - fasting sugar levels: 88 to 108 mg/dl, - total lung capacity: 6.34 to 8.02 L, - vital capacity: 5.11 to 6.02 L, - final O 2 uptake during exercise: 2.07 to 2.84 L/min.

Gemini, Apollo, Skylab

Name, Country, Year When Description

Aldrin, Edwin "Buzz" USA, 1963 unk Has written an autobiography: 16

fly All Apollo 11 crew members took an anti-motion sickness pill before re-entry and after splashdown. "At all costs we must not throw up in the biological isolation garments that the swimmers will throw in to us." 13b

pos Took medical retirement from the U.S. Air Force 6j

Allen, Joseph USA, 1967 unk Has written a book: 17

Anders, William USA, 1963 unk --

fly On Apollo 8, Borman became frankly ill on the trip to the moon. Crewmates Lovell and Anders "had brief moments of discomfort" 6k

Armstrong, Neil USA, 1962 fly All Apollo 11 crew members took an anti-motion sickness pill before re-entry and after splashdown. "At all costs we must not throw up in the biological isolation garments that the swimmers will throw in to us." 13b

Bassett, Charles USA, 1963 dur Died with Elliott See in 1966 when his T-38 jet crashed while attempting to land in St. Louis

Bean, Alan L. USA, 1963 unk Has written an autobiography: 18 Classified as "Juvenile literature" by Library of Congress Classified as "Juvenile literature" by Library of Congress

unk Has co-written a book: 19

fly The Apollo 12 splashdown impact jarred a camera loose, which struck Bean in head and caused transient loss of consciousness.

Bobko, Karol USA, 1966 dur Vomited when he saw Stafford eat the eye from a ram's head at a dinner in the Soviet Union, 1975. Slayton had to leave the table "shortly thereafter" 6l

Borman, Frank USA, 1962 unk Has written an autobiography: 20

fly On Gemini 7, crewmate Lovell lost his toothbrush, and Borman had to share his for the remainder of the flight 13c

fly After 11 (of 14) long days in orbit on Gemini 7, both Borman and Lovell experienced "quite an emotional letdown" as they saw Gemini 6A fly away 6m

fly On Apollo 8, Borman became frankly ill on the trip to the moon. Crewmates Lovell and Anders "had brief moments of discomfort" 6k

Brand, Vance USA, 1966 fly Near-fatal toxic gas exposure during ASTP re-entry and splashdown See ASTP incident

Bull, John USA, 1966 dur Left astronaut corps when it was discovered he had alpha-1 antitrypsin deficiency

Cernan, Eugene USA, 1963 unk Has written an autobiography: 1

fly Over-exertion during his extra-vehicular (EVA) activity on Gemini 9. Respiratory rate reached 40 per minute and heart rate 180. He was producing so much carbon dioxide that the spacesuit system could not absorb it 1d . "The moment the sun went down, Gene got so cold that his visor fogged up" on the inside 6n . This rendered him almost blind; by rubbing his nose against the faceplate he could clear a small area. Ground flight surgeons and controllers decided to curtail the EVA. Cernan lost 13.5 pounds of weight on the three-day mission. 1d . When Cernan's spacesuit got back to Houston after the flight, technicians poured a pound and a half of water [sweat?] out of each boot" 6n

fly "I took a deep breath. And burped. The briny taste of that big green pickle I devoured during the last scrub party five days ago returned and would haunt me for the rest of the spacewalk." 1e

fly Also during his EVA on Gemini 9A, he received a "major" sunburn. His exertions had ripped the seams on seven inner layers of heavy insulation in his spacesuit, and the "Sun had baked the exposed triangle of unprotected skin" on his lower back, producing a "fiery sensation." 1f . Cernan complained to crewmate Stafford that his back was "burning up" 6o

fly Excruciating pain while re-entering the Gemini 9A spacecraft after his EVA. This resulted from the contortions needed to physically get through the hatch and into his seat, while wrapped in a stiff spacesuit. Once again his respiratory rate hit 40 per minute. "The body just wasn't built to fold like a piece of paper.... No bones had broken yet, although I don't know why. I'd never known such pain." Even after he was seated and the hatch was closed, "Air could not get to my lungs, spots danced before my eyes, and incredible agony lanced through me as I clung to the edge of consciousness." The space suit softened as the cabin was pressurized, and the pain abated. 1g His crewmate, Stafford, noted: "When he raised his helmet visor, I saw that his face was a hot pink, like he'd been baked in a sauna too long. I used the water gun to give him a drink and then squirted some in his face." 6n

