Role Of Man In Space

Press, Volume CIII, Issue 30540, 8 September 1964, Page 10

Role Of Man In Space

The successful launching, of the highly sophisticated Orbiting Geophysical Observatory (0.G.0.) leads one to ask how far is it possible for more and more complex devices to bring back new information about our space environment? 0.G.0. carries twenty different scientific instruments, all of which are designed to make measurements —and maybe a few discoveries—in the fields of interest of the earth-bound experimenters who built them. This is all very well if the nature of the expected information is known beforehand and the instruments designed accordingly. But what .if there

is some new and totally unexpected influence at work on the spacecraft? It may not affect the type of equipment on board the vehicle, in which case the influence—let’s call it Z-radiation—will remain hidden until another spacecraft with more susceptible instrumentation is launched. If the instruments are affected in some way, the data transmitted back to earth will be modified and it is up to the experimenter to discover why—if he can. The chances are that he will conclude that a fault occurred in his instrument and hope that it won’t recur next time. But it does.

So he concludes that his design was at fault. He redesigns his instrument, and it may happen that it is no longer susceptible to the unsuspected Z-rays. In this case he is quite happy with the 'results and quite unaware that a startling discovery, and perhaps a Nobel Prize, has slipped through his fingers. More Headaches? However, his redesigned instrument may still be affected by the Z-rays, and the experimenter will suffer more headaches, go through some further redesigns and spend perhaps a decade or more before he dares to conclude that an entirely new influence has been present.

Had the experimenter himself been able to fly in space with his instrument the chances are that he would unmask the Z-radiation at a much earlier stage. He would have a far better opportunity to recognise those subtle differences between equipment malfunc’ion or faulty design on the one hand and the presence of an unknown influence on the other. This is why men must venture into space and visit the moon and planets. Remotely controlled experiments and measurements coupled with armchair theorising are no substitute for first-hand investigations. The critics of manned spaceflight who argue that instrumented , satellites can explore space just as well as any astronaut are apt to overlook these considerations. In fact, no system has yet been built that can replace man in space. Probably there never will be one, because man is the only self-pro-grammed data processor and control system in existence. Geared Accordingly

The Russian and American space programmes recognise man’s importance in space, and are geared accordingly. Although there have been manned, spaceflights for more than a year—and none is expected from either side for another six months—a great deal of work has gone into evaluating past performance and redefining future goals. At the C.O.S.P.A.R. meeting a few months ago Soviet and American experts agreed that manned spaceflight using current equipment would be limited to flights lasting less than five days.

This estimate followed from consideration of the postflight disorders (mainly connected with the heart and bloodstream) observed with some of the cosmonauts and with the American astronaut Gordon Cooper. However, there were indications -that more careful crew selection and different pre-flight training procedures might extend man’s capacity for spaceflight without the need for radical design changes in the spacecraft. It is hoped that that it will prove correct, because the American Gemini capsule has already been built to sustain astronauts for as long as a fortnight in space, and the Project Apollo vehicles for the moon expedition will have a similar endurance. A trip to the moon which includes a lunar landing cannot possibly be undertaken in less than a week, and even so would allow for only 24 hours on the moon. Limiting Factor At this point the pessimists say that man’s role in space will be for ever limited. But what is the limiting factor? Unless there is some entirely new and quite unknown effect (something like the Z-rays mentioned earlier) operating in space arid not on earth, the only possible difference is the condition of weightlessness. Long periods of weightlessness cannot be simulated on earth—everything else that we know about can be, or can at least be allowed for. Corpuscular . radiation from the sun at the time of a large solar flare is a very real danger, but such flares are not frequent enough to do more

than delay a few flights. When Mariner 2 travelled to Venus a couple of years ago the amount of radiation it received was small: an astronaut making the trip would have been quite safe. The real problems will arise when the first manned space stations are placed in orbit. A complete change of crew each week would place exorbitant demands on any rocket-ferry service within present means. To enable the crew to stay in space for a month or more there will have to be an artificial gravity provided and some form of protection against the occasional strong solar flare. A rotating space station could overcome the former difficulty and a space ‘‘Lifeboat,” a winged re-entry vehicle for bringing the crew quickly back to earth, appears to be the best solution to the latter problem. Other schemes for protecting the space station crew from dangerous solar flare radiation includes heavily shielded shelter compartments. the shielding being provided by a large bulk of dense material or possibly by a very strong magnetic field.

The time is drawing close for design decisions on these matters. Study contracts with several large aerospace firms, including Douglas Aircraft, General Electric, and the Martin Company, are nearing completion, but there, is still ho real agreement between the American Department of Defence and the National Aeronautics and Space Administration on basic requirements for a manned orbiting laboratory. This is because service needs and scientific needs are rather different, and will always be so. However, there is one big factor common to the needs of both, and that is the vital part man will play in space activities.