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				Spring Man Athlete Hugh Herr lost both his lower legs in an accident. Now he looks to springs that enhance athletes' abilities to restore his own.
		Select text to jump ahead in the clip: A REMARKABLE YOUNG MAN NAMED HUGH HERR. TEN YEARS AGO, HUGH LOST HIS LEGS IN A DRAMATIC ACCIDENT. AHA-- GOOD, GREAT SHOT! THIS WAS A MOUNTAIN CLIMBING ACCIDENT? YES, IN 1982 I WENT TO NEW HAMPSHIRE TO CLIMB MT. WASHINGTON IN THE WINTER AND AFTER CLIMBING A 1,000-FOOT ICE FACE THERE WAS A TREMENDOUS STORM AND WE GOT DISORIENTED NEAR THE SUMMIT-- BLIZZARD CONDITIONS-- YOU AND I WOULDN'T EVEN BE ABLE TO SEE EACH OTHER AND TO MAKE A LONG STORY SHORT A DAY OUTING TURNED INTO FOUR DAYS. THE CONDITIONS WERE MINUS 20-DEGREE TEMPERATURES. WE DIDN'T HAVE A SLEEPING BAG OR A TENT, NO FOOD... SO YOU WERE COMPLETELY EXPOSED FOR FOUR DAYS. AND TO SURVIVE, WE DUG INTO THE SNOW AND MY PARTNER AND I JUST HUGGED EACH OTHER TO STAY WARM. FROM THAT I GOT TREMENDOUS FROSTBITE ON MY LOWER LEG AND AFTER TWO MONTHS IN THE HOSPITAL THEY HAD TO BE AMPUTATED. Alda: HUGH HAD LED AN ADVENTURER'S LIFE, WHICH WAS NOW IN RUINS. BUT HE WAS DETERMINED TO STAY ACTIVE. HE DECIDED TO BECOME AN ENGINEER AND INVENTOR-- TO DREAM UP WAYS FOR PEOPLE TO USE THEIR BODIES WITH MAXIMUM EFFICIENCY... AND HE FOUND INSPIRATION IN A TECHNOLOGY THAT'S THOUSANDS OF YEARS OLD. Herr: THE BOW AND ARROW REPRESENTS A DEVICE THAT MAKES HUMAN BEINGS MORE POWERFUL. CLEARLY, IF I WERE TO TRY TO THROW AN ARROW WITH MY BARE HANDS I WOULD NOT BE ABLE TO PIERCE THE TARGET BUT WITH THE ELASTIC BOW, I CAN EASILY PIERCE THE TARGET SO IT MAKES HUMAN BEINGS MORE POWERFUL, IN A SENSE. Alda: THE SECRET OF THE BOW AND ARROW IS THAT A NORMAL PERSON CAN BUILD UP TREMENDOUS ENERGY IN ITS POWERFUL SPRING. RIGHT NOW, HUGH'S WIFE LEE CAN'T DO PULL-UPS, BUT WATCH THIS. SHE'S WEARING A SPECIAL SPRING SUIT DESIGNED BY HUGH. AS SHE REACHES UP HER PUSHING-MUSCLES BUILD UP ENERGY IN TWO BUNGEE CORDS. THEN THE CORDS HELP HER PULLING-MUSCLES GET HER OVER THE BAR. IT WAS HUGH'S ACCIDENT THAT SET HIM THINKING ABOUT HOW TECHNOLOGY CAN OVERCOME DISABILITIES. WAS THAT THE MOTIVATION FOR YOUR DEVELOPING THESE DEVICES AND EXPLORE THESE NEW IDEAS? I QUICKLY REALIZED THAT THERE'S NO SUCH THING AS A HANDICAPPED, PHYSICALLY DISABLED PERSON. THERE ARE ONLY PHYSICALLY DISABLED TECHNOLOGIES. I... IF I HAVE THE CORRECT LEGS AND WHATNOT I CAN RUN A MARATHON-- I CAN WIN A MARATHON, I'M CONVINCED. Alda: HUGH RETURNED TO CLIMBING YEARS AGO USING AN ARTIFICIAL LEG OF HIS OWN DESIGN. AND HERE IN THE COLORADO ROCKIES HE'LL TEST HIS SPRING SUIT FOR THE FIRST TIME OUTSIDE THE GYM. I'M NERVOUS, I HOPE IT WORKS. FIRST TIME I'VE CLIMBED ON REAL ROCK. I HOPE NOTHING GETS TANGLED, BUT WE'LL SEE. Alda: HUGH'S FEET GRIP THE ROCK BETTER THAN THE BEST CLIMBING SHOES... AND THE SPRINGS SEEM TO BE DOING GREAT AS WELL. JUST AS WHEN HUGH'S WIFE DID HER PULL-UPS EXTENDING THE ARMS STORES ENERGY IN THE