Dietrich E. Beischer and Alfred R. Fregly

PREFACE

Since man has actually accomplished the historical task of ballistic flight (Alan Shepard, May 5, 1961, and Gus Grissom, July 21, 1961), and of orbital flight (Yuri Gagarin, April 12, 1961, and Gherman Titov, August 6, 1961), a compilation of events which have contributed to these brilliant feats is considered essential. Achievements in this field reflect numerous scientific efforts of many disciplines within the biological community. It appears timely to make this wealth of information readily available in the form of an annotated bibliography prepared for investigators in the bioscientific fields in general.

The bibliography is expected to serve a number of purposes: It should give the busy investigator ready access to the widely scattered literature, including partly buried material, such as technical reports of limited access. Awareness of all past approaches and achievements in bioastronautics should help to evaluate their effectiveness . Finally , such understanding and knowledge should serve as a guide in decisions for future planning of biological experiments in space and to prevent costly repetitions.

However, questions about the extent of animal experiments in space and human travel in these regions are not only of scientific interest. The general public, and especially administrators of the considerable financial means necessary to carry out such programs, should be aware of the historical background. The bibliography may thus be of considerable service in publicizing the biomedical aspect of space travel.

The actual preparation of animal or man for a flight into space represents an application of a wealth of experience drawn from biological and other scientific fields. Therefore, it was considered helpful to have the main part of the bibliography preceded by a list of sources of pertinent information related to bioastronautics. The bibliographies, books, and technical reports cited in the first chapter outline the framework into which the material of the  following chapters should be set.