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Aviation History
1952
1952 - 0660.PDF
300 FLIGHT MAN without GRAVITY radiation in its concentrated form would cause intense sunburn. The steel hull of a space-ship, or even the glass of any portholes it may have, will be sufficient to shield the crew from ultra violet, but much more efficient shielding will be required to inhibit the highly penetrative cosmic rays. Thermal control of the ship will probably be achieved by using a thick, insulated hull having outer surfaces which have been silvered (to reflect heat), or blackened (to absorb it). A refrigerating system could also be installed if found necessary. Some unique air-conditioning problems will be encountered in the design of artificial satellites and space-ships. In addition to the previously mentioned effects of zero gravity on air circulation, the crews may in some instances have to exist in artificial atmos pheres for very long periods at a time, and it is by no means cer tain that these atmospheres will be physiologically satisfactory over such periods. For example, if oxygen, either pure or diluted with other gases, is breathed continuously for periods of up to several weeks, adverse physical symptoms may develop. However, this problem of air-conditioning will almost cer tainly be capable of solution along fairly standard lines, and can probably be regarded as one of the minor problems of space flight. The possibility of infection by alien viruses and germs on other planets will also have to be closely guarded against by the first >.ien to reach these planets. Germs may exist there against which the human body has no defence, and it would be ironic if, after the greatest engineering achievement of all time, the expedition should be destroyed by unknown germs. It may in fact be necessary for the first landing expeditions to stay inside their ships for a considerable time after landing, in order to allow some preliminary general analysis of the outside conditions to be made, before even space-suited explorers ven ture out. (In passing, it may be noted that these space-suits would probably have to be designed specifically for operation in one particular location, as suits suitable for conditions on one planet might be quite useless on another. For example, a suit designed for use in the hot, carbon-dioxide atmosphere of Venus would probably be of little value on, say, the virtually airless Moon, where the temperature fluctuation is very great.) Even more serious is the possibility that some virulent plague may be carried back dormant to earth by the returning ships, and then break out in its full violence after landing. Some form of rigorous quarantine will very probably have to be imposed on returning space-expeditions. Finally, the psychological effects of space-flight must be con sidered. It is probably fair to say that these will be much fewer, and of less importance, than the purely physiological repercussions. During long flights, such as the journey from Earth to Mars, the crew of a space-ship will be continually confined inside the relatively small life-chambers of their ship for many months at a time, and during this period the crew will have very little to occupy them. It will, therefore, be essential, when selecting the crew, to choose persons who have previously proved to be very stable emotionally and who will not be likely to suffer from psychological complaints such as monotonic neurosis and claus trophobia, due to the long confinement, or cumulative anxiety neurosis, due to living under the conditions of permanent stress occasioned by the actual and potential dangers of space-flight. However, unlike many of the physiological troubles, these psychological problems should largely be capable of solution on earth. The great mount of practical experience obtained during war-time with similar problems will be invaluable in this respect. Mock-ups of space-ship cabins could be constructed on earth and the chosen crews enclosed inside them for long periods to check their reactions. The past records of the crew members will also give a good indication of their individual general psycho logical make-up and stability under stress. It will be of very great importance to ensure that the living conditions of the crews on these long flights are as comfortable as possible, for the psychological state is highly dependent on the physiological. As is well known, bad and uncomfortable living conditions, when endured over long periods, can produce a psychological crisis, even though a short period of such conditions can safely be borne without critical stress. For this reason, some form of artificial gravity within the ship will be very desirable, as previously mentioned, and the air- conditioning and thermostatic control of the cabin will have to be of a very high standard. In conclusion, we see that the medical problems raised by the advent of space-flight will be of a very diverse character indeed and that some of them will be unique in medical history. Consider able progress towards their solution will be made by future terrestrial research, but the final complete answers will not be known until, during the next few decades, the first giant ships of Earth hurtle out into the interplanetary void. Bibliography The Conquest of Space, Ley and Bonestall. Dynamics of Space Vehicles, Thompson, L. N.: Inst.Mech.E. Interplanetary Flight, Clarke, A. C.: Temple Press. Space-ships, Thompson, L. N.: Kemsley Press. Journals and Bulletins, B.I.S. 1946 et seq. In particular:—• A Symposium of Medical Problems Associated with Space Flight, J.B.I.S., January, 1950; The Possibility of Potentially Pathogenic Organisms Occurring on Another Planet, Nye, E. R., J.B.I.S., March, 1950; Hayden Planetarium Symposium on Space Travel (Man in Space, Dr. Heinz Haber, Dept. of Space Medicine), J.B.I.S., January, 1950. Space Medicine, edited by J. P. Marbarger, 1951. DEFORMATION CRASH-SWITCH AUTOMATIC safety-devices for aircraft, actuated by the con-• ditions obtaining in a crash, have previously largely relied upon the deceleration experienced upon impact. By contrast, a new crash-switch developed by the Graviner Manufacturing Co., Ltd., of Colnbrook, Bucks, is actuated by small deformations of a sensitive element placed in prominent positions on the underside of the airframe. This element, shown in the accompanying photograph, consists of a strip, of any desired length, moulded from synthetic rubber and containing three spring-steel strips which are separated mechanically and insulated electrically by staggered pads of syn thetic rubber. A pre-determined pressure applied to any portion of the element results in electrical contact being made across the strips. In a crash at high speed, there is a possibility of such an element being torn from its mounting before the aircraft automatic systems could function; such a contingency has been guarded against by the insertion of a simple condenser and high-speed relay in the operating circuit. This has resulted in the circuit having an operating time of but 40 microseconds—equivalent to -&in of for ward travel at 250 m.p.h. It is' claimed that the possibility of failure of the switch is remote, especially since installations visualized include lengths of not less than a foot of sensitive element mounted in the direction of the line of flight of the aircraft. The switch is to be tested, in the first instance, upon an aircraft catapulted on to the ground, giving an approximation to typical crash conditions. This aircraft will be fitted with five strips on its lower surfaces, each strip being wired to a separate relay box. Each relay box will in turn be wired to a photo-flash bulb, the five bulbs being mounted prominently on top of the fuselage. From cine camera records it is hoped to be able to obtain an indication of the duration of contact of each sensitive strip with the ground by lining-up the flash from each bulb with the concurrent aircraft attitude. Representative weights of the equipment, at the present stage of development, are 4? oz per foot run for the strip (with alumin ium attachment flanges) and 1 lb 8 oz for a relay box into which a representative number of strips could be fed. The switch and (below, to a slightly larger scale) a typical sensitive element.
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