09/06/2026
Deaf Awareness: Did You Know?
Eleven deaf men helped get us to the Moon!
From 1958 to 1968, a group now known as the Gallaudet Eleven participated in NASA and U.S. Navy research that helped scientists better understand motion sickness, balance, and how the human body adapts to spaceflight.
Ten of the eleven had lost their hearing after spinal meningitis, which also affected the balance systems in their inner ears and made them immune to motion sickness.
During one experiment on rough seas, the Gallaudet Eleven played cards while the researchers became so seasick the experiment had to be canceled!
Their participation made important contributions to the research that helped prepare humans for spaceflight.
Photo: NASA
