(d) Data referable to any alterations in fluid and electrolyte balance 

 and muscloskeletal metabolism as reflected by selected biochemical constituents 

 of blood. 



(e) Information about the endocrine system required to objectively 

 quantitate the "physiological costs" or "stresses" incurred by long-term 

 saturation diving. 



Detailed studies of fluid and electrolyte balance were performed during the 

 100-foot, O2-N2 saturation dive conducted at the hyperbaric facilities of the 

 University of Pennsylvania. This program is described elsewhere in this 

 report. Due to operational difficulties, the 100-foot open-sea dives were 

 not conducted 



PROTOCOL 



The studies were designed such that all hematologic parameters were measured 

 within minutes of sample acquisition, whereas the biochemical and endocrine 

 samples were appropriately stabilized for subsequent analysis at the Manned 

 Spacecraft Center in Houston, Texas. The sample schedule for the six dive 

 teams examined is shown in Table 1. The predive samples were all collected 

 in the morning before the subject entered the habitat. The postdive samples 

 were collected as soon as possible after the divers left the decompression 

 chamber. Table 2 shows the mean values for the test parameters considered 

 in the laboratory evaluation. 



TABLE 1 

 SAMPLE SCHEDULE 



Dive Number Number of Subjects Predive Date Postdive Date 



1 5 4-2-70 4-17-70 



2 5 4-17-70 5-13-70 



3 5 5-12-70 6-2-70 



4 4 6-1-70 6-21-70 



5 5 7-6-70 7-22-70 

 7 4 8-12-70 9-3-70 



IX-54 



