In this episode of the history of the space program series, Haim Mazar leaves us on the ground
1. At the beginning of 1960, two people in the United States were isolated for a period of 30 days in a cell that was 2.5 meters long, 4 meters wide and weighed 7 tons. The cell is equipped with food that can be kept without refrigeration and does not spoil. The air was reused. Urine and other secretions were distilled by various chemical processes. In this way, one tenth of the amount of water excreted from the human body could be reused. This amount was added to the daily amount of two liters. The solid discharge was dried and burned and the gases from the burning were also removed. The cabin had air conditioning facilities, devices for directing the humidity and absorbing excess moisture from the air. It was possible to adjust the air pressure, the oxygen and 2CO concentrations.
2. On August 18, 1960, two pilots from the US Air Force entered a 2.5 x 3 meter steel container to simulate a flight to the moon. They stayed in the tank for 30 days until September 16. Water and air circulation equipment is used. During their stay in the cabin the pilots lost many kilograms of their weight, when they left the tank they felt a slight weakness. The experiment was in San Antonio, Texas.
3. On July 14, 1962, 10 pilots from the US Air Force entered a simulated spaceship for a month until August 14. The purpose of the experiment was to determine the psychological effect of a prolonged stay in space on astronauts and their work capacity. They spent most of their time in physical training, reading and playing chess. Although most of the time they were busy with experiments, the radio and television were missing.
4. On February 19, 1968, four volunteer students entered a simulated space chamber of the McDonnell Douglas company for a period of 60 days until April 19. During this period, a system was used for the reuse of water and oxygen. From the substances emitted from the body such as water, 2CO, sweat and urine. Physical exercises during which blood pressure and heart rate were measured were used as a comparative basis in real space flights. The students left the simulated spaceship safe and sound. The size of the cell where the volunteers stayed is 12.2 meters and a diameter of 3.6 meters. The components of the atmosphere were nitrogen and oxygen at a pressure of 0.5 kg per square meter.
5. At the beginning of 1966, three people in the Soviet Union were put into a simulated space chamber. Their names are Khurobiev, Overchov and Asanin. This team lived in space conditions for a month. On the 15th day of the experiment, they suffered from disturbances due to prolonged lying down. They were given permission to rub their bodies with a towel soaked in a special solution. The team left the test chamber safe and sound. He was even allowed to play basketball.
6. On November 5, 1967, three people in the Soviet Union were put into a simulated spaceship for a year until May 5, 1968. The three people were: German Manovtsov, a doctor and crew chief, Andrey Buzko, a biologist, and Boris Alibyshev, a technician. The goals of the experiment were to examine the full psychological results of year-long isolation and to test new methods of water and oxygen circulation.
The laboratory was hermetically sealed and a miniature garden was installed in it, where various herbs and vegetables were grown, including red beets, cabbage and watercress. This was an important part of the experiment. The design of future manned spaceships included such a garden to renew the air and also to supply vitamin C to the astronauts. The garden was equipped with an artificial light system that mimics sunlight. The plants were grown in a synthetic resin saturated with different types of fertilizers. The team had some difficulties with air and water circulation. These were changed twice during the experiment through an operation done outside the laboratory.
The psychological difficulties experienced by the staff members were great. One of the reasons for their low spirits was that the water they were given was given sparingly. After four months in the cell, they were allowed to call once with the researchers overseeing the experiment when Manovtsov's wife gave birth to a son. Upon hearing the news, Manovtsov fell into severe depression and wanted to leave the laboratory. He got over it after a few weeks, meanwhile his mood affected his friends as well.
The agenda: they got up every day at 7:00 a.m., underwent a medical examination, ate breakfast and cleaned the "spaceship". After lunch they rested for an hour and a half, and again medical and scientific tests were conducted. They had dinner at 19:00 p.m. They then read until they went to sleep. They could not play chess because the game could create tension between the crew members. The daily menu is carefully selected to provide them with 2,500 calories a day.
The three crew members were under constant television surveillance throughout the experiment. The results of their medical tests were also monitored. In the early stages of the experiment it was found that the heart rate, breathing and pressure in the arteries rose and fell considerably. After that he would stabilize at a new level, slightly lower than usual. It was found that their resistance to infections did not decrease.
The main conclusion from the experiment was that prolonged life in solitary conditions is possible, provided that each person has a "floor space" of at least four square meters. In addition to this, it is possible to recycle almost endlessly an amount of water of 20 liters that will adequately satisfy the needs for at least a year. The three crew members left the "spaceship" safe and sound.
7. As part of a study on the conditions of existence in space and on space stations in particular, the McDonnell Douglas company conducted an experiment on the living conditions and adaptation of people to such conditions in a living compartment of a space station. In this experiment, ten students entered a model of such a living cell for a period of 90 days, from June 13, 1970 to September 11. The purpose of the experiment was to test a state-of-the-art system that collects, among other things, oxygen and water used by people, purifies and requalifies them for reuse. The drinking water was created from the gas secretions. The oxygen was separated from the 2CO remaining in the cell. The students performed various biological experiments, gymnastics exercises, intellectual thinking exercises and testing the cell facilities as if they were on a space flight.
8. In May 1974, the Soviet Union said that a guinea pig named Nikolai Mikhailov was held for 20 days in a cell similar in shape to the cell of a spaceship. In the cell was a 30-liter container containing millions of algae cells in a food solution and oxygen for breathing. The oxygen was obtained from the decomposition of the 2CO emitted by Nikolai by the algae. Urine disposal is done by purifying it using a tiny model of the huge purification tanks used to clean urban drinking water. Nikolai's health condition after the end of the experiment was excellent and he was sent home on the day of release.
