Artemis II and the Gallaudet Eleven
Artemis II has been making headlines as of late - the first crewed flight beyond low orbit since 1972, and their mission was a flyby of the moon. This amazing feat had hundreds of people working to make sure it worked. But did you know, that deaf people were instrumental in allowing NASA to further their research and success in getting to space?
Motion Sickness Hindering Space Experiments
In the 1950s, NASA was running into problems when trying to observe the effects of zero gravity on people, since they kept getting motion sickness from the centrifugal movement during experiments. This is where the Gallaudet Eleven step in - 11 men who had had damage to their ears causing deafness (specifically, damage to the vestibular systems of their inner ears) but also, granted them immunity to motion sickness. This ability of theirs allowed for NASA to conduct experiments involving centrifuges, zero gravity flights and more. One experiment even involved a room that spun for twelve days straight!
A Nice Cruise - Only for Some!
A particular experiment was attempted, involving a ship on extremely choppy waves - a particularly rough stretch of the North Atlantic Sea was used. The experiment had to be called off, due to the researchers present experiencing extreme sea sickness and vomiting, while the subjects reported that they were unaffected, even going so far as to say they enjoyed the experience!
If it weren’t for the Gallaudet Eleven, NASA may not have been able to come as far as they have today! Hooray for space exploration!
A Tidbit More on Space...
Space has been in the media spotlight more and more during this month - especially with the hit movie Project Hail Mary, a personal recommendation of mine! I gave it 4.5/5 on Letterboxd :)
Interested in a more in depth telling of this story?
Check out NASA’s article on this little known story: How 11 Deaf Men Helped Shape NASA's Human Spaceflight Program - NASA