BUNGEES. THEN WHEN HUGH LIFTS HIMSELF UP HIS PULLING-MUSCLES ONLY HAVE TO PUT OUT HALF THE EFFORT. CLIMBERS COULD GO TWICE AS FAR BEFORE GETTING TIRED. BUT THIS IS JUST THE BEGINNING FOR HUGH'S SPRINGS. NOW HE'S PUTTING THEM INTO RUNNING SHOES WITH THE HOPE OF REVOLUTIONIZING THE SNEAKER INDUSTRY. I GOT THIS SHOE ON HERE WITH HIGH-CLASS RUBBER SOLES AND THEY GOT AIR IN THERE. WHAT DID YOU SAY, HIGH-CLASS? ( laughing ) THEY ARE CLASSY, AREN'T THEY? IT'S VERY TECHNOLOGICAL THIS SHOE. I WANT TO KNOW WHY THIS DOESN'T STORE ENERGY AS WELL AS YOUR SPRING? DOESN'T THIS RUBBER COLLECT ENERGY AND THEN GIVE IT OFF AGAIN? DOESN'T IT CONTRACT AND EXPAND? IT DOES. THE PROBLEM IS THE MATERIALS BEING USED HERE ARE NOT VERY EFFICIENT AS FAR AS BEING EFFICIENT SPRINGS. WHEN YOU COMPRESS THE SOLE OF THIS SHOE YES, IT DOES STORE SOME ENERGY BUT NOT A LOT OF ENERGY. YOU PUT A UNIT OF ENERGY IN AND YOU DON'T GET IT OUT. WHERE'S IT GO? HEAT LOSS. THE SOLE OF YOUR SHOE HEATS UP AFTER RUNNING MILE AFTER MILE AFTER MILE. Alda: TO DEVELOP HIS SHOE SPRINGS HUGH TURNED TO ONE OF NATURE'S BEST RUNNERS. HORSES HAVE NATURAL SPRINGS BUILT RIGHT INTO THEIR LEGS. THE SPRINGS ARE ACTUALLY ELASTIC LIGAMENTS THAT RUN UP AND DOWN THE LEG. WHEN THE HOOF IS IN THE AIR, THESE SPRINGS ARE RELAXED. THEN AS THE HORSE'S WEIGHT DRIVES INTO THE GROUND THE SPRING BENDS AND STRETCHES AND STORES UP ENERGY. FINALLY, THE LIGAMENT SNAPS BACK AS THE HOOF LIFTS OFF THE GROUND GIVING THE HORSE AN EXTRA THRUST FORWARD. THOUGH IT MAY NOT LOOK LIKE A SPRING THIS BLACK WEDGE IS HUGH HERR'S VERSION OF A HORSE LIGAMENT FOR HUMAN SHOES. CAN I JUST...? OH, YEAH, I SEE. IT TAKES A LOT OF PRESSURE... BUT WHEN YOU'RE WEARING IT IT'S FAIRLY SOFT. WHEN THE RUNNER COMES AND STRIKES THE SURFACE... WITH THE HEEL... THIS HEEL SPRING COLLAPSES AND STORES ENERGY AND THEN, AS THE RUNNER'S FOOT ROLLS OVER TO THE FOREFOOT REGION. THAT ENABLES THIS SPRING TO OPEN UP AND IT'S LIKE A HAND ON THE BOTTOM OF THE HEEL PUSHING THE HEEL UP AND THAT ENERGY ENABLES THE FOOT TO BEND THIS SECOND SPRING AND THEN THIS SECOND SPRING HELPS THE RUNNER THRUST FORWARD. YOU GET THIS ENERGY POP AT THE END. SO EFFECTIVELY WHAT THE RUNNER FEELS WITH THIS SHOE IS A NICE CUSHION UPON IMPACT AND THEN AT THE VERY END AN ENERGY POP. Alda: EARLY IN THE DESIGN PROCESS HUGH AND HIS PARTNER TRIED TO SELL THE IDEA TO MAJOR AMERICAN SNEAKER COMPANIES. THE HEEL SPRING HERE IS COMPRESSED. Alda: USING A CRUDE STEEL MOCK-UP THEY EXPLAINED HOW THE ENERGY-EFFICIENT SOLE WORKED. BUT THE MARKETING EXPERTS AND ENGINEERS WERE UNIVERSALLY UNIMPRESSED. THANK YOU VERY MUCH, GENTLEMEN. WE'LL BE IN TOUCH. Alda: ONE BY ONE, THE COMPANIES TURNED THEM DOWN. EVENTUALLY A JAPANESE COMPANY AGREED TO FUND THEIR RESEARCH PROVIDING SNEAKERS AND ENOUGH MONEY TO HIRE AN EXPERT IN CARBON FIBERS. WORKING WITH THIN SHEETS OF THIS SPACE-AGE MATERIAL HE MADE A SERIES OF STRONG, LIGHTWEIGHT WORKING PROTOTYPES. IN THE FIRST BATCH, THE SPRINGS WERE SIMPLY SLID INTO