fly His hands were so swollen from the EVA that the metal ring cuffs on his spacesuit lacerated his skin when he peeled off his gloves. 1h

fly On the Gemini 9A splashdown: "We happened to hit on the face of a wave that gave us a surprisingly strong jolt which bent several shingles on the skin of the spacecraft and practically dazed us." 6p

fly There was so much vibration during the Apollo 10 TLI burn that Cernan could barely read the gauges and Stafford could get only one syllable out at a time. 1i

fly On Apollo 10, inhaled fiberglass particles which were liberated after Cernan opened up the lunar module: "his [Cernan's] hair and eyebrows were full of white flecks of insulation. He looked like a hound dog who'd been in a chicken coop. A Mylar cover on the outside of the command module's tunnel hatch had torn, releasing a cloud of white fiberglass. The particles itched like hell and it took us hours to clean up what we could." 6q

dur 4t A few days before the scheduled liftoff of Apollo 14, for which he was backup commander, Cernan crashed an M-13 Bell helicopter while flying low over a river by Cape Canaveral. The water was so clear and smooth that he had lost track of where the surface was. The helicopter's left skid caught, causing the crash. Cernan may have lost consciousness for a brief time, but was able to egress the aircraft. He suffered a bump on his head and singed eyebrows. Cernan later described it as "Mr. Toad's Wild Ride." 1j

dur Prostate infection, a few months before Apollo 17 launch. 1k

fly Severe hyperextension injury of right calf muscle tendon while running the bases in a softball game less than two months before Apollo 17 launch. "Now the flight surgeon was massaging my rectum for the prostate and my leg for the tendon, keeping his mouth shut about both problems.... The man was a great doctor, a terrific liar, and an even better friend." 1l The leg was still sore on launch day. 1m

fly Oral herpes during Apollo 17, probably arising after leaving the moon. 21a

Chaffee, Roger USA, 1963 dur Died 1967 with Gus Grissom and Ed White in the Apollo 1 fire See APOLLO1FIRE incident

Collins, Michael USA, 1963 unk Has written an autobiography: 22

unk Has written a book: 13

unk Has perhaps drafted a book called "Space Machine" -- but it has not been published.

fly Mild case of the bends on Gemini 10: "My left knee has been aching for the last couple of hours, an indication that my preflight nitrogen purge has not worked 100%." Interferes with his sleep 13d This information was withheld from the ground 21b

fly Both crewmembers experience eye irritation simultaneously on Gemini 10 13e

pre Ejected and injured spine.

dur Spine operation.

fly All Apollo 11 crew members took an anti-motion sickness pill before re-entry and after splashdown. "At all costs we must not throw up in the biological isolation garments that the swimmers will throw in to us." 13b

Conrad, Charles "Pete" USA, 1962 unk Is the subject of a book: 23

pre 24a During the Rorschach inkblot test in 1959, doctors routinely slipped a blank white card into the deck. Conrad "baffled the doctors by insisting it was upside down." 5j

pre During the 1959 selection, Conrad was examined by Brigadier General Al Schwictenberg and other physicians at the Lovelace Clinic. "Conrad is one of those people who manage a bowel movement about every third day, and the doctors made an issue over his inability to give a fecal sample. Finally he produced one the size of a coffee bean, and with some pride brought it to the clinic in a one-pint container. Plunking it on Schwictenberg's desk he said triumphantly, `This is for you, General.'" 5k

pre "Conrad was rejected for Mercury [in the 1959 selection] because, according to the doctors, his personality would not adapt to the isolation of a spaceflight. How wrong can you be?" Conrad later went on to set two American endurance records (Gemini 5 and Skylab 2) and walk on the moon. 5j

fly After the Gemini 5 mission "Gordo and Pete were wobbly (who wouldn't have been, after sitting in the front seat of a Volkswagen for eight days), but they were still in good shape" 6e

fly Dislocated finger while fooling around during exercise on Skylab 2 13f

fly Cooper and Conrad were the first Americans to defecate in space, aboard Gemini 5. In those days, space crews were kept on a "low-residue" diet for two weeks before their missions. In those days, space crews were kept on a "low-residue" diet for two weeks before their missions. 10h (Given Conrad's bowel habits, described above, it seems reasonable to conclude that Cooper was actually the first.)

pos Died of complications from motorcycle accident, July 8, 1999.

