In November 1959, Dolores B. O'Hara became the first staff nurse for the Mercury Program, establishing the field of aerospace nursing. Assigned to the U.S. Air Force, she transitioned to NASA to manage health protocols for the Mercury Seven, creating the foundation for medical support during the Gemini, Apollo, and Skylab missions.
Early Medical Training
Born in Nampa, Idaho, in 1935, O'Hara completed her nursing education in 1956 at the Providence Hospital School of Nursing in Portland, Oregon. She subsequently underwent coursework in Operating Room Technique at the University of Oregon between 1956 and 1957. Her early professional experience included roles as a surgical nurse at the University of Oregon Medical School, followed by positions working with diagnosticians where she gained proficiency in X-ray and laboratory procedures.
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O'Hara enlisted in the Air Force, completing officers' training at Maxwell Air Force Base, Alabama, reaching the rank of second lieutenant. By May 1959, she was assigned to Patrick Air Force Base in Cape Canaveral, Florida, to support the Mercury Program. In 1963, she received an assignment as the Office Nurse in Cocoa Beach. She resigned from military service in 1964 to join the Manned Spacecraft Center, later renamed the Johnson Space Center, to establish the Medicine Flight Clinic.
Space Nursing Protocols
Tasked by Center Commander Colonel George Knauf, O'Hara was hired to bridge the communication gap between astronauts and flight surgeons. She established the Aeromed Lab and crew sleeping quarters in Hangar S. Her responsibilities included conducting pre-flight physicals, including monitoring weight, temperature, and blood pressure. Beyond clinical duties, she acted as a primary point of contact for astronaut families and helped establish a portable hospital on Grand Bahama Island to manage post-flight recovery needs.
Administrative and Research Roles
Following her time in Houston, where she managed the Preventive Medicine Office from 1967 to 1971 and the Medical Operations Division until 1974, O'Hara moved to the Ames Research Center. There, she managed the Human Research Facility until her 1997 retirement. Her work included overseeing bed rest studies that established physiological parallels between spaceflight and inactivity, providing essential data for ground-based astronaut health research. She remained active as a volunteer and member of the Human Research Institutional Review Board after retiring.
Fast facts
- Born: 1935, Nampa, Idaho
- Profession: Nurse
- Career Start: 1956
- Air Force Rank: Second lieutenant
- NASA Assignment: 1959
- Retirement: 1997
Questions readers ask
What was the primary purpose of O'Hara's role in the Mercury Program?
She was tasked to act as a staff nurse who could build trust with astronauts, allowing her to identify health issues that they might otherwise conceal from flight surgeons.
What research did she conduct at the Ames Research Center?
She managed the Human Research Facility and oversaw bed rest studies to determine how physiological conditions in spaceflight compare to extended rest on Earth.
