[net.columbia] Garn Assigned to Flight

alb@alice.UUCP (Adam L. Buchsbaum) (01/18/85)

Senator Jake Garn was today assigned to the 20 February flight
of the shuttle Challenger.  He will participate as a payload
specialist and will take part in motion sickness experiments.
The Senator began pre-flight training this week.

lwe3207@acf4.UUCP (Lars Warren Ericson) (01/24/85)

[]

"Motion sickness experiments"...

Does that mean the Senator is going to fly up there and barf?
Can't they buy him some Dramamine and give him something more
interesting to do?

wmartin@brl-tgr.ARPA (Will Martin ) (01/24/85)

> 
> "Motion sickness experiments"...
> 
> Does that mean the Senator is going to fly up there and barf?
> Can't they buy him some Dramamine and give him something more
> interesting to do?

According to a TV story on this (maybe it was on McNeil/Lehrer PBS news?),
using Garn as a guinea pig for the "space sickness" experiments is sort
of a back-door justification for his presence, even though everybody knows
they really are buying his continued support and friendliness in his
Congressional position. He seems happy with it (I'd be willing, too!).
Earlier reports on the subject indicated that he'd be sort of a general
flunky, doing tasks like cleaning and galley-work. ("OK, Senator, swab that
deck!") Maybe he'll still do this, too (clean up after his experiments...:-).

Will

rbg@cbosgd.UUCP (Richard Goldschmidt) (01/28/85)

>> "Motion sickness experiments"...
>> 
>> Does that mean the Senator is going to fly up there and barf?
>> Can't they buy him some Dramamine and give him something more
>> interesting to do?

>According to a TV story on this (maybe it was on McNeil/Lehrer PBS news?),
>using Garn as a guinea pig for the "space sickness" experiments is sort
>of a back-door justification for his presence, even though everybody knows
>they really are buying his continued support and friendliness ...

The report I heard suggested that the experiments are intended to explore the 
relationship between motion sickness and flight experience.  Senator Garn
has more flight experience than most Shuttle pilots, so maybe he won't barf.
Of course this whole thing may still be an excuse to get him into space.  I
would certainly volunteer as a flight-inexperienced control :-)

Rich Goldschmidt     {ucbvax,ihnp4,decvax,allegra} !cbosgd!rbg
		     ARPA:  cbosgd!rbg@ucbvax