Cunningham, Walter USA, 1963 unk Has written an autobiography: 25

fly When urinating on Apollo 7, Cunningham instinctively turned his back to the window, prompting Schirra to ask "Walt, who is out there?" 5h

fly The Apollo 7 crew disobeyed a direct order to wear their helmets during re-entry, because all had headcolds and worried about rupturing an ear drum. 1b See APOLLO7EARDRUM incident

Duke, Charles USA, 1966 unk Has written an autobiography: 26

fly Got pneumonia just before Apollo 16 launch, so it was postponed 4b

Eisele, Donn USA, 1963 dur Injured his shoulder during a zero-g airplane flight at Wright-Patterson AFB in 1965. After later aggravating it playing handball, he underwent surgery in January 1966. As a result, he was not announced as a member of the prime crew for Apollo 1 -- "he had been told months before that he would be on the first Apollo crew. Eisele was distraught. His replacement, Roger Chaffee, died in the Apollo 1 fire in January 1967 6r

fly The Apollo 7 crew disobeyed a direct order to wear their helmets during re-entry, because all had headcolds and worried about rupturing an ear drum. 1b See APOLLO7EARDRUM incident

pos Died on December 2, 1987, of a heart attack in Tokyo [Encyclopedia Astronautica]

Evans, Ronald E. USA, 1966 pre Cigarette smoker 1m

pos Died of a heart attack April 6, 1990 (age 56) [Encyclopedia Astronautica] Died during sleep. 1n

Freeman, Theodore USA, 1963 dur Killed 1964 when his T-38 jet hit a goose

Givens, Edward USA, 1966 dur Died June 6, 1967 when he ran off the road and rolled his Volkswagen. He was driving back to Houston after a party. 4u . Alcohol was not involved 6s

Gordon, Richard USA, 1963 unk --

Graveline, Duane USA, 1965 pre 1o Reputed to have a bad temper, which indirectly led to his removal from the astronaut corps. 4v

Haise, Fred USA, 1966 fly Pseudomonas urinary tract infection during Apollo 13 21c Probably exacerbated or caused by prolonged wearing of the urinary collection device, for which it was not designed 21d Two weeks of antibiotic therapy were required after landing 21c Had the mission lasted another 24 hours, the infection could have become "a serious inflight illness" 21b

pos Burns???

Henize, Karl USA, 1967 pos Died of high altitude pulmonary edema on October 5, 1993, while climbing Mt. Everest. He is buried there. [Encyclopedia Astronautica]

Irwin, James USA, 1966 fly PVCs and bigeminal rhythm during Apollo 15. Upon return to earth, he was found to be hypokalemic. Potassium prophylaxis was therefore instituted for the remaining moon flights 21e leading to the famous potassium-fortified orange-juice incident with John Young on Apollo 16. It was later realized that Irwin's arrhythmias were a maninfestation of undetected coronary artery disease. It was later realized that Irwin's arrhythmias were a maninfestation of undetected coronary artery disease. 21f

pos Had myocardial infarction (heart attack) about two years after the Apollo 15 flight. 21f

pos Died Aug. 8, 1991 of a heart attack

Lovell, James A. USA, 1962 unk Has written an autobiography: 27

pre 5k Had "minor liver ailment" that disqualified him in 1959 Mercury selection 4w

fly After 11 (of 14) long days in orbit on Gemini 7, both Borman and Lovell experienced "quite an emotional letdown" as they saw Gemini 6A fly away 6m

fly On Apollo 8, Borman became frankly ill on the trip to the moon. Crewmates Lovell and Anders "had brief moments of discomfort" 6k

fly Took dexedrine toward the end of the Apollo 13 mission, after all the critical work had been done 4x

Mattingly, Thomas Kenneth USA, 1966 fly Exposed to German measles (rubella) just before Apollo 13 launch, so he's removed from the mission. He never came down with the illness.

McDivitt, James USA, 1962 unk --

Mitchell, Edgar D. USA, 1966 unk Has written a book: 28

O'Leary, Brian USA, 1967 unk Has written an autobiography: 29

Overmyer, Robert USA, 1969 pos Died March 22, 1996 in the crash of a light aircraft he was testing.

