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Hubertus Strughold

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Hubertus Strughold

Birth
Germany
Death
25 Sep 1986 (aged 88)
Bexar County, Texas, USA
Burial
San Antonio, Bexar County, Texas, USA Add to Map
Memorial ID
View Source
He was a German-born Physiologist who did work for both the German government through the end of WWII and the US government after the war. In 1947 Strughold was brought to the United States, along with many other highly valuable German scientists, as part of Operation Paperclip. He received the title of "The Father of Space Medicine" for his pioneering work in the physical and psychological effects of manned spaceflight.

Strughold obtained US citizenship in 1956 and was appointed Chief Scientist of the National Aeronautics and Space Administration's (NASA) Aerospace Medical Division in 1962. While at NASA, Strughold played a central role in designing the pressure suit and onboard life support systems used by both the Gemini and Apollo astronauts. He also directed the specialized training of the flight surgeons and medical staff of the Apollo program in advance of the planned mission to the Moon. Strughold retired from his position at NASA in 1968.

During his work on behalf of the Air Force and NASA, Strughold was the subject of three separate US government investigations into his suspected involvement in war crimes committed under the Nazis. A 1958 investigation by the Justice Department fully exonerated Strughold, while a second inquiry launched by the Immigration and Naturalization Service in 1974 was later abandoned due to lack of evidence. In 1983 the Justice Department's Office of Special Investigations reopened his case but withdrew from the effort when Strughold died in September 1986.

After his death more allegations came out about his connection to the Dachau experiments which became more widely known following the release of US Army Intelligence documents from 1945 that listed him among those being sought as war criminals by US authorities. These revelations did significant damage to Strughold's reputation and resulted in the revocation of various honors that had been bestowed upon him over the course of his career.

If you want a much more complete idea of his life and works than read the Wikipedia Article.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hubertus_Strughold
He was a German-born Physiologist who did work for both the German government through the end of WWII and the US government after the war. In 1947 Strughold was brought to the United States, along with many other highly valuable German scientists, as part of Operation Paperclip. He received the title of "The Father of Space Medicine" for his pioneering work in the physical and psychological effects of manned spaceflight.

Strughold obtained US citizenship in 1956 and was appointed Chief Scientist of the National Aeronautics and Space Administration's (NASA) Aerospace Medical Division in 1962. While at NASA, Strughold played a central role in designing the pressure suit and onboard life support systems used by both the Gemini and Apollo astronauts. He also directed the specialized training of the flight surgeons and medical staff of the Apollo program in advance of the planned mission to the Moon. Strughold retired from his position at NASA in 1968.

During his work on behalf of the Air Force and NASA, Strughold was the subject of three separate US government investigations into his suspected involvement in war crimes committed under the Nazis. A 1958 investigation by the Justice Department fully exonerated Strughold, while a second inquiry launched by the Immigration and Naturalization Service in 1974 was later abandoned due to lack of evidence. In 1983 the Justice Department's Office of Special Investigations reopened his case but withdrew from the effort when Strughold died in September 1986.

After his death more allegations came out about his connection to the Dachau experiments which became more widely known following the release of US Army Intelligence documents from 1945 that listed him among those being sought as war criminals by US authorities. These revelations did significant damage to Strughold's reputation and resulted in the revocation of various honors that had been bestowed upon him over the course of his career.

If you want a much more complete idea of his life and works than read the Wikipedia Article.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hubertus_Strughold


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