Outward Space: Zero Gee Adaptation

Everyone, even veteran astronauts have an adjustment period when they first enter a micro-gravity environment.

Reading through the "Apollo 13 Technical Debrief", it seems like all three astronauts had some trouble at first.

Jim Lovell, commander of Apollo 13.
He was a veteran of Apollo 13, Apollo 8, Gemini 7, and Gemini 12.
Photo: NASA

LOVELL

"My feelings were as I've had previously. When we first get subjected to zero g, I feel I' m upside down, my head is full, and blood is rushing to my head; this lasts several hours.

I think this sensation lasted approximately 6 hours. But basically, that's the only sensation I felt in zero g. After that, it went away."

Jack Swigert, command module pilot.
Apollo 13 was his only space mission.
Photo: NASA

SWIGERT

"I think Fred and I felt the same fullness of the head."

Fred Haise, lunar module pilot.
After Apollo 13, he flew the initial set of Space Shuttle approach and landing tests.
Photo: NASA

HAISE

"We both mentioned it about the same time. I don't know who mentioned it first. We both had it go away about the same time. Offhand, I don't remember how many hours had elapsed."

SWIGERT

"It was around 8 hours; we both mentioned that the fullness of the head was gone."

HAISE

"I had one other different reaction. On the morning of the second day, I woke up with a pretty severe headache.

I drank some juice and ate some bacon cubes. That didn't sit right and I upchucked about 2 ounces of my juice.

I sat still for about half a day pretty much; I never had any symptoms again after that."

LOVELL

"I think a general comment concerning space flight is in order.

The fact that when you first get inserted, what you do for the first day (especially if we go into Skylab or something like that) should be held down. We should not try to do too many different things per day.

No matter who you are, it's going to take a while to get used to zero gravity.

Towards the end of our flight, we didn't know we were in zero or one g. You get so used to it.

But, in the beginning, zero gravity is different. You do feel different; so, you've got to just take it easy until you get accustomed to it."