THE MIDDLE OF OFF-THE-SHELF SNEAKERS THE WHOLE SANDWICH HELD TOGETHER WITH GLUE. HUGH TESTED THE PROTOTYPES USING STUDENT VOLUNTEERS. WHAT I WANT YOU TO DO IS JUST RUN UP THIS PATH AND I WANT YOU TO RUN NORMALLY. Alda: THE TASK WAS TO RUN OVER THIS FORCE PLATE WHICH CAN MEASURE HOW MUCH ENERGY GOES INTO THE GROUND OR SHOE AND HOW MUCH GETS RETURNED TO THE RUNNER. ALL RIGHT RICH, I WANT YOU TO RUN THROUGH AGAIN EXCEPT INCREASE YOUR SPEED A BIT. Alda: WITH THE PROTOTYPE SHOES THE FORCE AT IMPACT WAS CONSISTENTLY LOW-- MEANING THE SPRING SOLE WAS ABSORBING MOST OF THE SHOCK AND A HIGH READING AT LIFT-OFF SHOWED THE SNEAKER WAS RETURNING THAT ENERGY TO PUSH THE RUNNER FORWARD. IN CONTRAST, THE MOST POPULAR BRAND LET THE RUNNER FEEL MORE SHOCK AND GAVE LESS PUSH AT THE END SO AT LEAST IN THE LAB, THE SPRING SOLE LOOKS LIKE A WINNER. I WANT YOU TO TRY THEM. I WOULD LOVE TO. Alda: BUT THIS IS A MORE CRITICAL TEST-- WHETHER THE SPRING SOLE CAN REALLY MAKE RUNNERS GO FASTER. MIKE O'CONNOR IS THE EDITOR OF RUNNING MAGAZINE. BOBBY FISHER IS A RESPECTED AMATEUR... AND THE THIRD TEST RUNNER IS KENYAN-BORN STEVE KOGO-- A STAR ONE-KILOMETER PERFORMER. THEY'LL BE COMPETING NOT AGAINST EACH OTHER BUT AGAINST THEIR OWN BEST TIMES ON THIS TRACK. THEY FEEL GREAT. I FEEL LIKE I HAVE MORE ENERGY ALREADY. ON YOUR MARK... GET SET... GO! Alda: THEY'LL DO A 400-METER LAP SO IN JUST OVER A MINUTE, HUGH AND HIS PARTNER WILL KNOW IF THEIR INVENTION IS ALL THEY'VE DESIGNED IT TO BE. COME ON-- GO! Alda: IF THE SPRING SOLES ABSORB SHOCK AND IF THAT SHOCK ENERGY GETS EFFECTIVELY REDIRECTED TO THRUST THE RUNNER FORWARD THIS COULD BE THE BIGGEST ADVANCE IN RUNNING-SHOE HISTORY. GO, GO, GO, GO, GO, GO. WHAT IS IT? EXCELLENT! Alda: AS THE RUNNERS CROSS THE FINISH LINE THEIR REACTIONS TELL THE STORY. MY HAMSTRING IS MORE RELAXED THAN THE ACHILLES AND PRESSURE ON THE KNEES, BUT I FEEL PRETTY GOOD. I DIDN'T FEEL IT IN MY LEGS AT ALL. IN A WORKOUT LIKE THIS I WOULD DO IN ABOUT 83 SECONDS-- I WAS 74 SECONDS. BOBBY, THAT A WAY, ALL RIGHT! AND I DIDN'T FEEL IT IN MY LEGS. NORMALLY WHEN I'M RUNNING REPEAT 400 METERS I'M RUNNING AROUND 75 SECONDS. TODAY I WAS 71. 8, SO THAT'S A SIGNIFICANT IMPROVEMENT WITH THE SAME EFFORT. YEAH, I THINK YOU GUYS ARE ONTO IT. IT REALLY FEELS GOOD. I WANT TO SEE WHAT THIS FEELS LIKE. IF I COULD GET AROUND THE COURT AND GET TO THOSE SHORT BALLS SOONER. I'LL SEND YOU A BOUQUET. ( laughs ) I'M JUST GOING TO TAKE A LITTLE WALK WITH THIS. HOW ARE THEY? YOU KNOW, IT'S GREAT! HOW MUCH YOU WANT FOR THESE RIGHT NOW? I'LL SEND YOU A PAIR HOW'S THAT? -- FREE. YOU KNOW WHAT THEY'RE REALLY GOOD FOR? WHEN THE GAME IS OVER, THIS WILL MAKE THIS PART EASY. WELL, NOT THAT EASY. WORK ON THAT PART, WILL YOU. WITH SPRINGS, WE CAN BECOME STRONGER, MORE POWERFUL WE CAN HAVE GREATER ENDURANCE. I THINK THIS IS THE AGE OF THE SPRING. I DON'T THINK IT'S BEEN DONE YET. I CAN THINK OF 100 DIFFERENT DEVICES THAT I CAN PUT SPRINGS INTO, SO I'M NOT FINISHED YET.

