President's Page Just as I was preparing to write my president's page, the terrible news about Columbia appeared on the televi­ sion. I realize that when these lines hit the paper two n'lonths down the road, everything will have been said and these thoughts will be somewhat repetitious since eVel'l our journal will have covered it to some extent. However, a tragedy of this nature deserves special atten­ tion and I wish to dedicate my page to this event and our colleagues involved in this event. First of all, on behalf of the Association and on my behalf, I would like to express one more time our sincere condolences to the families of the Columbia astronauts, the National Aeronautic and Space Administration (NASA) and all the dedicated people involved in the Claude Thibeault, M.D. space program. The Aerospace Medical Association is particularly af­ seven Can.adian teenagers lost their lives in an avalanche! fected by the Columbia disaster because two physicians What is wrong with this picture? There is nothing wrong killed in the disaster, Laurel B. Clark, M.D., an.d David with this picture. Other astronauts will die in the line of M. Brown, M.D., were both flight surgeons and members duty and other adolescents (or adults) will die in of our association. In addition, Laurel was married to avalanches. Yes there is a big paradox in the human race; AsMA Fellow, Jon Clark. Through the association's his­ while we spend a tremendous amount of money, time tor~ a number of flight surgeons and flight nurses have and efforts to make people and processes safer, we seem lost there lives in the line of duty. This is the ultimate to also do things that disregard safeiy Why? We are sacrifice in the service of one's country and for the sake human! We will all die one day (as far as I know), but we of the advancement of aviation and space research. will also continue to reach beyond the horizon and dis­ However, let's also remerrLber that our colleagues died cover to make life better, which we have for millennia. while doing what they always wanted to do. This does And then we will go to war!!! Does that make sense? Of not make the event less tragic, but it puts it in a special co·urse not, but we will go to war anyway I better not get perspective. As the mother of one of these astronauts into that one further. said: they b'lew the risk, they had talked about it and In the Aerospace Medical Association, we will con­ they were willing to take it because they also knew the tinue to work hard to make the flyers safer so that they goal was worth it. live, but we know that some of them will not make it. Is it really worth it? It better be; otherwise we might Errors will be committed, errors will be corrected and we as well drop it all and go skiing. But then again is this will all move forward in our endless discovery of the worth it? The very same day of Columbia's disaster, human race and its potential. SPACE SHUTTLE COLUMBIA CREW-- (left to right, front row) Rick Husband, Kalpana Chawla, William McCool, (back row), David Brown, Laurel Clark, Michael Anderson and Israeli astronaut Ilan Ramon are shown in this undated crew photo. Aviation, Space, and Environmental Medicine • Vol. 74, No.4. April 2003 485 AVIATION. SPACE, AND ENVIRONMENTAL Medical News MEDICINE pleted astronaut academic training and then others who have corroborated his concerns. Musgrave to Deliver worked on the design and development of This is vividly illustrated, for example, by Arlllstrong Lecture the Skylab Program. He was the backup sci­ U.S. astronaut Jerry Linenger in his book, ence pilot for the first Skylab mission, and "Off the Planet.@" Likewise, Russian cosmo­ Story Musgrave, M.D., NASA Astronaut, was a spacecraft communicator (CAPCOM) naut Medvedev in his book, IIDiary of a retired, will deliver the 38th Harry G. for the second and third Skylab missions. Dr. Cosmonaut," reported serious inflight con­ Armstrong Lecture during the AsMA 74th Musgrave participated in the design and de­ flict. Annual Scientific Meeting in San Antonio velopment of all Space Shuttle extravehicular We often hear that there is a need for the this May. activity equipment including spacesuits, life space program to provide adequate resources Story Musgrave knew space was calling support systems, airlocks, and manned ma­ for research in this area of great concern. him when NASA announced plans to recruit neuvering units. From 1979 to 1982, and 1983 However, it becomes apparent why it is diffi­ scientists as astronauts in 1967. Said to 1984, he was assigned as a test and verifi­ cuIt to design studies and garner funds from Musgrave, "It