Deaf Difference + Space Survival

Overview

Even before astronauts came into existence, deaf people worked to help take the United States into space.

In the early 1960s, a joint research project hosted by the U.S. Department of the Navy and the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) sought out deaf men from Gallaudet University to participate in experiments on balance, motion sickness, and weightlessness.

Eleven men aged 25-48, most deaf from meningitis, joined the research project. They spun in centrifuges, stayed for days in a rotating room, participated in zero-gravity flights, and helped their country understand space survival.

In 2014, during the sesquicentennial of Gallaudet, two of the deaf volunteers shared their story of how deaf individuals contributed to early space research on motion sickness and weightlessness. This was followed by the Deaf Difference + Space Survival exhibit from 2017-2022, where visitors learned about this unique history through photographs, archival footage, and video interviews. Soon, this incredible story will be shared again as a bilingual documentary film.

In 2027, the Drs. John S. & Betty J. Schuchman Deaf Documentary Center at Gallaudet University will bring the story to a national audience. Generous funding from the National Science Foundation’s Advancing Informal STEM Learning (AISL) program (#2415706) is supporting film production and distribution, as well as a robust companion website.

Please check back here for periodic updates. Any information or images taken from the Gallaudet website must be credited to Gallaudet University.