Space Biology: The Human Factors of Space Flight (Rare, 1960)

A review of this book was published in The American Biology Teacher (1961) 23 (4): 234.

“SPACE BIOLOGY, THE HUMAN FACTORS IN SPACE FLIGHT, James S. Hanrahan and David Bush-nell, $6.00, Basic Books, Inc., New York, 1960.

The authors are historians with the Air Force Missile Development Center at the Holloman Base in New Mexico. The historian’s viewpoint shows in the content and style of the book. As such it is somewhat disappointing for use by the biology teacher or student who is concerned much more about interpretation of the results of experimentation and the understanding of living things that develops therefrom than he is about who did what when. The major part of the book is divided into three parts; The Space Vehicle, G-Forces and Weightlessness, and The Radiation Hazards. In the first of these the problems of pressure within the vehicle, of the make-up of the artificial atmosphere and its maintenance, and of supplying food and water and removing wastes are considered. The second part considers first the question of G-forces that man can withstand and the devices—principally the centrifuge and the rocket sled—that have been used in determining these. Both acceleration and impact forces are considered. This is followed by description of the devices that have been and are being tried to reduce the effect of the G-forces that must be met. The also considers weightlessness as a problem in space flight and the research methods—animals in rocket flights and man in a plane flying a parabolic arc—that have been used in attempting to collect information on the problem. The section concludes with suggestions for meeting the problem. The third section considers the types of radiation that space travellers may encounter and indicates some of what is known of the effects of each. Much discussion is devoted to the techniques of the research, the individuals involved, and their problems of securing backing and appropriations. In addition to the three main divisions of the book there is an introduction and a conclusion. The introduction traces man’s interest in and attempts to explore beyond the earth up to the present. The conclusion discusses the impact of astronautics on man’s society and philosophy. Some interesting ideas are presented concerning the impact in the past of science theories—Copernicus and the heliocentric solar system; Newton and the laws of gravitation; Darwin and evolution; and Einstein and relativity. The book is profusely annotated with reference to published reports of research. It is rich in the names of the people involved. In developing space biology—or more accurately the biological problems of man in space —to its present level of understanding about the whys of man’s problems in living in space, it will be somewhat disappointing.

Dorothy C. Matala, Iowa State Teachers College, Cedar Falls”