was an cation pilot in the Shuttle Avionics budget decision-makers for this research be­ absolute epiphany. It Integration Laboratory at JSC. He served as a cause the subject of human behavior is so in­ was clear to me that CAPCOM for STS 31, STS 35, STS 36, STS 38 choate when compared to doing research everything I'd done, and STS 41, and lead CAPCOM for a number that measures more precisely, for example, every path 1'd been on, of subsequent flights. He was a mission spe­ bone density or ECG changes. was leading to that." cialist on STS 6 in 1983, STS SF/Spacelab 2 in On a long-duration space mission, one This calling 1985, STS 33 in 1989 and STS 44 in 1991, was can easily understand how human conflict led to was a record the payload commander on STS 61 in1993, can occur and how it could be detrimental to breaking, 30 year ca­ and a mission specialist on STS 80 in 1996. A the mission. The challenge will be even reer with NASAA and veteran of six space flights, Dr. Musgrave has greater since long duration space crews will the "next frontier." spent a total of 1,281 hours 59 minutes, 22 most likely be men and women of different Musgrave flew six mis­ seconds in space. Dr. Musgrave left NASA in nationalities. Think of the differences among sions, tying the record August 1997 to pursue private interests. the various cultures. We differ in diet, tem­ for most spaceflights by an astronaut. During Among the highlights of his 6 flights: perament, loyalties, expectations, station, his inaugural flight in 1983, onboard In April 1983, during the maiden voyage and in mentality all of which are fertile areas Challenger for its maiden voyage, Musgrave of Space Shuttle Challenger, STS-6, the crew of conflict. Getting along with others not performed the first shuttle spacewalk. On his performed the first Shuttle deployment of an only requires personal skills, but also will­ sixth flight in 1996 at age 61, he became the IUS/TDRS satellite, and Musgrave and Don ingness and determination. How many times oldest person ever to fly in space (until Peterson conducted the first Space Shuttle have we almost come to blows with a college Senator John H. Glenn, Jr. returned to space extravehicular activity (EVA) to test the new roommate, a co-worker, or even another fam­ in 1999 at the age of 77.) At the time, he was See MUSGRAVE, p. 487 ily member -- but in such circumstances, we flying on NASA's oldest shuttle (Columbia), have the luxury to leave and simply avoid on the longest shuttle mission ever (18 days). Executive further confrontation. (As an aside, I note He also achieved the unbreakable record of that the American Psychiatric Association is being the first to fly in all five space shuttles. Director's considering another category of illness for A native of Massachusetts, Dr. Mus­ Column the next edition of the Diagnostic and grave's educational history includes a bache­ Statistical Manual. The newly proposed cate­ lor of science degree in mathematics and sta­ gory will be Relational Disorders.) tistics from Syracuse University in 1958, a In order to overcome some of these barri­ il1.aster of business administration degree in ers, NASA is investigating computer pro­ operations analysis and computer program­ grams that will diagnose incipient personal ming from the University of California at Los conflict before it reaches the danger level Angeles in 1959, a bachelor of arts in chem­ and, at the same time, recommend interven­ Rayman istry from Marietta College in 1960, a doctor­ tion strategies. This sounds like a wonderful ate in medicine from Columbia University in tool, but will it really work. In the end, the 1964, a master of science in physiology and astronauts and controllers themselves will biophysics from the University of Kentucky Human Factors have to learn how to manage conflict in in 1966, and a master of arts in literature order to prevent mission degradation. from the University of Houston in 1987. I had the rare opportunity to spend sev­ Certainly very careful crew selection will Dr. Musgrave entered the United States eral days with one of the Russian be necessary with ample time preflight for Marine Corps in 1953, served as an aviation Cosmonauts who has flown severallong-du­ the crew members to become well ac­ electrician and instrument technician, and as ration space missions, one of which was for 8 quainted, to learn each other's personal at­ an aircraft crew chief while completing duty months. When I asked him what he thought tributes, and to adopt appropriate coping assignments in Korea, Japan, Hawaii, and the limiting factor would be for future long­ mechanisms.