Peterson, Donald USA, 1969 dur Positive treadmill test circa 1974 led to removal from flight status. Underwent cardiac catheterization which disclosed ???. Was ultimately returned to flight status. [source = 2000 Aerospace Medical Association meeting]

Pogue, William USA, 1966 unk Has written a book: 30

unk Has written a book: 31

pre Known as "Old Lead-ear" because of his tolerance to pre-flight vestibular tests. 13g

fly Space-sick on Skylab.

fly "Farting about 500 times a day" on Skylab. 13h

fly Insomnia on Skylab, which he attributed to stress. 13h

Roosa, Stuart USA, 1966 pos Died Dec. 12, 1994 of pancreatic cancer, complicated by viral pneumonia

Schmitt, Harrison Hagan "Jack" USA, 1965 pre Underwent partial colectomy in 1960 for congenital malrotation "of the intestines." When applying for the astronaut program, "as you can imagine, Air Force doctors and NASA doctors, who are used to eliminating anybody with any abnormality, were not too enthusiastic (as I gathered) about my becoming an astronaut. But Dr. Lovelace apparently was asked to review the case. He went to the surgeon -- a Dr. Claude Welch, a famous surgeon at Massachussetts General Hosptial, who did the surgery back in 1960 -- and they reviewed it and concluded that I would, as in Dr. Lovelace's words, 'would be better off than anybody else because of the geometry of my intestinal tracts.'" [Source = Schmitt interview for NASA Oral History Project, 14 July 1999]

unk Schmitt has commented about medical aspects of the selection of his group of astronauts: "I think that everybody in our group had something that potentially could have eliminated them if you applied the strict standards that the Air Force normally would apply to a young pilot.... whether it's eyesight or a bout of osteomyelitis, which one of the people had and came through okay on, but another didn't." [Source = Schmitt interview for NASA Oral History Project, 14 July 1999]

dur While in pilot training at Williams AFB in 1965-66, broke his elbow in a basketball game. He could not fly for several weeks, then had to make up for lost time when he returned to flying duty. "It meant an awful lot of flying, awfully fast. Which was fine. That's the best way to learn, I think, is just to get all your flying in at once." [Source = Schmitt interview for NASA Oral History Project, 14 July 1999]

fly Lunar dust made him sneeze 1p

Schweikart, Russel "Rusty" USA, 1963 fly Space sick on Apollo 9. Vomited. Described as "Sicker than hell." His EVA was postponed and scaled back 6t The Tom Hanks mini-series for HBO, "From the Earth to the Moon," clearly says this is why Schweikart was never again assigned to a space crew.

Scott, David USA, 1963 unk Has co-written a book: 32

See, Elliott USA, 1962 dur Died with Charles Bassett in 1966 when his T-38 jet crashed while attempting to land in St. Louis

Stafford, Thomas P. USA, 1962 unk Has written an autobiography: 6

pre Weighed 4.5 pounds at birth. Grew to 6 feet 0 inches, 185 pounds in high school 6u . During early years as astronaut he weighed 175 lbs 6v

fly Slept only about 4 hours the first night of the Gemini 6A mission 6m

fly On the Gemini 9A splashdown: "We happened to hit on the face of a wave that gave us a surprisingly strong jolt which bent several shingles on the skin of the spacecraft and practically dazed us." 6p

fly There was so much vibration during the Apollo 10 TLI burn that Cernan could barely read the gauges and Stafford could get only one syllable out at a time. 1i Stafford says: "We could not read dials on the control panel" 6w

fly On Apollo 10, inhaled fiberglass particles which were liberated into the spacecraft's air after the lunar module was opened up. Itchy, too 6q (See entry for Cernan)

dur "Minor skin cancer" January 1971 6x

dur "Hobbling from a knee injury in a recent motorcycle accident" July 1971 6x

fly Ate Soviet space food on the ASTP flight and vomited. Had to take 3 lomotil pills to settle his stomach 25a . Stafford does not mention this incident in his autobiography.

