The “aeromedical” expert quoted in this Minneapolis Tribune story was no fringe figure in the space race. In 1954, Col. John P. Stapp became known as the “fastest human on Earth” after piloting a rocket sled to a then-world record land speed of 632 miles per hour. He was a hands-on pioneer in studying the effects of rapid acceleration and deceleration on humans, and is credited with coining the term “Murphy’s Law.” Plus, we can claim him as one of our own, in a way that only Minnesotans can: Stapp, who was born in Brazil to Baptist missionaries from Texas, earned his medical degree from the University of Minnesota in 1944.

Healthy, Intelligent, Legless Man
Called Ideal Space Traveler

By JACK WILSON
Minneapolis Tribune
Staff Correspondent

	Col. Stapp at 0 mph

WASHINGTON – A smart, experienced, husky man with both legs amputated would be a good prospect for pilot of America’s first manned satellite, an air force officer working on the program said Friday.

Col. John P. Stapp, chief of the aeromedical laboratory at Wright air development center, Dayton, Ohio, made this suggestion informally during a space travel conference here.

“It is just an idea that occurred to me when I was thinking about the requirements for space travel, and what sort of man best meet them,” he said.

“A man’s legs represent about 27 per cent of his total weight. And they wouldn’t be of any use to him in a space capsule.

“If you took a man who had the heart and lungs for a 180-pound body, and amputated both of his legs, he would have just that much less tissue to consume oxygen and contribute to the weight of the capsule.

	Col. Stapp at 600-plus mph

“And having full-sized heart and lungs, he would have somewhat more reserve strength and energy than a man with both legs.”

Stapp said he had no intention of looking for legless volunteers for satellite travel, but he had the qualifications for the first space man pretty well mapped out.

“He will have to be a man who is highly trained to make the kind of observations and gather the kind of data we want,” he said. “It will cost about $3,000 per pound of man and capsule to get him into orbit, and we want to get our money’s worth.

“I’m 48, and I’m realistic enough to know that that’s too old,” he said. And indicating his comfortable girth, he reminded questioners of the $3,000 per pound cost estimate.

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