				Better Baseball The inventor of a pneumatic pitching machine teaches batters at Kent State University to 'aim to miss,' and raises their averages dramatically.
		Select text to jump ahead in the clip: FAST BALL. Alda: JIM PALMER, ONE OF BASEBALL'S SUPERSTARS. REMEMBER, THIS IS GOING TO BE LOOSE. WE DON'T WANT IT BACK IN YOUR HAND. Alda: JIM HASN'T BEEN PITCHING IN THE BIG LEAGUE SINCE HIS COMEBACK IN 1992 BUT HE'S WILLING TO SHARE THE TRICKS OF HIS TRADE WITH SOMEONE WHOSE BASEBALL EXPERIENCE IS AN OCCASIONAL GAME OF SOFTBALL. I'M JUST WORKING ON THE SEAM PART NOW. I GET THE ARM LATER. I DON'T WANT TO DO IT ALL AT ONCE. WHY DON'T YOU THROW THE BALL AND SHOW ME... Alda: JIM PALMER ONCE PITCHED A NO-HITTER FOR THE BALTIMORE ORIOLES, A GAME CAUGHT BY ELROD HENDRICKS WHO'S NOW AN ORIOLES COACH. GREAT PITCHERS HAVE AN ARSENAL OF DIFFERENT PITCHES. THERE'S THE CURVE BALL... IT'S BETTER THAN MY COMEBACK. WE STARTED SOMETHING HERE! Alda: CURVE BALLS START HIGH BUT THEN DROP DOWN. AND OF COURSE THE FAST BALL THAT HARDLY SEEMS TO DROP AT ALL. Alda: WHAT HAPPENS AFTER IT LEAVES YOUR HAND? YOU HOPE IT GOES TO THE CATCHER AND DOESN'T GET HIT. WHEN THAT BALL COMES OUT OF YOUR HAND, IT'S GOING TO HAVE BACKSPIN AND THE BALL'S GOING TO HIT THE AIR AND IT'LL HAVE A LITTLE BIT OF MOVEMENT. Alda: IT'S BACKSPIN THAT KEEPS FAST BALLS UP AND THE OPPOSITE-- TOPSPIN-- THAT MAKES CURVE BALLS DROP. BATTERS HAVE TO START THEIR SWING BEFORE THE BALL'S EVEN HALFWAY TO THE PLATE AND THEY MUST HAVE DECIDED JUST WHEN AND WHERE THE BALL WILL ARRIVE YET THE AVERAGE PITCH IS ALL OVER IN HALF A SECOND. YOU HAVE A SPLIT SECOND TO MAKE ALL THE DECISIONS AND THEN TO HAVE A GOOD SWING AT IT AND MAKE GOOD CONTACT AND MAKING GOOD CONTACT OUT IN FRONT OF HOME PLATE AND THEN FINDING THE HOLES. MOVE OUT OF THE WAY. Alda: PUT LIKE THAT, IT'S AMAZING ANYBODY CAN HIT. Palmer: YOU READY? LOOK, WATCH OUT BECAUSE I DON'T WANT TO HURT YOU FELLOWS. Alda: BUT HOW COULD I RESIST BEING ABLE TO TELL MY GRANDCHILDREN OF THE TIME I FACED JIM PALMER? THAT WAS A STRIKE? YES. WELL, IF YOU'RE GOING TO CURVE IT LIKE THAT WHAT CHANCE DO I HAVE? SEE, SEE! I TOUCHED IT, RIGHT? RIGHT, YOU FOUGHT IT OFF, SEE? I WAS JUST KIDDING. I DIDN'T REALLY MEAN TO TOUCH THE BALL. NOW HE'S MAD, NOW'S HE GOING TO GET ME. I ONLY FACE A SOFTBALL ABOUT ONCE EVERY FIVE YEARS SO I WAS AMAZED TO FIND MYSELF STANDING HERE AT ALL. WHAT INTERESTS ME IS HOW HARD IT IS TO HIT THE BALL-- NOT JUST FOR ME, THAT'S EXPECTED-- BUT A PROFESSIONAL BASEBALL PLAYER ON AVERAGE ONLY GETS A SUCCESSFUL HIT ONCE EVERY FOUR TIMES. IT MAY BE THE ONLY PROFESSION WHERE YOU CAN FAIL THREE QUARTERS OF THE