A long time ago I saw a video of an astronaut in a training centrifuge who subsequently passed out inside it, and I’ve been meaning to find this again but to no avail. I checked my public library and everything. Does anyone know where I could possibly find something like this, or where it would potentially be? Has anyone else seen this? Let me know…
Glad I was prowling deep; I’d hate for this thread to go unnoticed.
You’re probably thinking of Colonel John Stapp, although he wasn’t an astronaut, and he wasn’t in a centrifuge. He was an Air Force doctor who volunteered for experiments in human acceleration tolerance (and I do mean volunteered, in a genuine sense: The experiments were his idea in the first place). He repeatedly strapped into a rocket sled that underwent up to 40-some gees of deceleration, and pushed himself to the absolute limits (passing out, broken ribs, bleeding eyes, etc.). I know that videos of his tests exist, and being made by the government, they should be public domain. But darned if I can find a copy online. Anyone out there with better Google skills want to give it a try?
At the very least, I suppose I’ve given you a lead to check on, next time you’re at the library.
Good timing. Check out this lovely recent article on Stapp and related matters from the Annals of Improbable Research.