Astronaut May Collapse

Press, Volume CII, Issue 30130, 14 May 1963, Page 13

Astronaut May Collapse

(N.Z. Press Association—Copyright)

CAPE CANAVERAL, May 12. A medical source on board one of the recovery ships in the Pacific, the UJS.S. Keersarge, said Major Gordon Cooper might “fall flat on his face” when he steps from his capsule after a space flight which is due to begin on Tuesday. The intorment said it would not be surprising if Cooper collapsed because of temporary loss of muscular co-ordination resulting from prolonged weightlessness and inactivity during the 34 hours’ flight which is scheduled to cover 575,000 miles. There have been recurrent reports that the last astronaut. Lieutenant-Commander

W. Schirra, suffered a brief ioa of nsuaouhsr control six

hours after his recovery from the sea. He made the longest American space mission—six orbits—teat October. Cooper will be the first American to attempt to get a good night’s sleep in space. An eight-hour aleeep period is scheduled between the ninth and fifteenth of bi* planned 22 orbits. He will eat several tames.

In the unlikely event that he oversleeps, a unique wake-up service in Muchea, Ausunalia, will cut in on his dreams by ringing a tonal alarm dock.

Although the one-ton, bellshaped Mercury capsule will operate close to its ability to keep a man alive in space. Cooper will stall have a 25 per cent, margin of oxygen and other life-supporting elements on hia flight.