TIME AND BE SUCCESSFUL. BUT NOW HELP IS ARRIVING FOR THE BELEAGUERED BATTER FROM A VERY UNLIKELY PLACE. Man: SOME PEOPLE THINK IT'S A JUNKYARD BUT IT'S MY SUPPLY YARD FOR MY INVENTIONS. ALL OF THESE ARE THINGS THAT I HAVE A PROJECT FOR. Alda: RETIRED OHIO SCHOOLTEACHER JOHN GARVER HAS A HISTORY OF SPORTS INVENTIONS. MANY HAVEN'T MADE IT OUT OF HIS JUNKYARD. BUT THE FIRST LARGE-HEAD TENNIS RACKET, NOW COMMON IN THE SPORT WAS BUILT RIGHT HERE. 30 YEARS AGO, HE INVENTED AN AIR-DRIVEN GUN THAT THROWS BASEBALLS. UNLIKE MOST PITCHING MACHINES, THIS ONE CAN SWITCH FROM THROWING CURVE BALLS TO FAST BALLS. MANY TEAMS BOUGHT ONE, BUT BATTERS WOULDN'T USE THEM BECAUSE THEY WERE TOO HARD TO HIT AGAINST. THE PROBLEM, GARVER DECIDED, WASN'T HIS MACHINE BUT THAT BATTERS DIDN'T KNOW HOW TO HIT. IT TOOK ME TEN YEARS TO FIND OUT WHAT WAS BEHIND THAT THEN ANOTHER 20 YEARS TO CONVINCE PEOPLE I'D FOUND IT OUT. Alda: GARVER IS NOW TRYING TO SELL HIS SECRET TO BALL TEAMS. AT FIRST, HIS ONLY SUCCESS WAS WITH LITTLE LEAGUE COACHES. BUT TODAY, HE'S BEEN INVITED TO TEST HIS IDEAS OUT AT KENT STATE UNIVERSITY, ONE OF AMERICA'S BEST COLLEGE TEAMS. MANY OF KENT STATE'S PLAYERS GO ON TO THE MAJOR LEAGUES. YET THEIR HITTING NEEDS ALL THE HELP IT CAN GET. HEAD COACH DANNY HALL. Hall: PROBABLY THE MAJORITY OF THE GUYS-- WHETHER IT'S GUYS IN A COLLEGE PROGRAM OR WHETHER IT'S GUYS PLAYING PROFESSIONAL BASEBALL-- HAVE NO IDEA WHAT THEY'RE DOING. WHETHER IT'S MENTALLY, PHYSICALLY I DON'T THINK THEY UNDERSTAND WHAT IS GOING ON WHEN THEY'RE TRYING TO HIT. Alda: TO SHOW BATTERS HOW LITTLE THEY KNOW GARVER BEGINS HIS TWO-DAY PROGRAM WITH ONE OF HIS TYPICAL HOMEMADE CONTRAPTIONS. THE TASK IS TO HIT LINE DRIVES. Garver: AND WE WANT YOU TO SMACK THIS HARD. THE RULES ARE IT'S A GOOD BALL IF IT CLEARS THE INFIELD DIRT ABOVE THE GROUND. Alda: LINE DRIVES GIVE BATTERS THE BEST CHANCE OF GETTING ON BASE AND WHEN THE BALL IS IN THE MIDDLE OF THE STRIKE ZONE THERE'S NO PROBLEM. IN SLOW MOTION, YOU CAN SEE THE BAT MEETS THE BALL DEAD CENTER. BUT NOW GARVER REPOSITIONS THE BALLS TO THE TOP AND THE BOTTOM OF THE STRIKE ZONE. NOW LETS SEE IF THAT LOW ONE COUNTS. WALK UP TO IT. THE UMPIRE I KNOW CALLS THAT A STRIKE. OKAY. Alda: GROUND BALLS ARE USUALLY OUTS. THAT SOUND OF GRASS ON THE BALL ALMOST MAKES YOU SICK, DOESN'T IT? Alda: AND POP-UPS ARE USUALLY CAUGHT. Player: I WATCHED THE FIRST GUY DO IT AND I COULDN'T BELIEVE HE WASN'T HITTING THEM AND THEN I GET IN THERE AND DO IT, AND I COULDN'T ADJUST. WHEN IT'S NOT MOVING AND YOU CAN'T HIT IT HOW ARE YOU GOING TO HIT IT WHEN IT'S MOVING. Alda: SLOW MOTION REVEALS WHAT'S HAPPENING. BATTERS AREN'T HITTING