Records of U.S. Air Force Commands, Activities, and Organizations. 1900 - 2003. Moving Images Relating to Military Aviation Activities. 1947 - 1984. PSYCHOLOGICAL AND STRESS TESTING OF PROSPECTIVE PROJECT MERCURY CANDIDATES, WRIGHT-PATTERS0N AFB, OHIO, FEBRUARY AND MARCH 1959

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Records of U.S. Air Force Commands, Activities, and Organizations. 1900 - 2003. Moving Images Relating to Military Aviation Activities. 1947 - 1984. PSYCHOLOGICAL AND STRESS TESTING OF PROSPECTIVE PROJECT MERCURY CANDIDATES, WRIGHT-PATTERS0N AFB, OHIO, FEBRUARY AND MARCH 1959

1959

https://catalog.archives.gov/id/67387

Summary: Coverage of the astronaut candidates being submitted to psychological and stress tests at Wright-Patterson AFB, Ohio. The type of tests and descriptions of each are as follows: 1) Harvard step -- subject steps 20 inches to a platform once every two seconds for five minutes. 2) Treadmill maximum workload -- subject walks at a constant rate on a moving platform which is elevated one degree each minute. Test continues until heart reaches 180 beats per minute. 3) Cold pressor -- subject plunges his feet into a tub of ice water -- pulse and blood pressure are measured before and during test. 4) Tilt table -- subject lays on steeply inclined table for 25 minutes to measure ability of the heart to compensate for body in an unusual position for an extended time. 5) Partial pressure suit -- subject is denitrogenated, then taken in pressure chamber to a simulated altitude of 65,000 feet in an MC-1 partial pressure suit -- test lasts one hour. Measure of efficiency of heart system and breathing at low ambient pressures. The type of tests and descriptions of each are as follows: 6) Acceleration tests -- test subject is placed into a centrifuge in a supine position, tested for transverse-G, the subject has a valve in left hand which he operates to measure total lung capacity while undergoing the test. Test subject is required to take deep breath, open the valve and exhale, then close the valve -- with right hand, subject responds to light signal. 7) Equilibrium and vibration -- subject is seated on a chair which rotates simultaneously on two axes. He is required to maintain the chair on an even keel by means of a control stick with and without vibration, normally and blindfolded. 8) Flack test -- subject is to support a column of mercury for a given period of time by blowing into a tube. Each reel identifies test subject and type of test(s). Reel 1: 1) Capt. Donald K. Slayton; treadmill. 2) Hal Crandall; equilibrium chair. 3) Capt. Harold W. Christian, Jr.; cold pressor. 4) James Wood; flack and cold pressor. 5) Capt. Harold W. Christian, Jr.; treadmill. 6) James Wood; flack and cold pressor. 7) Capt. Harold W. Christian, Jr.; treadmill. 8) Capt. Donald K. Slayton; treadmill. 9) Hal Crandall; equilibrium chair. 10) James Wood; treadmill. (Total footage in reel -- 702') Reel 2: 1) Archie T. Iddings, Jr.; equilibrium chair. 2) James Wood; tilt table, and the Harvard step. 3) Archie T. Iddings, Jr.; Harvard step. 4) Capt. Harold W. Christian, Jr.; equilibrium chair. 5) James Wood; treadmill. 6) Capt. Donald K. Slayton; equilibrium chair. 7) Hal Crandall; flack, cold pressor, and treadmill. (Total footage in reel -- 802') Reel 3: 1) James Wood; Harvard step and tilt table. 2) Archie T. Iddings, Jr.; equilibrium chair. 3) Unidentified fighter-interceptor officer in equilibrium chair. 4) Hal Crandall; flack, cold pressor, and treadmill. 5) Archie T. Iddings, Jr.; Harvard step. 6) Harold W. Christian, Jr.; equilibrium chair. (Total footage in reel -- 459') Reel 4: 1) Lt. Col. John H. Glenn, USMG; centrifuge. 2) Frank D. Frazier; centrifuge. 3) Lt. Malcom S. Carpenter, USN; centrifuge. 4) James Wood; equilibrium chair. 5) Hal Crandall; Harvard step and tilt table. 6) Harold W. Christian, Jr.; Harvard step and tilt table. 7) Hal Crandall; Harvard step and tilt table. 8) Harold Christian, Jr.; Harvard step and tilt table. 9) James Wood; equilibrium chair. 10) Lt. John H. Glenn, USMC; centrifuge. 11) Lt. Malcom S. Carpenter (Scott), USN; centrifuge (Total footage in reel -- 797') Reel 5: 1) Meeting of the Evaluation Board representatives from each of the sections conducting tests who report on their subject's performance at the conclusion of each week -- in bg is a tally board of all candidates which shows scores from individual sections. Attending the meeting are: Dr. David Trites; Capt. George Roof, psychiatrist; Capt. Ed Wise, Respiration Section; Dr. Doug Talbott; Capt. Evan Lindberg, Acceleration; Capt. Joseph Gold, Environment Section; Charlie Clouser, Civilian from Anthropology; and Capt. Charles Wilson -- Lt. Col. W. R. Turner monitors the meeting. 2) Lt. Col. John H. Glenn, USMC; pressor. 3) Tom Bogan; pressor. 4) Bob Solliday; pressor and centrifuge. 5) Frank D. Frazier; pressor. 6) Lt. Malcom S. Carpenter, USN; pressor. 7) Dick Corbitt; centrifuge and pressor. 8) Evaluation board meeting. 9) Tom Bogan; pressor and centrifuge. 10) Bob Solliday; centrifuge test. 11) Frank D. Frazier; pressor. 12) Lt. Malcom S. Carpenter; pressor. 13) Dick Corbitt; centrifuge and pressor. 14) Evaluation conference. (Total footage in reel -- 881') Reel 6: 1) Unidentified test subject in pressor chamber. 2) Lt. Malcom S. Carpenter, USN; pressor. 3) Dick Corbitt; pressor chamber. 4) Frank D. Frazier; centrifuge. 5) Bob Solliday; pressor. 6) Frank D. Frazier; pressor. 7) Capt. Virgil I. Grissom; equilibrium chair. (Total footage in reel -- 575') Good (Basic: Orig neg)

