5" x 8" Flown and Annotated Gemini V Experimental Procedure Book Page (S-8/D-13 Astronaut Visual Acuity Experiment (ex. Charles Conrad Collection).
Interest in what could be seen from space has been evident throughout all of the manned orbital flights, beginning with the exclamation, “What a beautiful sight!” by Astronaut Alan Shepard and including particularly the comprehensive sighting reports by Astronaut Gordon Cooper on MA-9, the last of the Mercury flights.
During the 22 orbits of Gemini 5, Gordon Cooper reported seeing objects on the surface of the earth which had previously been deemed not visible from orbit. These reports prompted the initiation of a controlled visual acuity experiment ("Experiment S-8/D-13") which was conducted on both Gemini 5 and Gemini 7.
The first objective of Experiment S-8/D-13 was to measure the visual acuity of the crew members before, during, and after long-duration space flights in order to ascertain the effects of a prolonged spacecraft environment. The second objective was to test the use of basic visual acuity data combined with measured optical properties of ground objects and their natural lighting, as well as of the atmosphere and the spacecraft window, in order to predict the crew’s limiting naked-eye ability to discriminate small objects on the surface of the earth in daylight.
From the outset, the experiment was comprised of two parts: (1) vision tests prior to, during, and after the spaceflight in order to establish a preflight physiological baseline of visual performance and, subsequently, to monitor quantitatively any changes which might occur during flight; and (2) out-of-the-window sightings of prepared markings on the ground to ascertain the crew's ability to discriminate small objects on the surface of the earth and to establish methods for making reliable predictions of visual limitations under varying circumstances.
Despite various difficulties, useful data were generated on Gemini 5, and the experiment was refined for use in Gemini 7. As a result of these experiments, NASA concluded that the crew's preflight, inflight, and post-flight visual acuity showed no statistically significant changes.
A fantastic example of the basic research (and the significant "unknowns") that characterized early manned orbital missions.
Included with the checklist page is a copy of Conrad's original COA for checklist from which the page was taken, including a statement of provenance from Ken Havekotte, the original purchaser of the complete checklist.