WHERE THEY'RE AIMING-- GRAZING THE TOPS OF THE LOW BALLS, KNOCKING THEM DOWN AND GRAZING THE BOTTOM OF THE HIGH BALLS, POPPING THEM UP SO GARVER OFFERS SOME RADICAL ADVICE: AIM TO MISS. Garver: THE FIX ON THE HIGH BALL IS TO SWING ABOVE IT. THAT WOULD BE TO PASS THE CENTER OF THE BAT ACROSS THE TOP OF THE BALL. AND IF WE RAISE THE BALL UP YOU MIGHT HAVE TO MISS THE BALL ALTOGETHER. THE FIX IN THE LOW ZONE WAS TO PASS THE BAT BELOW THE BALL. SO YOU CLEAN MISSED IT. TRY TO DO THAT AND YOU'LL MAKE CONTACT, SOLID CONTACT. WELL, IT SOUNDS STRANGE, FIRST OF ALL BECAUSE, YOU KNOW, YOU'RE ALWAYS TAUGHT TO HIT THE BALL IN THE CENTER OF THE BALL AND TO ACTUALLY SIT THERE AND TO TRY TO ACTUALLY MISS THE BALL KNOWING THAT YOUR MIND'S THINKING IS IT'S GOING TO MISS, IS SOMETHING NEW. Alda: ALL THE PLAYERS ARE SKEPTICAL BUT HAVING HIT SO POORLY WHEN THEY AIMED TO HIT NOW THEY TRY AIMING TO MISS. HOT DIG! FIRST TIME FOR ONE OF THOSE, HUH? Alda: ON THE REPLAY THE BAT MAKES SOLID CONTACT WITH THE CENTER OF THE BALL EVEN THOUGH THE BATTER WAS AIMING BELOW IT. NEXT, A HIGH BALL. WHERE ARE YOU GOING TO HIT? I'M GOING TO BE AIMING ABOUT RIGHT IN THERE. PRETTY GOOD CONNECTION THERE. A LITTLE ADJUSTMENT ON THIS ONE, A LITTLE BIT LOWER, LOWER. THERE YOU ARE. Alda: THE PLAYERS ARE IMPRESSED. IT DEFINITELY MAKES A DIFFERENCE JUST BY HITTING THE BALL ON A LINE DRIVE INSTEAD OF POPPING IT UP OR HITTING IT DOWN ON THE GROUND. LOOK AT THAT SUCKER GO! I'M APPLYING SCIENCE TO WHAT'S GOING ON NOT HAPPENCHANCE OBSERVATION, AND IF WE CAN'T ESTABLISH THAT THE THING WE'RE SEEING IS TRUE AND REPEATABLE THEN I'M JUST A BALONEY GUY, NOT WORTH LISTENING TO. IF WE CAN ESTABLISH IT THEN THE SCIENCE TELLS US, YOU BETTER PAY ATTENTION. Alda: NOW IT'S TIME FOR GARVER TO DEMONSTRATE ANOTHER EMBARRASSING WEAKNESS OF THE AVERAGE BATTER-- HOW THEIR JUDGEMENT IS CONFUSED WHEN PITCHERS CHANGE PITCHES ON THEM. WHERE'S HIS HAND AND WHERE'S THE BALL? Alda: BATTERS MUST POINT TO WHERE THEY THINK THE BALL HAS HIT THE CANVAS. THEY'RE ONLY ALLOWED TO SEE THE BALL UP TO THE HALFWAY POINT WHICH IS WHEN THEY'D HAVE TO COMMIT TO A SWING IF THEY WERE ACTUALLY HITTING. OKAY, READY? Alda: THIS PLAYER JUDGED A FAST BALL RIGHT ON THE MONEY. BUT WATCH WHAT HAPPENS WHEN GARVER QUICKLY SWITCHES TO A CURVE BALL. READY? OH, WAS HE REALLY FOOLED WITH THAT ONE? Alda: ON THE REPLAY, THE ERROR IS DRAMATIC. Garver: HE JUST MISSED A CURVE BALL BY OVER A FOOT BUT HE HAD SEEN FAST BALLS BEFOREHAND. THAT SET HIM UP NOT TO BE ABLE TO IDENTIFY IT. IT ALWAYS DOES THAT. WHATEVER THE CHANGED PITCH IS CAUSES YOU TO MISS IDENTIFYING THE NEW PITCH AND SERIOUSLY MAKES YOU MISJUDGE IT. YOU