Ned Potter is the science correspondent for ABC's "World News with Charles Gibson." He has reported on such topics as space exploration, the human genome and climate change.
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Sick in Space
February 13, 2008 4:02 PM
In December 1968, on the first day of the first flight ever by astronauts to orbit the Moon, Apollo 8 commander Frank Borman became unexpectedly nauseated -- and the whole world soon knew about it. Borman felt better the next day, and the flight went on to make history.
Back then, Borman's motion sickness was a matter of mystery. Previous astronauts had reported nothing -- partly because their ships were too small for them to move around a lot and get queasy, partly because they kept their mouths shut for fear they'd never fly again.
Now, almost 500 men and women have been in space, and it's been well-documented that about half of them suffer from "space adaptation syndrome." NASA plans around it. Space Shuttle crews typically go to bed about five hours after launch; a docking with the Space Station doesn't happen until day three of most flights.
But after years without trouble, something happened on the current flight, STS-122, to interfere with the best-laid plans. My ABC colleagues asked me to help explain why it became a quandary.
Mission manager John Shannon reported there was "a medical issue," requiring that German astronaut Hans Schlegel be replaced on the mission's first spacewalk by crewmate Stanley Love -- but NASA wouldn't say what the illness was, or even whether it was Schlegel who was ill.
It's a thorny little issue. On the one hand, astronauts do something very public, and carry out missions paid for from public money. When something happens that affects a mission -- this one is being extended a day because of the illness -- it would seem at first blush as if that ought to be public information.
On the other hand, they are entitled to a modicum of privacy, aren't they? How would you feel if half the solar system knew you were throwing up or had a fever?
So NASA, since the early 1970s, has refused to comment on the health of individual astronauts. Since then, medical privacy laws have kicked in as well. You can find some thoughts HERE from Dr. Chuck Berry, the flight surgeon during the early years.
Schlegel, in an interview from orbit yesterday, said, "I feel really great right now. I'm, of course, a little bit anxious because tomorrow will be my first EVA." As for his health, "That's all I want to say because medical issues are private."
Most of us would tend to agree with him...but the European Space Agency, whose Columbus laboratory is being added to the space station on this mission, has slightly different rules than NASA. It posted this NOTE on its own website, and a controller in Germany radioed to the shuttle crew:
“Tell Hans to get better. We are keeping our fingers crossed he will feel better soon.”
He does now. Today, as planned, he went on the mission's second space walk.
(NASA-TV image of Schlegel in the Space Station airlock.)
February 13, 2008 | Permalink | Share | User Comments (11)
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Note from Ned--
In the last few minutes, Gina Sunseri has reported from Houston that the mission is being extended another day. Landing is currently scheduled for Wednesday, Feb. 20, 8:59 a.m. EDT, weather permitting.
Posted by: Ned Potter | Feb 13, 2008 4:57:12 PM
My first reaction was "Sounds like a hangover to me". Maybe it took him until the night before liftoff to finally find a beer that he liked, and he had a lot of catching up to do. Just kidding. Hope he's fine now. Godspeed to them all.
Posted by: rogerthomas | Feb 13, 2008 5:12:32 PM
Would really suck to be sick while wearing a space suit..... Or trying to get out of one before you loose control of your bowls....
Posted by: Shaun | Feb 13, 2008 5:52:31 PM
That's why they wear diapers.
Posted by: Matt | Feb 13, 2008 6:05:17 PM
I hope he feels better soon.
I would like to see an article on whether or not the treatment for an illness is different in space than it is on Earth, and whether or not returning to Earth affects the illness.
Posted by: ShadowDancer | Feb 13, 2008 6:29:25 PM
He didn't take his supplements.
Posted by: Daleri | Feb 13, 2008 7:52:14 PM
When it is literally billions of dollars of taxpayers money per shuttle launch, a condition for an astronaut to fly should be to waive all medical privacy. This guy's illness cost US taxpayers a huge amount of money to extend the mission. But of course, from NASA all the US taxpayers get is arrogance, obfuscation & lies. NASA should be abolished.
Posted by: Michael | Feb 13, 2008 10:50:28 PM
I saw no mention of the possibility of "opening night syndrome." The poor guy could have got a really bad case of the heebie-jeebies, despite the fact that it's not his first flight. Fortunately, that's a curable "disease."
I can't help but wonder, though, what would happen if he (or anyone else, for that matter) had developed something really bad, like appendicitis, or an abscessed tooth.
Posted by: Andy | Feb 14, 2008 8:28:28 AM
This dilemma concerns the age-old question of a person's privacy compared to the public's right to know, and, as before, there are no easy answers. In any case, I hope that the astronaut's illness is temporary and that he feels well enough to continue his mission!
Posted by: chuck | Feb 14, 2008 9:07:08 AM
Why should NASA be abolished all because of an illness? Don't preach your extremism of 'government lies' and 'vote Ron Paul because his crap doesn't stink' on us.
As for astronauts, hope they get well enough to continue mission, but it is too bad that the people don't know anything about their illnesses. Maybe it is the best to keep it quiet anyway.
Posted by: Ryan | Feb 14, 2008 10:46:23 AM
Michael;
I would like for you to open up all of your medical files for the world to view. Not just a curious few, but to open them up to the media for extreme scrutiny. Of course you will not because you know that your posting as well as my request is nothing but "silly" and baseless. You seem to have a vendetta against NASA for some reason. They have had a long standing policy against sharing the crew's health data with media and anyone else not in the need to know. I suggest a cat or dog, I hear they are good therapy.
Posted by: Vizorsdn | Feb 15, 2008 11:46:49 AM
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