Highlights of Skylab Medical Program (1970s)

the Skylab crewman were launched in an Apollo Command Module for Missions of 2859 and 84 days the launch of the unmanned Workshop was designated Skylab 1 the subsequent three man launches were designated Skylab 2 3 and four respectively the Apollo Command Module with three astronauts aboard was put into orbit with a Saturn 1B launch rocket after orbital insertion the spacecraft was flown to the orbiting workshop for rendevu and docking The partially deployed solar panel can be seen and other damage to the workshop is shown by the gold shiny area where the microm meteorite Shield was torn away after initial inspection the spacecraft approached for the final docking with the orbital Workshop this tour through the Skylab cluster was photographed by the first crew to visit Skylab the camera propelled by one of the crew floated through the multiple docking adapter through the airlock module and into the orbital Workshop the workshop is 22 ft in diameter and roughly 58 ft long the first floor area contained consumable supplies workstations and scientific equipment the second floor contained The Crew living quarters and the medical experiments area The Galley area had a large window for observation of the earth and stars the crewman developed techniques for moving many large items of equipment with relative ease Pete Conrad is moving an item of scientific equipment over to mount into an airlock Locomotion was easy as well as an enjoyable experience the crew was able to run around the Dome lockers easily after a little practice tumbling and acrobatics could be performed with ease in the weightless environment next series illustrates the operation of the major inflight medical experiments the first of these are the cardiovascular studies a lower body negative pressure device was employed to provide a stress to the cardiovascular system and to permit continuous physiological observations to be made as pressure on the body below the waist was reduced to 30 40 and 50 mm of mercury below the ambient pressure blood pressure Vector cardiogram heart rate rate and leg volume measurements were obtained the test was performed approximately every fourth day of the mission the film first Illustrated the entrance of the crewman into the device the closure of the rubber waste seal dawning of Bio sensors and the operational activity of the astronaut Observer Exercise capacity was studied using a bicycle ergometer and metabolic analyzer the crewman exercised for 5 minutes at each of three progressively higher work rates and the physiological response to this stress was measured these measurements included blood pressure heart rate Vector cardiogram oxygen consumption carbon dioxide production and respiratory volumes the ergometer also was used by the kumman for daily personal exercise the function of the vestibular system was studied through the use of a rotating litter chair one part of the study was the determination of susceptibility to motion sickness during rotation in the chair at speeds of 20 and 30 revolutions per minute while performing a series of head movements the crew was trained before flight to recognize the slightest motion sickness symptom and their susceptibility was gred by the subjective method sleep studies were conducted on one kumman during each of the three man missions using an electroencephalogram cap and sleep analyzer the preparation of the cap and servicing of the electrodes are shown analog signals were recorded on board the spacecraft and were converted by the Sleep analyzer into telemeter digital signals which indicated the five sleep stages this is one of the Sleep compartments and sleeping bags used used by the crew special equipment was developed to collect process and preserve blood samples during flight once each week samples were acquired using a conventional syringe and transferred into an evacuated sample processor the processor was placed in a centrifuge for the separation of plasma and cells while still under centrifugation plasma was forced into a separate collection vial this automatic separation was required because of the unique behavior of liquids in zero gravity after separation the blood samples were placed in a freezer for preservation and returned to Earth for postflight analysis this scene shows the details of the transfer from the conventional syringe into the sample processor and the placement of the sample processor in the centrifuge a series of experiments was conducted to study mineral balance and biochemistry of body fluids in the mineral balance study the ingestion of food and beverage was carefully controlled to maintain a near constant intake of electrolytes protein and other dietary components beverages were packaged in Bellows containing ERS and freeze dried foods in plastic bags both were reconstituted by adding measured quantities of water food trays were used for both food preparation and dining the sky laab 2 Commander is shown preparing a freeze dried food and is now needing the food before placing it into the tray the tray had seven recessed openings to hold food cans three of the recessed openings provided controlled heaters for warming Foods the crewman ate with conventional table wear and expressed satisfaction with the food system at the suggestion of the first crew spices to improve flavor were carried on the subsequent missions 70 Foods were provided from Frozen thermostabilized and freeze-dried foods a mass measuring device was used to weigh food residues and feal specimens the food can or specimen was secured to a table mounted on a spring suspension the frequency of oscillation of the table and added Mass was recorded and from this measurement equivalent Earth units of Weights were calculated equipment was provided in the waste management compartment to collect process and preserve urine and feal specimens urine was collected daily in a pooling bag the crewman transferred a 100ml sample into a small specimen bag which was placed in the freezer for preservation and subsequent postflight analysis this