{"id":168637,"date":"2017-05-04T15:04:00","date_gmt":"2017-05-04T19:04:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/?migration=converted-node-401037"},"modified":"2023-07-26T14:54:50","modified_gmt":"2023-07-26T18:54:50","slug":"how-11-deaf-men-helped-shape-nasas-human-spaceflight-program","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/missions\/project-mercury\/how-11-deaf-men-helped-shape-nasas-human-spaceflight-program\/","title":{"rendered":"How 11 Deaf Men Helped Shape NASA’s Human Spaceflight Program"},"content":{"rendered":"<div id=\"\" class=\"hds-media hds-module wp-block-image\"><div class=\"margin-left-auto margin-right-auto nasa-block-align-inline\"><div class=\"hds-media-wrapper margin-left-auto margin-right-auto\"><figure class=\"hds-media-inner hds-cover-wrapper hds-media-ratio-none \"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/05\/nasazakutney.jpeg\"><img fetchpriority=\"high\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1628\" height=\"2048\" src=\"https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/05\/nasazakutney.jpeg?w=1628\" class=\"attachment-2048x2048 size-2048x2048\" alt=\"Study participant John Zakutney is lowered into a centrifuge pod.\" style=\"transform: scale(1); transform-origin: 50% 50%; object-position: 50% 50%; object-fit: cover;\" block_context=\"nasa-block\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/05\/nasazakutney.jpeg 2844w, https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/05\/nasazakutney.jpeg?resize=238,300 238w, https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/05\/nasazakutney.jpeg?resize=768,966 768w, https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/05\/nasazakutney.jpeg?resize=814,1024 814w, https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/05\/nasazakutney.jpeg?resize=1221,1536 1221w, https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/05\/nasazakutney.jpeg?resize=1628,2048 1628w, https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/05\/nasazakutney.jpeg?resize=318,400 318w, https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/05\/nasazakutney.jpeg?resize=477,600 477w, https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/05\/nasazakutney.jpeg?resize=715,900 715w, https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/05\/nasazakutney.jpeg?resize=954,1200 954w, https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/05\/nasazakutney.jpeg?resize=1590,2000 1590w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1628px) 100vw, 1628px\" loading=\"eager\" \/><\/a><\/figure><\/div><\/div><\/div>\n\n\n<p>Before NASA could send humans to space, the agency needed to better understand the effects of prolonged weightlessness on the human body. So, in the late 1950s, NASA and the U.S. Naval School of Aviation Medicine established a joint research program to study these effects and recruited 11 deaf men aged 25-48 from Gallaudet College (now Gallaudet University). Today, these men are known to history as the \u201cGallaudet Eleven,\u201d and their names are listed below:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul>\n<li>Harold Domich<br>\n<figure class=\"hds-media-import-wrapper\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/05\/centrifuge.jpeg\" alt=\"One participant stands in the slow rotation room to test the effects of gravitational changes on the human body.\"><figcaption>NASA\/Gallaudet University Archives\/Personal collection of David Myers.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Robert Greenmun<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Barron Gulak<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Raymond Harper<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Jerald Jordan<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Harry Larson<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>David Myers<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Donald Peterson<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Raymond Piper<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Alvin Steele<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>John Zakutney<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p>All but one had become deaf early in their lives due to spinal meningitis, which damaged the vestibular systems of their inner ear in a way that made them \u201cimmune\u201d to motion sickness. Throughout a decade of various experiments, researchers measured the volunteers\u2019 non-reaction to motion sickness on both a physiological and psychological level, relying on the 11 men to report in detail their sensations and changes in perception. These experiments help to improve understanding of how the body\u2019s sensory systems work when the usual gravitational cues from the inner ear aren\u2019t available (as is the case of these young men and in spaceflight). \u201cWe were different in a way they needed,\u201d said Harry Larson, one of the volunteer test subjects.