Theres this scene where these two guys are walking down a hallway with tubes up their butts? What is that? Why do they do that? Do they still do that now days with astronaut wannabes? I know its fascinating to go into space but does being an astronaut involve getting ass raped with a plastic tube?
shareThere was some sort of chemical the doctor's put in the bowel to take x-rays or something similar of the intestinal tract. The baloon was 'placed' in the butt to keep the chemical in place. As they said: 'when the baloon's released....'
shareAnd yes, the NASA flight physical still involves a rectal exam, among many other indignities. Shuttle astronaut Mike Mullane has some hilarious stories about the whole procedure in his book "Riding Rockets".
shareOne of my favourite stories about the medical tests comes from Pete Conrad. During a scheduled urine test he got a large beaker, about 1 gallon or so, and filled it with apple juice or similar liquid. He then frothed the liquid and submitted it as his urine sample.
shareShuttle astronaut Mike Mullane has some hilarious stories about the whole procedure in his book "Riding Rockets"Yeah, I just picked this book up recently. Mike reportedly possessed the cleanest colon ever seen by the NASA doctors! Having undergone the ignominy of the colonoscopy, I see it as a noble and worthy pursuit. share
Froms of hazing they do to astronaut wannabes to test their resolve I'm guessing.
shareThey do a through physical exam because NASA is investing months if not years into a astronaut. It makes sense to me that NASA wants to be sure the applicant is healthy, at that time free of any tumor or illness that would mean a loss in time and money for NASA. Also it provides a baseline for later health issues. JMHO
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