Re: spacesickness (was Re: NASA HONORS LEGENDARY ASTRONAUT VANCE BRAND)


Henry Spencer wrote:

> It doesn't seem to be quite the same thing, although the symptoms are
> similar. In particular, susceptibility to earthly forms of motion
> sickness does *not* predict susceptibility to spacesickness. In fact,
> there is still no way of predicting who will get (seriously) sick in space
> and who won't, and it's not because people haven't been looking for one.
>
> (Back in Apollo days, it was thought that getting in a plane and doing
> vigorous aerobatics in the days immediately preceding launch reduced your
> susceptibility somewhat, but I don't know how well that has held up.)
>
Now that more people are going on 'zero-g' aircraft flights, is there
more information on who is succeptable, or is that the same kind of
sickness? I would hope the pilots are still OK, and the attendants who
work there regularly should get used to it.

> >I have been involved in ship surveys and small
> >aircraft, and am usually quite ill for the first week, and fine
> >afterward. Many others report the same thing.
>
> Spacesickness usually lasts only 2-3 days, although for some unfortunates
> it does persist longer.
>
I am one of the unfortunates. It didn't help that my work was mainly in
the 'gravity lab', a small unventilated room near the centre of motion
of the ship, usually between the engine room and galley, with the smell
of diesel fuel competing with stale cooking grease. I sometimes become
uncomfortable on a ship at the dock just from the smell.

> >One way to overcome aircraft sickness is to do the flying yourself. I
> >was once on a bumpy flight where one fellow was so violently sick that
> >the pilot gave him the controls and he recovered nicely - and made the
> >rest of us worse. Is there any way to 'pilot' a spacecraft so you feel
> >you are in control?
>
> There isn't that same sort of constantly attention-demanding piloting.
> That happens only briefly during rendezvous maneuvers and such, which
> usually aren't done immediately after launch.

Would it be possible to create some tasks such as taking a star fix or
lining the craft up with the horizon that would force the crew to focus
outside the ship?

John Halpenny

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