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The experiments tested the subjects\u2019 balance and physiological adaptations in a diverse range of environments. One test saw four subjects spend 12 straight days inside a 20-foot slow rotation room, which remained in a constant motion of ten revolutions per minute. In another scenario, subjects participated in a series of zero-g flights in the notorious \u201cVomit Comet\u201d aircraft to understand connections between body orientation and gravitational cues. Another experiment, conducted in a ferry off the coast of Nova Scotia, tested the subjects\u2019 reactions to the choppy seas. While the test subjects played cards and enjoyed one another\u2019s company, the researchers themselves were so overcome with sea sickness that the experiment had to be canceled. The Gallaudet test subjects reported no adverse physical effects and, in fact, enjoyed the experience. Test participant Barron Gulak later remarked about such experiments: \u201cIn retrospect, yes, it was scary\u2026but at the same time we were young and adventurous.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Based on their findings from a decade\u2019s worth of experimentation, researchers gained insight into the body\u2019s sensory systems and their responses to foreign gravitational environments. Through their endurance and dedication, the work of the Gallaudet Eleven made substantial contributions to the understanding of motion sickness and adaptation to spaceflight.<\/p>\n\n\n<div id=\"\" class=\"hds-media hds-module wp-block-image\"><div class=\"margin-left-auto margin-right-auto nasa-block-align-inline\"><div class=\"hds-media-wrapper margin-left-auto margin-right-auto\"><figure class=\"hds-media-inner hds-cover-wrapper hds-media-ratio-none \"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/05\/gallaudet_eleven-zero_g_test_edited2.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1100\" height=\"709\" src=\"https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/05\/gallaudet_eleven-zero_g_test_edited2.jpg?w=1100\" class=\"attachment-2048x2048 size-2048x2048\" alt=\"Gallaudet test subjects in a zero-g flight.\" style=\"transform: scale(1); transform-origin: 50% 50%; object-position: 50% 50%; object-fit: cover;\" block_context=\"nasa-block\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/05\/gallaudet_eleven-zero_g_test_edited2.jpg 1100w, https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/05\/gallaudet_eleven-zero_g_test_edited2.jpg?resize=300,193 300w, https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/05\/gallaudet_eleven-zero_g_test_edited2.jpg?resize=768,495 768w, https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/05\/gallaudet_eleven-zero_g_test_edited2.jpg?resize=1024,660 1024w, https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/05\/gallaudet_eleven-zero_g_test_edited2.jpg?resize=400,258 400w, https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/05\/gallaudet_eleven-zero_g_test_edited2.jpg?resize=600,387 600w, https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/05\/gallaudet_eleven-zero_g_test_edited2.jpg?resize=900,580 900w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1100px) 100vw, 1100px\" \/><\/a><\/figure><\/div><\/div><\/div>\n\n\n<p>On Apr. 11, 2017, our chief historian Bill Barry had the honor of representing NASA at the opening of Gallaudet University\u2019s museum exhibit <em>Deaf Difference + Space Survival<\/em>. Curated by Gallaudet student Maggie Kopp, the exhibit highlights the relatively unknown contributions to the study of motion sickness made by these 11 university alums for a decade from 1958 to 1968. Present were 3 of the 11 former study participants: Harry O. Larson, class of \u201961, Barron Gulak, class of \u201962, and David O. Myers, class of \u201961.<br>\n <\/p>\n\n\n<div id=\"\" class=\"hds-media hds-module wp-block-image\"><div class=\"margin-left-auto margin-right-auto nasa-block-align-inline\"><div class=\"hds-media-wrapper margin-left-auto margin-right-auto\"><figure class=\"hds-media-inner hds-cover-wrapper hds-media-ratio-none \"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/05\/kopp_barry_dizio_larson_gulak_myers_cordano_erting1.