eng, Latn

National Archives at College Park

Information

SNAC Resource ID: 6497189

National Archives at College Park

Related Entities

There are 5 Entities related to this resource.

Wood, James

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Epithet: DD, Master of St John's College, Cambridge (1815), Dean of Ely (1820) British Library Archives and Manuscripts Catalogue : Person : Description : ark:/81055/vdc_100000000439.0x0000d6 Epithet: Lieutenant; RN British Library Archives and Manuscripts Catalogue : Person : Description : ark:/81055/vdc_100000000439.0x0000db Epithet: mathematician, Dean of Ely British Library Archives and Manuscripts Catalogue : Person : Description : ark:/...

Glenn, John, 1921-2016

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John Herschel Glenn, Jr. (b. July 18, 1921, Cambridge, Guernsey County-d. December 8, 2016, Columbus, Ohio), astronaut and U.S. Senator from Ohio. He attended public schools of New Concord, Ohio, and later graduated from Muskingum College. Glenn served in the United States Marine Corps from 1942 to 1965, and was later a test pilot and joining the United States space program in 1959. He was selected as one of the original seven Mercury astronauts. In February 1962, Glenn became the first American...

Project Mercury (U.S.)

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Carpenter, M. Scott, 1925-2013

http://n2t.net/ark:/99166/w6ms5f5v (person)

Scott Carpenter was born in Boulder, Colorado, on May 1, 1925, the son of research chemist Dr. M. Scott Carpenter and Florence Kelso Noxon Carpenter. He attended the University of Colorado from 1945 to 1949 and received a B.S. degree in Aeronautical Engineering. Carpenter was commissioned in the U.S. Navy in 1949. He was given flight training at Pensacola, Florida and Corpus Christi, Texas and designated a Naval Aviator in April, 1951. During the Korean War he served with patrol Squadron Six, fl...

Grissom, Virgil I. (Virgil Ivan), 1926-1967

http://n2t.net/ark:/99166/w6xg9qsf (person)

Virgil Ivan "Gus" Grissom (b. April 3, 1926-d. Jan. 27, 1967) was born in Mitchell, Indiana. An Air Force Lieutenant Colonel, received his wings in March 1951. He flew 100 combat missions in Korea in F-86s with the 334th Fighter Interceptor Squadron and, upon returning to the United States in 1952, became a jet instructor at Bryan, Texas. In August 1955, he entered the Air Force Institute of Technology at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base, Ohio, to study Aeronautical Engineering. He attended the T...