Should astronauts wear slippers? Should they be able to watch the evening news?
These issues came up when a NASA1 researcher interviewed 10 former astronauts, collecting information for planning future space-flight missions such as the space station.
William K. Douglas, who was the flight surgeon2 for the seven original Mercury3 astronauts, interviewed at least one astronaut from each of NASA's manned space-flight programs (excluding shuttle4 missions), gathering a wide variety of opinions of such topics as health, food, clothing, morale5, personal hygiene6, psychological7 support, and chain of command8.
Among the findings:
Food. One respondent9 noted that people lose their ability to taste food when in zero gravity, probably because convection currents carry aromas10 away from the nose. He suggested that this problem could be overcome by providing stronger condiments11 such as pepper and hot mustard12.
Clothing. Two-piece garments13 were favored so that the top part could be easily removed in warmer sections of the space station. Morale could be boosted by providing a “dress” uniform for special occasions or allowing a variety of colors and styles. One astronaut suggested slippers for off-duty wear.
Hygiene. Shaving with electric razors14 becomes a problem in space because of whisker15 dust near the user's face. Douglas recommends that studies on animals be performed to determine whether harmful effects on the lungs might result from inhalation16 of such dust over extended periods of time.
Privacy. Most of the respondents said a private line of communication with their families was important, as was the ability to communicate privately with one another—i.e., without being overheard by other crew members, ground control, or the press. One thought that long periods spent in space might make it necessary for an astronaut to have a private line of communication to his stockbroker. Privacy was also thought necessary for sleeping and for quiet times.
Sleeping. One respondent expressed concern about the long-term effects of intermittent17 sleep, in which a person wakes up and goes back to sleep several times during a sleep period—a phenomenon18 that occurs more frequently in space flight than on Earth. The resulting loss of REM sleep19 may not cause problems over short periods but might if continued for two months or longer. Difficulty in sleep also resulted from free-floating which allows the head and hands to move about at random.
Death in space. What should be done if a crew member dies during a long-term mission on the space station? The idea of shooting bodies “into the Sun” is not acceptable in today's society, though some form of on-orbit disposal20 was suggested.
Bringing a body back to Earth in a condition suitable for an open-casket funeral poses such problems as interim21 preservation and storage. Suggests Douglas, “One of the modern methods of taxidermy22 is to place the animal in a lifelike pose and freeze it in that position. A vacuum23 is then drawn on the container, and the animal is completely desiccated24. The desiccated specimen25 is then placed in a sealed case. This technique could be adapted to the space station as a method of preserving the body of a deceased26 crew member until a relief vessel27 makes contact.”
Physical requirements. In zero gravity there is less of a need for astronauts who are physically strong, so NASA should relax the physical requirements of crewmembers, suggested one respondent. This may eliminate28 arbitrary29 age limits.
宇航员能穿拖鞋吗？能看晚间新闻吗？
美国国家航空航天局一位研究人员在采访10名前宇航员时，提出了以上问题。目的是为筹划将来的太空飞行任务（如建立太空站）而收集资料。
威廉·K·道格拉斯是首度飞往水星的7名宇航员的外科医生，每项载人太空飞行计划(往返接送飞行除外)中至少有一位宇航员被他访问过。道格拉斯就健康、食物、服装、士气、个人卫生、精神支持及指挥系统等话题收集了广泛的意见。
调查结果如下：
食物：一位被访者提到人处于失重状态时就丧失了辨味能力，大概是由于空气对流把香味从鼻子那儿吹跑了。他建议可以通过提供较辣的调味品，如胡椒、芥末来解决这个问题。
服装：两截式外套很受欢迎，上衣在太空站较暖区域方便脱下来。在特殊场合穿“正装”或准许穿颜色和款式多变的服装可提高士气。一位宇航员建议非工作时间穿拖鞋。
卫生：在太空中用电动剃须刀修面成了一个难题，因为须沫总会贴到使用者的脸上。道格拉斯建议在动物身上实验，以确定人在较长时间内每天吸入这种须沫对肺部是否有害。
隐私：大多数被访者都说与家人的私人专线很重要，即能私下相互交谈而不被机组其他人员、地面控制站或新闻媒体听到。有一名宇航员认为：长期呆在太空，也有必要设私人专线同股票经纪人保持联系。睡觉和清静之时能有自己私人空间也很必要。
睡眠：一个被访者对断断续续睡眠引起的长期影响表示关注，人在睡眠期间会醒醒睡睡反复若干次。太空飞行与在地球上相比，这种现象更为频繁出现。异型睡眠所造成的损失短期内也许不会引发什么问题，但如持续两个月或更长时间，就有可能出毛病。自由漂浮令头、手随意摆动，也会导致睡眠困难。
空中死亡：如果一名机组成员在太空站执行长期任务丧生该怎么办？尽管有人提出过某种轨道尸体处置法，但那种把尸体“射入太阳”的主意在当今社会还不可取。
将尸体在适当情况下装入敞口棺材送回地面又带来了尸体如何短期防腐和存放这类问题。道格拉斯建议：“有种先进的动物标本剥制手段将动物摆放成死前的样子，并照这种姿势把它冷冻起来。然后抽出容器里的空气达到真空状态，动物就会完全脱水。再把脱水标本放进密封盒内。在与救援飞船取得联系之前，可用这种方法来保存太空站中机组死亡人员的尸体。”
体力要求：在无地球引力状态下，宇航员不必身强体壮。一位被访者建议国家航空航天局考虑放宽对机组人员的体格要求。此举也许有望取消武断的年龄限制。
1. NASA 全称为National Aeronautics and Space Administration （美）国家航空航天局
2． surgeon n． 外科医生
3． Mercury n． 水星
4． shuttle n． 穿梭运行的飞机
5． morale n． 士气
6． hygiene n． 卫生
7． psychological adj． 心理的
8． chain of command 指挥系统
9． respondent n． 回答者
10． aroma n． 气味
11． condiment n． 调味品
12． mustard n． 芥末
13． garment n． 外套
14． razor n． 剃刀
15． whisker n． 胡须
16． inhalation n． 吸入
17． intermittent adj． 断断续续的
18． phenomenon n． 现象
19． REM sleep即Rapid Eye Movement，
异型睡眠，指睡眠期间眼球呈现快速运动状态
20． disposal n． 处置
21． interim adj． 暂时的
22． taxidermy n． 动物标本剥制术
23． vacuum n． 真空
24． desiccate v． 风干
25． specimen n． 标本
26． deceased adj． 已故的
27． vessel n． 飞船
28． eliminate v． 消除
29． arbitrary adj． 专断的