Word: astronaut
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...astronauts' most significant observations were of their own physiological reactions to space. All three seemed to be adjusting well to weightlessness. Astronaut Joseph Kerwin, the first American doctor in space, discovered that "you do have a sense of up and down" in zero-G. Explained Kerwin: "You say to your brain: 'Brain, I want that way to be up,' and your brain says: 'O.K.' " Speculating about this unexpected phenomenon, Kerwin doubted that it was connected with the balance mechanism in the inner ear. "I think it's strictly eyeballs and brain," he said...
...rotating chair to study disorientation in zero-G, climbing into a pressure chamber that measures the accumulation of blood in the lower body, contributing daily samples of blood (and freezing them) for laboratory analysis back on earth. Only Skylab's bicycle exerciser, designed to measure the astronauts' stamina, gave the crew any trouble. Confronted by the heat and some badly adjusted straps on the machine, Astronaut Paul Weitz found that pedaling was too exhausting and cut the experiment short. The astronauts also beamed a lively TV show to earth and showed off their ability at handstands, backflips...
...sunlight glinted off the object looming larger in the command module window, and Astronaut Charles ("Pete") Conrad Jr.'s exuberant voice came crackling across space: "Tallyho! Skylab!" As he maneuvered the Apollo spaceship closer to the windmill-shaped orbiting laboratory, Conrad gave crewmates Joseph Kerwin and Paul Weitz-and millions watching their TV screens on earth-a closeup look at the damaged Skylab...
...different kinds of canopies were tested underwater in the big tank at Huntsville, where conditions of weightlessness can be simulated; the astronauts found that it was possible to deploy the devices. But NASA gave top priority to a third, untested device: the so-called "parasol" canopy. One reason: the astronauts would not have to leave Skylab to put it in place. Resembling a beach umbrella, the canopy is made up of a 22-by-24-ft. sheet of aluminized Mylar and nylon attached to a long pole consisting of seven 4-ft. sections. An astronaut could extend the pole...
...their second option, the astronauts also carried into space a canopy rigged to a makeshift A-frame. But its deployment would require a more difficult space walk from the exit in Skylab's airlock module. As a third option, the Apollo command module carried the "Spinnaker Shade," which had been the original first choice of space officials. They had second thoughts about the sail-like canopy, because they feared that the light jet plumes from the command module's thrusters might fog the still functioning solar wings on the telescope mount. As he hung out of the open...