WERE 28 MILLISECONDS LATE. Alda: GARVER BELIEVES THE MISJUDGMENT CAN BE MINIMIZED BY PAUSING BETWEEN PITCHES-- AN IDEA BEING TESTED ON A SIMULATOR WHERE THE LIGHT IS THE BALL, THE SLIDER THE BAT. YOU WERE LATE BY 187 MILLISECONDS. Alda: AS THE PITCH FLASHES DOWN THE TRACK THE BAT SHOULD PASS THE WHITE MARK JUST AS THE LAST BULB LIGHTS UP. LATE BY 105 MILLISECONDS. Alda: BOTH THE SPEED OF THE PITCH AND THE INTERVAL BETWEEN PITCHES CAN BE CHANGED. VERY GOOD-- 17 MILLISECONDS LATE. Alda: WHEN THE INTERVAL BETWEEN PITCHES IS ONLY AROUND 11 SECONDS, THE BATTER'S ACCURACY IS POOR. YOU WERE EARLY BY 167 MILLISECONDS. Alda: BUT WITH NEARLY EVERY BATTER TESTED WHEN THE TIME BETWEEN PITCHES IS GREATER THAN 15 SECONDS JUDGEMENT IMPROVES. YOU WERE EARLY BY ONE MILLISECOND. Man: YOU HIT THAT ONE OUT OF THE PARK. Man: IF BATTERS ARE FACING A PITCHER WHO IS THROWING QUICKLY BETWEEN PITCHES IN OTHER WORDS, NOT TAKING VERY MUCH TIME-- AND THERE ARE SOME MAJOR LEAGUE PITCHERS WHO ARE WELL KNOWN FOR THAT-- THE BATTER WOULD BE WISE TO CALL TIME OUT STEP OUT OF THE BOX, DELAY PROBABLY SOMEWHERE ON THE ORDER OF 15 SECONDS AT LEAST-- IN TERMS OF THE TIME BETWEEN THE PITCHES-- TO LESSEN THE POTENTIAL EFFECT OF THE PITCHER CHANGING SPEEDS. Alda: AFTER TWO DAYS OF TRAINING IN GARVER'S IDEAS IT'S TIME TO TRY THEM OUT IN A PRACTICE GAME. WHAT ABOUT THE ODD NOTION OF AIMING TO MISS? PLAYER #9 WENT THROUGH GARVER'S CLASS AND AIMING BELOW LOW BALLS AND ABOVE HIGH BALLS SEEMS TO BE WORKING. SOMETIMES IT'S HARD TO, LIKE, THINK ABOUT IT AS YOU'RE DOING IT, BUT ON A COUPLE OF THEM I DID THINK ABOUT IT AND I ACTUALLY SWUNG HIGHER AND I HIT THE BALL WELL. Alda: AND NUMBER 22, AFTER MISSING A BALL TAKES ADVANTAGE OF GARVER'S RESEARCH AND TRIES A 15-SECOND BREATHER. THIS HELPS HIM ERASE FROM HIS MIND ANY MEMORY OF THE PREVIOUS PITCH AND HE'LL FACE THE NEXT PITCH WITH A FRESH EYE. BY THE END OF THE TWO DAYS MOST OF THE PLAYERS ARE CONVINCED, AT LEAST FOR NOW THAT GARVER'S IDEAS ARE WORKING. Garver: IN THE SYSTEM THAT WE'VE BEEN STUDYING WE NOTICED WE GET TWICE AS MANY CONTACTS. IF THAT WERE TRANSLATED INTO THE BALL GAME IF A GUY DOUBLED HIS CONTACTS YOU COULD POSSIBLY DOUBLE HIS BATTING AVERAGE. YOU KNOW, IF YOU CAN GET A HIT THREE OUT OF TEN TIMES YOU CAN MAKE THE HALL OF FAME. SO IF YOU CAN GET THAT UP TO FOUR EVEN IT WOULD BE A GREAT IMPROVEMENT. Alda: BUT THE REAL TEST OF GARVER'S CLAIM TO BE APPLYING SCIENCE TO THE ART OF HITTING WILL TAKE MORE THAN A PRACTICE GAME. KEEP AN EYE ON KENT STATE NEXT SEASON. THE ALPS-- BEAUTIFUL... ENTICING... AND ALL TOO OFTEN, DEADLY. HARDLY ABLE TO MOVE THIS CLIMBER IS A VICTIM OF MOUNTAIN SICKNESS.