fly Near-fatal toxic gas exposure during ASTP re-entry and splashdown See ASTP incident

pos "Recovering from surgery at home" circa December 1994 6y

Swigert, John L. USA, 1966 pos Died December 27, 1982 of lymphoma

White, Edward H. USA, 1962 dur Comment: Today, it is well recognized that highly fit persons may have resting heart rates considered low by normal standards. In fact, an awake resting heart rate in the low 50s is common in military personnel. NASA consultant Paul Dudley White understood this, even in the 1940s, when he helped world-class runner Leslie MacMitchell enlist in the Navy despite a resting heart rate of 37 [Hearts: Their Long Follow-up, by PD White and H Donovan. Philadelphia: Saunders, 1967. Page 8] Apparently NASA did not consult Dr. White in the case of astronaut White. White barely missed being an Olympic hurdler and was regarded as one of the best physical specimens in the astronaut office 33a . This actually got him in trouble. A reader has relayed a reminiscence by NASA flight surgeon Robert H. Moser ("My romance with space." The Pharos (of Alpha Omega Alpha Honor Medical Society), Autumn 2003, pp. 11-17.) that describes how White was almost removed from the Gemini 4 flight because of concerns that his heart rate (52 beats per minute at rest and 70 per minute after exercise) could predispose him to fainting. White nearly panicked upon hearing this. Moser prevailed upon upper echelons to let White fly. Simultaneously, he and White developed and tested a secret plan to have White take atropine during the flight if his heart rate dropped to 50. (Atropine speeds the heart rate, but has numerous adverse effects, so this was a daring plan, to say the least.) White's performance on the Gemini 4 flight was outstanding, and his heart rate never went below 62.Today, it is well recognized that highly fit persons may have resting heart rates considered low by normal standards. In fact, an awake resting heart rate in the low 50s is common in military personnel. NASA consultant Paul Dudley White understood this, even in the 1940s, when he helped world-class runner Leslie MacMitchell enlist in the Navy despite a resting heart rate of 37 [. Philadelphia: Saunders, 1967. Page 8] Apparently NASA did not consult Dr. White in the case of astronaut White.

dur "No astronaut surpassed [White] for sheer physical strength" 33b As command module pilot for Apollo, strength was necessary to operate the hatch: "The man in the center couch had to reach back over his head, undo the bolts using a special tool, and then lower it out of the way. ... For exercise, White and his backup, Dave Scott, used to practice opening the hatch; it was like pressing a couple hundred pounds at the gym" 33b The difficulty of opening the hatch, and the resulting inability to escape from the spacecraft, was a key factor in the deaths of White, Gus Grissom, and Roger Chaffee in the 1967 launchpad Apollo 1 fire See APOLLO1FIRE incident

pos During the investigation of the Apollo 1 fire, White's resting heart rate again became an issue. An engineer who reviewed White's EKG tracings found that 42 seconds before the first radio call of a fire White's heart rate had doubled from 60 to 120. With this evidence of a significant increase in physical activity (oxygen consumption had also increased), the investigation board was preparing to conclude the emergency had started at this earlier time. However, Dr. Fred Kelly "knew that Ed White's resting heart rate was normally in the thirties due to his superb physical condition" 12c Kelly discovered that the engineer had misinterpreted the heart rates. "He had assumed, because the rate was so slow, that the chart recorder speed had been set at fifty millimeters per second instead of the normal twenty-five" 12d In actuality, the increase at this 42-second mark had been from a heart rate in the thirties to a heart rate in the sixties, which could have occurred with just a shift in position. The true increase in activity, related to the fire, occurred at 6:31:04 EST. White "got out of his seat, turned around, and wrestled with the Apollo escape hatch for at least sixteen long and frantic seconds before he was overcome" 12e

Williams, Clifton USA, 1963 dur Died 1967 in the crash of his T-38 jet

Young, John Watts USA, 1962 fly Parachute deployment during Gemini 3 re-entry was so violent that Young's helmet faceplate was cracked from impacting a window in the spacecraft. The same maneuver also punched a hole in the faceplate of his Gemini 3 crewmate, Grissom, and cracked Schirra's faceplate on Gemini 6A 6f

fly 6g Got seasick while bobbing in his Gemini 3 spacecraft after splashdown. 3d

fly Both crewmembers experience eye irritation simultaneously on Gemini 10 13e

fly On Apollo 10, inhaled fiberglass particles which were liberated into the spacecraft's air after the lunar module was opened up. Itchy, too 6q (See entry for Cernan)