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"2048\" height=\"1365\" src=\"https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/05\/kopp_barry_dizio_larson_gulak_myers_cordano_erting1.jpg?w=2048\" class=\"attachment-2048x2048 size-2048x2048\" alt=\"Ribbon-cutting ceremony for the Gallaudet exhibit. \" style=\"transform: scale(1); transform-origin: 50% 50%; object-position: 50% 50%; object-fit: cover;\" block_context=\"nasa-block\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/05\/kopp_barry_dizio_larson_gulak_myers_cordano_erting1.jpg 6000w, https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/05\/kopp_barry_dizio_larson_gulak_myers_cordano_erting1.jpg?resize=300,200 300w, https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/05\/kopp_barry_dizio_larson_gulak_myers_cordano_erting1.jpg?resize=768,512 768w, https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/05\/kopp_barry_dizio_larson_gulak_myers_cordano_erting1.jpg?resize=1024,683 1024w, https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/05\/kopp_barry_dizio_larson_gulak_myers_cordano_erting1.jpg?resize=1536,1024 1536w, https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/05\/kopp_barry_dizio_larson_gulak_myers_cordano_erting1.jpg?resize=2048,1365 2048w, https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/05\/kopp_barry_dizio_larson_gulak_myers_cordano_erting1.jpg?resize=400,267 400w, https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/05\/kopp_barry_dizio_larson_gulak_myers_cordano_erting1.jpg?resize=600,400 600w, https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/05\/kopp_barry_dizio_larson_gulak_myers_cordano_erting1.jpg?resize=900,600 900w, https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/05\/kopp_barry_dizio_larson_gulak_myers_cordano_erting1.jpg?resize=1200,800 1200w, https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/05\/kopp_barry_dizio_larson_gulak_myers_cordano_erting1.jpg?resize=2000,1333 2000w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 2048px) 100vw, 2048px\" \/><\/a><\/figure><\/div><\/div><\/div>\n\n\n<p><em>Deaf Difference + Space Survival <\/em>is currently on display at Gallaudet University\u2019s Jordan Student Academic Center, open Monday through Friday, 8:00 a.m. \u2013 10:00 p.m. For more information, visit: <a href=\"https:\/\/www.gallaudet.edu\/museum\/exhibits\/deaf-difference--space-survival-exhibit\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">https:\/\/www.gallaudet.edu\/museum\/exhibits\/deaf-difference\u2013space-survival-exhibit<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\n<em>By Hannah Hotovy <br>\nNASA History Division Intern, Spring 2017<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Before NASA could send humans to space, the agency needed to better understand the effects of prolonged weightlessness on the human body. So, in the late 1950s, NASA and the U.S. Naval School of Aviation Medicine established a joint research program to study these effects and recruited 11 deaf men aged 25-48 from Gallaudet College [...]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":254,"featured_media":174681,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"nasa_hds_core_meta_l10n":"en-US","nasa_hds_core_meta_article_editor":"","nasa_hds_core_meta_article_contacts":[],"nasa_hds_core_meta_article_topic":"","nasa_hds_core_meta_linked_locations":[],"nasa_hds_core_meta_article_related_articles":[],"hds_migrate_meta_pr_release_id":"","hds_migrate_meta_pr_release_type":"","nasa_hds_core_meta_location_x":"","nasa_hds_core_meta_location_y":"","nasa_hds_core_meta_gallery_images":[],"footnotes":""},"categories":[2718],"news-tags":[],"internal-terms":[],"coauthors":[],"parsely":{"version":"1.1.0","meta":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@type":"NewsArticle","headline":"How 11 Deaf Men Helped Shape NASA’s Human Spaceflight Program","url":"https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/missions\/project-mercury\/how-11-deaf-men-helped-shape-nasas-human-spaceflight-program\/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/missions\/project-mercury\/how-11-deaf-men-helped-shape-nasas-human-spaceflight-program\/"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/05\/nasazakutney.jpeg?w=150&h=150&crop=1","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/05\/nasazakutney.jpeg"},"articleSection":"Missions","author":[{"@type":"Person","name":"Andres D. 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