Visual Problems of Space Travel (1962)

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The activities of the Armed Forces—National Research Council Committee on Vision are supported by the U. S. Army, Navy, Air Force, Federal Aviation Agency, and National Aeronautical and Space Administration through a contract between the Office of Naval Research and the National Academy of Sciences. The Secretariat of the Committee is located at the National Academy of Sciences- National Research Council, 2101 Constitution Avenue. N.\V., Washington 25, D.C.

Visual Problems of Space Travel Report of Working Group V Armed Forces—NRC Committee on Vision Edited by JAMES W. MILLER Working Group V JAMES W. MILLER, Chairman WILLIAM BEVAN JOHN L. BROWN JOHN W. SENDERS OLIN W. SMITH RICHARD TRUMBULL NATIONAL ACADEMY OF SCIENCES—NATIONAL RESEARCH COUNCIL Washington, D. C. 1962

UH627.V575 1962c.l Visual problems of space travel; report of Working Group V, Armed Forces-NRC Committee on Vision PREFACE At the suggestion of Dr. Sam F. Seeley, executive secretary of the Armed Forces — NRC Committee on Bio-Astronautics, the Execu- tive Council of the Armed Forces—NRC Committee on Vision estab- lished Working Group V to deal with problems of vision in space travel. The Working Group met several times, evaluating and organizing the vast amount of available research data in terms of its potential rela- tionships to space travel. The results of this work are set forth in this report. The report brings together results of pertinent research known to the Working Group, in both vision and astronautics. It is admittedly speculative at many points, due to the fact that many of the parameters of space travel remain open to conjecture. The report concludes with an extensive bibliography of pertinent research reports in this field, which is not available elsewhere. Milton A. Whitcomb, Executive Secretary Armed Forces —NRC Committee on Vision April 1, 1962 iii

FOREWORD A variety of sensory and perceptual problems will arise in con- nection with space flight, both for the occupants of space vehicles and in certain instances for support personnel. The solutions to these problems are interrelated and tremendously complex, thus requiring cooperative efforts among many scientific disciplines. It is the purpose of this report, however, to discuss the problems of space flight only insofar as they relate to the visual mechanism. This report represents the joint efforts of Working Group V of the Armed Forces —NRC Committee on Vision. The members of this group are James W. Miller, Chairman, William Bevan, John L. Brown, John W. Senders, Olin W. Smith, and Richard Trumbull. The report was prepared by the chairman, and incorporates recommendations of members of the group. Special acknowledgment should be made of a recent report, "Sensory and Perceptual Problems Related to Space Flight," edited by John L. Brown, and published by the National Academy of Sciences —National Research Council. The Brown report, NAS—NRC Publica- tion Number 872, resulted from the work of the Armed Forces —NRC Committee on Bio-Astronautics. Substantial portions of that publica- tion have been quoted in the present report. These quotations are set off from the remaining text of this report by indentation and single • pacing, with brackets indicating editorial changes.

The present report, in addition to updating the Brown report, presents a considerable amount of additional information regarding specific critical visual problems, as well as a recently compiled, extensive bibliography of research in this field. James W. Miller, Chairman Working Group V April 1, 1962 vi

CONTENTS Page Preface iii Foreword v Space Flight Missions 1 The Visual Environment of Space 3 The Visual Effects of Gravitational Stress 11 The Visual Effects of Weightlessness and Simulated Gravity 14 Visual Problems within the Space Vehicle 20 Additional Problems Related to Space Flight 24 Utilizing Man's Vision in Space 29 References 39 Supplemental References (Bibliography) 45 vii