Duane Graveline

Duane Graveline
Born	Duane Edgar Graveline (1931-03-02)March 2, 1931 Newport, Vermont,U.S.
Died	September 5, 2016(2016-09-05)(aged 85) Merritt Island, Florida,U.S.
Resting place	Arlington National Cemetery
Education	University of Vermont(BS,MD) Johns Hopkins University(MPH)
Space career
NASA astronaut
Rank	Major,USAF Colonel,USA
Selection	NASA Group 4 (1965)

Duane Edgar "Doc" Graveline(March 2, 1931 – September 5, 2016) was an AmericanphysicianandNASA astronaut.He was one of the six scientists selected in 1965, inNASA's fourth group of astronauts,for theApollo program.He was best known for being immersed in water for seven days as part of his zero gravitydeconditioningresearch while working as aUnited States Air Force(USAF) research scientist.

Personal life

Graveline was born on March 2, 1931, inNewport, Vermont.His hobbies included medical consulting inmicrogravitydeconditioning and galacticcosmic radiationand personal health maintenance. Graveline died at the age of 85 on September 5, 2016. Graveline's ashes were interred atArlington National Cemeteryon May 3, 2017, withfull military honors.

Education

Graveline graduated from Newport High School in 1948. He received hisBachelor of Sciencedegree from theUniversity of Vermontin 1951 and hisDoctor of Medicinedegree from theUniversity of Vermont College of Medicinein 1955.Following hisinternshipatWalter Reed,he specialized inaerospace medicine,receiving hisMasters in Public Healthdegree fromJohns Hopkins Universityin 1958.

Career

Graveline entered theUnited States Air ForceMedical Service after graduation from medical college. Following internship he attended the primary course inAviation Medicine,Class 56C, atRandolph Air Force Baseand was assigned toKelly Air Force Baseas Chief of the Aviation Medicine Service.

Graveline was granted the aeronautical rating offlight surgeonin February 1957. From September 1957 to June 1958, he attendedJohns Hopkins School of Hygiene and Public Health,where he received his master's degree inPublic Health.

He then attended the Aerospace Medical residency at theAir Force School of Aerospace Medicine,completing his residency training in July 1960 atBrooks Air Force Baseand receiving his specialty certification by the American Board in Preventative Medicine. At that time he was assigned to the Aerospace Medical Research Laboratory asresearch scientistwith special interest in prolongedweightlessnessdeconditioning and countermeasures. In July 1962, he returned to Brooks Air Force Base where he continued his research, served as intelligence analyst for Sovietbioastronauticsand was active as a NASA flight controller for theMercuryandGeminimissions.

Graveline authored ten professional publications and reports on biological deconditioning and weightlessness countermeasures. His research involved bed rest and water immersion to study deconditioning. While in the USAF he did the original research on both the extremitytourniquetand the prototype lower body negative pressure device for use in prolonged zero gravity missions. NASA's operational lower body negative pressure device has seen use in the Soviet MIR, as well as on the shuttle and station research. His 2004 research on space medicine was studying the effect of galactic "heavies" in the brains of mice, using iron ions and NASA'slinear acceleratoratBrookhaven, NY.

In June 1965, Graveline was selected with NASA'sfirst group of scientist astronautsand assigned toWilliams Air Force Basefor jet pilot training.He resigned on August 18, 1965, prior to flying in space. He was the first astronaut to resign prior to being assigned a mission.Although this was ascribed to "personal reasons," it was later disclosed inDeke Slayton's memoir that Graveline resigned due to his impending divorce. According to Slayton, "The program didn't need a scandal. A messy divorce meant a quick ticket back to wherever you came from."His wife Carol had stated in the court papers that her husband had "violent and ungovernable outbursts of temper."

Upon his resignation, Graveline stayed with NASA for three months as a doctor inHoustonbefore returning to civilian life. For nearly 20 years, Graveline practiced medicine as a family doctor inBurlington, Vermont,during which time he also served as a flight surgeon for theVermont Army National Guard.In 1987, the Vermont Board of Medical Practice suspended his license after he was unable to account for "a large number of pills of the narcoticDemerol".He continued practicing medicine during his appeal, culminating in the restoration of his license following remedial action in 1989.However, the state permanently revoked his license in 1994, this time over allegations that he hadsexually abused five childrenwho were not among his patients.He waived his right to further proceedings and ceased practicing medicine, later noting in an online biography that he "retired from medical practice at the age of 63".

Thereafter, Graveline became a writer of medical and science fiction thrillers, ultimately authoring 15 books (all but one of which wereself-publishedthrough Spacedoc Media) during his retirement.

Graveline married a total of six times.One former wife, who asked that she not be identified, said toThe New York Times:“It is a long and sad, sad story — a brilliant, brilliant man who was deeply flawed".

Following his experience withcholesteroldrug side effects, Graveline became a critic of the use ofstatinsto treat high cholesterol levels. While onLipitor,Graveline developedtransient global amnesiaand could not recognize his family. He slowly recovered after stopping this medication. NASA physicians then prescribed half the dose, but the amnesia returned.

Graveline was a contributor to the 2006 bookNASA's Scientist-Astronautsby David Shayler andColin Burgess.

External links

• Duane Graveline's web site

This article incorporates text fromhttp://www.jsc.nasa.gov/Bios/htmlbios/graveline-de.html,which is a webpage byNASA.NASA policystates that "NASA material is not protected by copyright unless noted."