Interesting.....
These men were pivotal to a chapter of NASA history most Americans – and even most NASA employees – have likely never heard about.
Their names might not be known by most Americans, but Barron Gulak, Harry Larson and David Myers were NASA pioneers, patriots and unsung heroes.
Six decades later, they are now featured in a new exhibit at Gallaudet University – their alma mater.
“History is coming back to life in this exhibit,” Gulak said.
Starting in 1958, Gulak, Larson and Myers were among 11 deaf men who became NASA test subjects.
They had all lost their hearing at an early age. And for all but one of the men, this hearing loss was caused by spinal meningitis.
“We were the only deaf group to ever be involved in the history of the space program,” Larson said.
NASA needed to conduct extensive research before any astronauts could rocket up into orbit, to ensure safe space travel and to understand its limitations.
Researchers found that extreme gravitational forces and motion impacted the organs of the inner ear, causing even the most experienced pilots to get sick.
But these deaf men were immune to that. And maybe because of their youth, they said they were also fearless – not scared to spin around in centrifuges, rotate for nearly two weeks in a circular room and free-float in zero-gravity flights.