Engineering topics
Publications and source records attributed to Richard S. Johnston.
The biomedical program developed for Apollo is described in detail. The findings are listed of those investigations which are conducted to assess the effects of space flight on man's physiological and functional capacities, and significant medical events in Apollo are documented. Topics discussed include crew health and inflight monitoring, preflight and postflight medical testing, inflight experiments, quarantine, and life support systems.
The lunar quarantine program was designed to ensure that return of lunar material represented no threat to the public health, to agriculture, or to other living resources. It established definitely that no life exists on the moon. The crews of the three lunar quarantine missions, Apollo 11, 12, and 14, experienced no health problems as a result of their exposure to lunar samples. Plants and animals also showed no adverse effects. Stringent quarantine was terminated after Apollo 14, but lunar samples continued to be protected to guarantee that scientists would receive uncontaminated materials for study.
The NASA Manned Spacecraft Center has been actively involved in the direction and support of programs leading to the selection and validations of the atmosphere for forthcoming Gemini and Apollo missions. This paper discusses the engineering and physiologic considerations involved, describes the investigations to validate spacecraft atmospheres, and discusses the implications derived from the results of these investigations.