scene shows the operation of the transfer of urine from the pooling bag into a sample bag lithium chloride Tracer had been placed in the pooling bag before flight to permit post-flight volume determinations based on lithium dilution each day a new urine pooling bag was placed in the urine colle ction system this scene shows the operation as performed in flight three drawers contained the equipment necessary to provide each crewman with a separate urine collection system the overall operation of the waste management system was thoughtless throughout the flights daily body weighings were made on a mass measuring device which operated on the same Principle as previously described the crewman was strapped into the device and the spring released to allow the chair to oscillate the equipment was carefully calibrated on all three missions and the weighing devices proved to be remarkably accurate on the first man Mission the crew exercise daily for approximately 30 minutes on a bicycle ergometer on the second mission the exercise time was approximately doubled and a simple rope tension device was launched with the crew to allow them to exercise the arms and back muscles on the third mission the exercise time was increased to approximately 90 minutes per day and a unique treadmill like device was used for the first time rubber bunge cords applied about 170 lb of compression to the legs enabling the crew to simulate walking or running on a smooth low friction Teflon plate and thus exercise neglected calf muscles Untouched by bicycle exercises an inflight medical dispensary was available for crew Health Care this included medical Surgical and dental Diagnostic and therapeutic capabilities in addition a microscope slide stainer and specimen incubator were provided for clinical microbiological work all crewman received approximately 80 hours of paramedical training in the use of this equipment extra vehicular activity played a major role in the success of the Skylab program in a time and motion study space suit Dawning was evaluated on each of the three missions man proved that he was is a vital Link in the repair of components external to the spacecraft the Eva photos show a film pack being delivered to a crewman at the Eva workstation such Eva activities were performed almost routinely throughout the program without major problems this last inflight sequence shows the orbiting workshop with a thermal screen and the one solar panel deployed Landing was accomplished with the three parachute system as used in the Apollo program recovery differed from the Apollo mode however in that the Skylab Command Module was lifted directly from the sea to the recovery aircraft carrier and the crew egressed onto a platform on the carrier deck this scene shows the sky laab 2 crew egressing from The Command Module the crew returned in relatively good condition they did experience some posture poal instability and one of the crewman suffered motion sickness while waiting for pickup the crew took approximately 18 to 20 days to return to normal pre-flight Baseline values as determined by exhaustive post-flight testing Dr Kerwin is the last crewman to leave the spacecraft you will note that as the crewman walk along the red carpet they work to maintain lateral stability the crew reported that some residual lateral instability persisted for several weeks the Skylab 3 crew was retrieved about 35 minutes after splash down for this recovery a platform was mounted level with the Command Module hatch and chairs were provided for the crew to be seated this was done to reduce the effects of Earth gravity on the crew as they waited to be moved into the mobile Laboratories for the postflight medical tests recovery procedures for the crew of the third man Mission were identical with those of the second man Mission Dr Gibson is shown here leaving the spacecraft as you can see he is an excellent condition Jerry Carr the commander was the next to leave the spacecraft you will note the crewman wearing the cardiovascular counter pressure garment the inflated cap standand device which provided mechanical counter pressure to the legs can be clearly seen these garments were used by all Skylab crewman to counter effects of orthostat hypotensive Tendencies on return to Earth the last crewman to exit is Bill Pogue all of the sky laab for crewman returned in excellent condition and within four to 5 days they were back to their pre-flight Baseline Norms in conclusion most of the biomedical problems predicted during the early years of man space flight relative to man and the space environment did not materialize during the total 171 days of the Skylab Mann missions those physiological alterations which were documented by the Skylab medical experiments were generally accommodative in nature and were not serious enough to impair the ability of the crew members to work effectively in the weightless environment in general the sky laab medical findings confirmed and extended those of the shorter Mercury Gemini and Apollo flights crewman were carefully studied during the pre-flight inflight and post-flight phases of each Skylab Miss the principal findings resulting from the Intensive Skylab biomedical studies were space motion sickness during early flight moderate bone mineral losses comparable to those observed in man during prolonged bed rest moderate cardiovascular deconditioning and reduced effective circulating blood volume as reflected by the loss of Red Cell mass and plasma volume in the early postflight phase orthostatic intolerance was observed similar in degree to the late Mission responses to lower body negative pressure exercise intolerance was not observed during flight but was characteristic of the early postflight period despite the foregoing observations the Skylab medical experience has emphasized the ability of man to live and work effectively in space for extended periods of time appropriate nutrition programmed adequate sleep work exercise and Recreation periods and suitable work areas must be provided to maintain crew health and well-being