One of the most critical research areas of the space program is
bioscience. Of both practical and philosophical significance in
exploring the origins of life and the possibilities of life on other
planets, bioscience also promises much in medical aspects. Space offers
biologists completely new environmental factors, such as the effects of
zero gravity and of removal from Earth’s rotation. These effects have
been studied in attempts to advance understanding of basic mechanisms of
physiology and biological rhythms. These studies can be of great value
in dealing with problems of disease and metabolic disorders.
Biological research is fundamental to the problem of successfully
protecting and sustaining man in the peculiar and hostile space
environment. Understanding human requirements and variations in their
response to various environmental factors offers value in medical
research for human survival and comfort. The many technological
discoveries and advancements in electronic and engineering equipment
greatly enhance medical diagnosis, treatment of disease, and the
extension of human life.
The life sciences, biology and medicine, are fundamental to the success
of manned exploration of space, which marks a unique and significant
development in the long history of man’s conquest of new frontiers.
Those who pioneered other frontiers on land and sea and in the air were
not forced to await biological and medical research. Even the pioneers
of aerial flight began their efforts without first seeking biomedical
data. The search for such data followed flight experience and, indeed,
was made only after problems arose.
Project Mercury, NASA’s first program for manned space flight,
stimulated immediate and extensive studies in the life sciences to
sustain man in space. Before a vehicle could be designed to carry an
astronaut into space, anticipated biomedical problems associated with
space flight were studied. Life-support systems were designed to offer
adequate protection from environmental stresses peculiar to space, such
as zero gravity, removal from Earth’s rotation, and high-energy cosmic
radiation. These life-support systems used knowledge already gained from
research for manned space flight by the U.S. Air Force.
Our entry into space has put us at the threshold of fundamental and
far-reaching discoveries in the biological realm which have profound
implications for other areas of human thought and endeavor. As man goes
farther into space, the hazards increase; but past accomplishments
indicate that the road ahead holds more promise than peril and that the
vistas of knowledge that may be foreseen are as vast as space itself.
Almost everything which now can be said about the effects of
extraterrestrial environments and about life on the Moon or the planets
lies in the realm of pure speculation. There is one prediction, however,
that can be made with considerable certainty by reason of historical
precedent—the opportunity to investigate a totally new area, such as is
offered by space exploration, is certain to produce a burst of
scientific interest as soon as the path is charted by a few pioneers.
Over the next few decades a progressively larger proportion of
biological interest will turn to space. We may well expect that the
discoveries made here will revolutionize some of our concepts of
biology.
It should be fully realized that the accumulation and dissemination of
biological and other scientific information is not only of great value
to science and humanity but is of tremendous import to the prestige of
the Nation.