
Deaf Men Helped Shape Nasa's Human Spaceflight Program - curtis
https://www.nasa.gov/feature/how-11-deaf-men-helped-shape-nasas-human-spaceflight-program
======
jedberg
So basically they were deaf in a way that makes them immune to motion
sickness, but has also required them to adapt to the loss of that sensory
information on earth, so they were able to teach the rest of us how to adapt.
So cool!

~~~
mkl
It sounds like they have no sense of balance, and use other cues instead, but
the article doesn't seem to actually say that, sticking to "immune to motion
sickness". Can anyone confirm my interpretation? Is there a medical name for
this?

~~~
goodcanadian
I think the key line is this:

 _These experiments help[ed] to improve understanding of how the body’s
sensory systems work when the usual gravitational cues from the inner ear aren
't available_

In a zero gravity environment, you won't have reference from the inner ear.
These volunteers also did not have that reference due to their spinal
menigitis, so it allowed a way to observe how the body's sensory systems
behave in such a scenario.

~~~
sbr464
This is so awesome. Thanks for pointing out. I feel it’s easy to miss this
info if you’ve never experienced deafness within Earth’s gravity.

------
ericsoderstrom
Interesting! From the title I assumed they were put in situations where they
had to operate near very loud equipment. Didn't realize deafness can sometimes
be the result of meningitis and accompanies motion sickness immunity.

------
skunkworker
These sound like fascinating experiments to ethically learn about the limits
of the human body.

One of my favorite parts was this:

"Another experiment, conducted in a ferry off the coast of Nova Scotia, tested
the subjects’ reactions to the choppy seas. While the test subjects played
cards and enjoyed one another's company, the researchers themselves were so
overcome with sea sickness that the experiment had to be canceled."

