Article by brooke beard

Space Doc

By

Brooke Beard

I

traveleds across the country

News of him spread around and

to NASA Ames Research Center.

eventually he stumbled upon

His

for

someone who needed him. For

slowly

the next few years he worked

although

on fixing medical problems

he has no plan. He arrived

caused by space travel. Him

with no job and a new born

and his wife moved into a

baby and knocked on the door.

community of houseboats soon

n 1962 NASA launched what would be one of the

most

dream

of

working

important the

space

agency

flights in American history. camecoming Not

only

was

this

true,

flight

instrumental in paving the way for future space flight, but it was a crucial moment

“Unfortunately, none of these Ralph Pelligra. countermeasures completely After seeing counteracts these effects and of John Glenn’s course now, we’re looking at 2 first orbitals, year long, 3 year long flights. straight out of And it can be more of an issue.” residency, he in the life of Dr.

after. The lifestyle suited

space?

important

involving a subject remaining

them well. A community of

question to consider is, even

in a horizontal position for

freethinkers and unique style.

if there are some negative

a week, continuing to live

With

aspects,

necessary?

normally, Eating, sleeping,

was

Do we need to explore space

working, to ensure that the

research

more than we have already?

downward

using new ideas. Things never

The first thoughts that Dr.

main contributor to proper

before thought of. Being the

Pelligra and his colleagues

digestion.

this

freethinking

attitude,

Dr

able

conduct

and

only

scientists with

the

effects of being and

more

general

effects

on

theories

many going

around as to if space

flight/

travel was safe.

Currently has

ended

NASA

They

the

concluded

gravity, body

body, had

wasn’t

the effects of

no r

the

was

able

to

perform

at

maximum

efficiency.

With stories of

i pt ada who is

they

pull

that even without

ng

the

nd it ion s.”

human

the

h basically a wit

son per

weightless

ng i l

it

l ma

deal

to

de a

first

is

“you ’re

to

Pelligra

Another

to al m the t r hese abno

shuttle program and passed

co

the

Challenger

and

similar

disasters l o o m i n g overhead,

it

may seem a bit frightening

to

imagine space travel. And an had, involved the lack of

on the project to private

even worse, less well known, gravity effecting digestion

companies who are opening up

thought to consider is the in a weightless environment.

space flight to the public.

negative effects on the body.

If there wasn’t gravity to

The question on everyone’s

Mostly,

astronauts

return

osteoporosis,

ocular

move things down, could we mind,

Is if it is safe

with eat in space? With a couple

for the everyday person to

degeneration and a variety of colleagues, Dr Pelligra

be launched up into outer

of other forms of the body conducted

2

an

experiment

wearing out at an alarming

regular person in a diseased

didn’t

rate. It may comfort you to

environment”

(Pelligra).

resources or facilities to

know,

that

His ability to come up with

work out the initial bugs.

were

mainly

by

unique solutions is crucial

So

astronauts living in space

in situations pertaining new

interest in people going to

for years. “As it turned out,

information. With his distinct

space for short amounts of

the human body and the human

knowledge he was able to come

time, and there’s a long list

mind are so flexible that

up with resolutions such as

of people willing to pay the

they not only adapted to this

the

pressurized

50,000 dollars down payment

strange environment, but they

suit which prevented blood

just waiting for it to happen.

were able to function. Not

from rushing out of the head,

And it will happen any time

only function, but function

causing an astronaut to faint.

now” (Pelligra). With so many

superbly.”

these

effects

suffered

(Pelligra)

G-Suit,

Since

the

a

have

now

the

shuttle

people

end,

the

there’s

looking

a

initial

renewed

forward

to

human body isn’t the problem

program’s

private

being able to pay to go into

at all.

companies had been working

space, they’re not thinking

what we call countermeasures

to

about

that they do in space to

flights

Allowing

Pelligra continues, “NASA is

prevent those kind of effects”

the general public to pay

setting most of the ground

(Pelligra), was enacted to

large sums of money to be

rules

help as much as possible.

launched into space. “They

stage. But down the road,

“A whole program of

Dr. Pelligra is crucial to these studies because “The difference between say a regular

doc

and

a

space

doc

is

that

a

regular doc is dealing with

a

diseased

person,

in one way or another, in regular environment, while a space doc is dealing with a

get

commercial enacted.

space

it

the

for

raises

consequences.

safety

at

this

ethical

hunger and poverty are right

e x p l o r a t i o n .

instance,

outside our door? It’s a

This is all far in the

I

valid question, and one not

future, so what about right

don’t care about the risks,

to be taken lightly. While

now?

here’s a check x number of

those things are extremely

program and no astronauts

dollars, I want to go up.

important, space exploration

to treat, Dr. Pelligra also

It’s

is

are

works as a family physician

we

helping future generations

in Sausalito. After years

people

survive without knowing it.

of having to come up with

to possibly harm themselves

When the sun explodes, an

creative

even if we aren’t paying

inevitable fate for every

unknown

taxes to fund the program

star, earth will no longer

left

at a government facility.

be in existence, let alone

to

The

is

habitable. The human race

most

the

needs a backup plan. NASA,

Including his second job.

shuttle program, and other

specifically

like

When visiting him at his

types

travel,

Ralph need to stay to help

houseboat in Sausalito he

nobody’s sure what NASA will

us to understand problems.

graciously welcomed us in.

do. Is it even necessary?

Without

the

valuable

Soon after we began setting

Why

knowledge

we’ve

obtained

up, his phone rang and for

and

from research at NASA, we

the next 20 minutes he spoke

dangerous, when

would be considerably behind

on the phone with a patient,

an

interesting

question. if

a

For

millionaire

my

responsibility.”

(Pelligra). continue

says

Why

to

allow

future

of

questionable.

of

would

NASA

Without

space

support

something

far

away

so

equally

so.

We

people

and

disconnected

from

space

Without

a

shuttle

solutions problems,

with think

the

for

he

tendency

creatively

everything

is

in

else.

going over symptoms. As I

recreating

not

civilian doctor, he was drawn

listened,

that

natural to earth, the effects

into the space program. Even

solutions

will be much different than

after

anything

valuable

his

I

noticed

suggested

were quite abnormal, and not

conditions

a

regular

doctor

countless

of

contributions

to

generally

will ever see. Identifying

NASA,

hear from a typical family

the cause, and coming up with

thought twice about leaving.

doctor. He is more in tune

a solution is something that

He views NASA as his home and

with the body than a regular

is unique to Dr. Pelligra.

couldn’t

doctor, due to the nature

Dr. Pelligra was well suited

without it. He jokes with

of his position at nasa. As

for this position given his

his colleagues that the last

a medical monitor, he views

extensive knowledge of the

thing he’ll see at NASA will

problems never before seen,

human body and its mechanics.

be the ceiling as they wheel

caused by simulations done

Although he was originally

him

in a lab. Since they are

focusing

such a special individual.

what

you

would

on

becoming

a

Dr

years

out.

Pelligra

imagine

An

hasn’t

his

exit

life

fitting

5

Works Cited Beard, Tina. Personal interview. 11 March 2016.

Cohan, Malcolm. Personal in terview.

26 April 2016.

Pelligra, Ralph. Personal interview.

29 March 2016.

---. Personal interview. 8 April 2016.

Reschke, Millard F.. Neuroscience in Space. New York. Springer-Verlag New York Inc. 2008 Print.

Roberts, Jason. How Astronauts are Af fected by Space Exploration. NASA official. 21 August. 2013. Web. 20 April. 2016.

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