-
History of Research in Space Biology
and Biodynamics
-
-
- - ACKNOWLEDGMENTS -
-
-
-
- [v] The six separate
studies that make up this volume, describing different aspects of
the work of the Air Force Missile Development Center's Aeromedical
Field Laboratory, were neither produced on order for the
Laboratory nor written by any members of its staff. They were
produced as part of the Center's over-all historical program, and
the Historical Branch bears full responsibility for all statements
of fact or interpretation unless otherwise cited. Nevertheless,
the volume would not have been possible without the wholehearted
cooperation of the Aeromedical Field Laboratory staff, who made
their entire files available to the Historical Branch and
patiently answered innumerable questions concerning their work.
Officers, enlisted personnel, and civilian employees all gave
help, so that it would be almost impossible to thank each
individual separately. In fact thanks are due not only to the
present Laboratory staff but also to many who have since
left--notably including Colonel John Paul Stapp, who headed the
Aeromedical Field Laboratory until he departed in April 1958 for
Wright Air Development Center to take charge of the Aero Medical
Laboratory.
-
- Help was also received from other members
of the Aero Medical Laboratory at Wright Field; from the staffs of
the Navy's Aviation Medical Acceleration Laboratory and the Air
Force School of Aviation Medicine; and from the Directorate of
Life Sciences at Headquarters, Air Research and Development
Command. Scientists (and fellow military historians) at these
other installations gave access to office records and submitted to
more interviewing, both on joint projects in which they
participated along with the Aeromedical Field Laboratory and on
work of their own which must be taken into account in order to
place the efforts of the Aeromedical Field Laboratory in true
perspective. Two private organizations--Winzen Research,
Incorporated of Minneapolis and the Convair (San Diego) Division
of General Dynamics Corporation--have also supplied valuable data,
as well as various illustrated materials, on the part that they
played in bio-medical research and development efforts. The Winzen
staff was of course primarily concerned with their participation
in the Aeromedical Field Laboratory's Project Man-High. In the
case of Convair, Dr. Robert Armstrong, of the
Aviation, Space, and Radiation Medicine unit, made available
information on the experimental Convair "B" ejection seat.
-
- Then, too, many individuals assigned to
the Air Force Missile Development Center in units other than the
Aeromedical Field Laboratory gave important assistance to the
preparation of this volume. An obvious example is Captain Joseph
W. Kittinger, Man-High test pilot, who was actually assigned to
the Center's Flight Test Division until his recent transfer to
Wright Field. Naturally, much help was received from members of
the Balloon Branch, which has given support to an impressive array
of aeromedical research projects, and especially from its present
Chief, Major Lawrence M. Bogard; from Major Milton M. Hopkins,
Jr., who served the Branch in several different capacities; and
from Mr. Bernard D. Gildenberg, who is head of the Balloon Control
Section.
-
- Others who supplied information
include Major Hubert S. Williams, Commander of the 6580th
Field Maintenance Squadron and a support pilot in Project
Man-High; Mr. Ellis Bilbo, Chief, Plans and Programs Office,
Directorate of Advanced Technology, and Mr. Charles S. Bagley,
research scientist in the same Directorate; Master Sergeant Henry
V. Carson, of the Center's Special Parachute Section; Dr. Knox T.
Millsaps, Chief Scientist, and Lieutenant Colonel Harry L.
Gephart, Executive, Office of the Chief Scientist, two former
professors who have repeatedly delivered small lectures on
unfamiliar details of scientific techniques and terminology.
Lieutenant Colonel John W. McCurdy, who as Information Services
Officer is practically an ex officio
member of the Aeromedical Field
Laboratory, supplied needed information and other assistance as
well; so did Lieutenant Joseph G. Martin and Mr. George Meeter, of
the same Office of Information Services. Technical Sergeant James
W. Carter and his co-workers in the Center's Duplicating Services
Section supplied no research data but deserve special credit for
the quality of service they rendered when the different sections
of this volume were originally published, during the course of
1958, in the form of separate monographs.
-
- Last but certainly not least, other
members of the Historical Branch have had an important part in
preparing this volume. Dr. James S. Hanrahan, Center Historian,
contributed many useful suggestions and has actually written
certain passages of the finished [vi] product. Mrs.
Florence Clason, Editorial Clerk, has had the thankless task of
deciphering and typing countless pages of illegible manuscript as
well as helping to maintain the historical data files on which
much of the manuscript was based.
-
- David Bushnell,
- Historian
- December 1958
-
-
