|
Author
|
Topic: Astronaut Goggles
|
nick daring
New Member Posts:
From:
Registered:
|
posted 05-04-2007 03:33 AM
   
Hello, Long time lurker - first time poster.
My wife works in the anesthesia field here in Texas and a year or two ago she got to go to a lecture by a/the head physician for NASA's astronaut training program.
Being space geeks, she returned with a bunch of really neat info but one thing she mentioned I haven't been able to find much info on and I was hoping the sharp minds on this forum could help.
During the lecture, it was mentioned that goggles are supposed to be worn by the astronauts in order to protect their eyes from floating debris and randomly floating objects. Here on Earth our delicate eyes are not often confronted with the problem of flying objects thanks to the wonders of gravity. My wife also may have said or implied that even though the goggles are recommended, the astronauts rarely wear them.
I found the idea fascinating but have not been able to find much in support of this "fact". I found one article and accompanying photo of two astronauts entering the ISS for the first time and they were wearing goggles and thin paper medical masks over the nose and mouth. I can only imagine these would be worn for the very purpose of deflecting or filtering floating debris in the newly opened area.
Anyways, is this astronaut goggle information accurate or mostly hogwash? I'd love to see any further photos or info on the matter.
Thanks
Nick |
Obviousman
Member Posts: 438
From: NSW, Australia
Registered: May 2005
|
posted 05-04-2007 03:41 AM
Hi there! Welcome to the board.I have never heard of this at all. For the most part, the spacecraft was a 'shirtsleeves' environment. Perhaps it was something proposed but rejected after the Gemini experiences?
|
lewarren
Member Posts: 269
From: Houston, TX, USA
Registered: Aug 2001
|
posted 05-04-2007 09:37 AM
This is a very real concern. I've read accounts by Salyut and Mir cosmonauts that complain of getting metal shavings in their eyes when unloading newly arrived cargo vessels.On ISS, safety goggles are nominally worn when crews enter new modules that have just arrived on orbit (in which fans have not yet been turned on the draw particulate into the filters). I believe this may also be the case with on shuttle regarding Spacelab/SpaceHab modules. If you have seen the IMAX movie Space Station, I believe there is a *brief* scene in which you see the STS-98 and ISS-1 crews wearing safety goggles when they first open the hatch to Destiny. If you listen to the audio, CDR Ken Cockrell can be heard commenting that Destiny ..."looks and smells great." There are always concerns during launch/docking ops that coolant loops may break and/or other liquids/gases may enter the module.  |
Obviousman
Member Posts: 438
From: NSW, Australia
Registered: May 2005
|
posted 05-04-2007 10:54 AM
Whoops! I was thinking Apollo only, not having properly read your post.Please consider me as an interesting but retarded child who sits in the corner. (slinks off to learn to read posts FULLY before replying....) |
medaris
Member Posts: 181
From: United Kingdom
Registered: Mar 2007
|
posted 05-06-2007 09:49 AM
There's a description in Jim Irwin's'To Rule the Night' of broken glass floating around the LM when they opened it. He commented, 'free-floating glass is the worst thing to deal with; it can get into your eyes or into your lungs'. I guess it's been a potential hazard throughout the space programme. |
advertisement