				Speed Sailing Two sailors strive to break the world speed record for a wind-powered craft using smart designs and hi-tech materials.
		Select text to jump ahead in the clip: TARIFA, SPAIN. IT'S WINDY, BUT WHEN THE WIND BLOWS OFF THE LAND THE SEAS ARE RELATIVELY CALM-- IDEAL CONDITIONS FOR SPEED-SAILING. WINDSURFERS COME HERE EVERY YEAR LOOKING TO BREAK RECORDS WITHOUT, THEY HOPE, BREAKING ANYTHING ELSE. THE MOST RECENT CHAMPION WAS FRENCHMAN THIERRY BIELAK WHO AMAZED THE CROWD BY DOING 45. 3 KNOTS MORE THAN 52 MILES AN HOUR. IN FACT, BIELAK WAS THE WORLD RECORD HOLDER AS WE STARTED PRODUCING THIS STORY. ALTHOUGH MORE TRADITIONAL SAILBOATS ONCE HELD THE SPEED RECORD IN RECENT YEARS, WINDSURFERS HAVE BEEN OUT AHEAD. HERE'S WHY: THIS IS THIERRY BIELAK AGAIN. HIS LIGHTWEIGHT BOARD ALMOST COMPLETELY LEAVES THE WATER DURING A RUN. THAT'S CALLED PLANING. UNLIKE HEAVY CONVENTIONAL SAILBOATS WHICH PLOW THROUGH THE WATER A PLANING WINDSURFER JUST SKIPS ACROSS THE SURFACE. THAT'S WHY MOST PEOPLE ARE CONVINCED WILL ALWAYS BE THE FASTEST SAIL-POWERED WATERCRAFT. BUT GREG KETTERMAN OF LONG BEACH, CALIFORNIA THINKS WINDSURFERS HAVE HAD THEIR DAY. THE WINDSURFERS HAVE BEEN GOING UP STEADILY SINCE '86 JUST BIT BY BIT, LITTLE TINY REFINEMENTS AND SO IT DOESN'T SEEM LIKELY THAT THEY'RE GOING TO GET CONSIDERABLY FASTER. Alda: GREG IS SAILING HIS TRIFOILER-- A RADICAL HYDROFOIL BOAT HE DESIGNED HIMSELF WITH ONE GOAL IN MIND: TO SNATCH THE SPEED RECORD AWAY FROM THE WINDSURFERS AND GREG ISN'T THE ONLY ONE WITH THIS GOAL. ON THE OTHER SIDE OF THE WORLD, AUSTRALIAN LINDSEY CUNNINGHAM IS AFTER BIELAK'S RECORD TOO. HE'S ALSO COME UP WITH A RADICALLY DIFFERENT DESIGN. HIS BOAT, ENDEAVOUR, USES A SOLID-WING SAIL MOUNTED ON THREE SMALL PLANING HULLS. LINDSEY AND GREG ARE ARCHRIVALS IN THE WORLD OF SPEED-SAILING. BOTH WANT BIELAK'S RECORD AND BOTH THINK THAT THEIR SAILING TECHNOLOGY CAN PREVAIL OVER THE WINDSURFER'S PHYSICAL ADVANTAGES. GREG HAS PINNED HIS HOPES ON HYDROFOILS-- SMALL WINGS THAT WORK LIKE AIRPLANE WINGS. Ketterman: EVERYTHING THAT THE AIRPLANE DESIGNERS DO WE DO JUST ABOUT THE EXACT SAME THING. THE BIG DIFFERENCE IS WATER IS ABOUT 700 TIMES MORE DENSE THAN AIR SO OUR WINGS ARE 700 TIMES SMALLER THAN THE AIRPLANE WING. Alda: AS THE BOAT SPEEDS UP, THE FOILS PRODUCE LIFT JUST LIKE AN AIRPLANE WING RAISING THE HULLS OFF THE SURFACE. WITH ONLY THE STREAMLINED FOILS SLICING THROUGH THE WATER GREG'S TRIFOILER SHOULD BE AS EFFICIENT AS A PLANING WINDSURFER. THE MAJOR DRAWBACK OF HYDROFOILS IS THAT IT'S HARD TO KEEP THE BOAT AT A CONSTANT HEIGHT ABOVE THE WATER BUT HERE'S WHERE GREG HAS MADE A BREAKTHROUGH. HE'S FOUND A WAY TO KEEP HIS HYDROFOILS STABLE. IT WORKS LIKE THIS: THE TWO SKIS EXTENDING FROM THE OUTSIDE HULLS ACT LIKE FEELERS SENSING THE BOAT'S HEIGHT ABOVE THE WATER. IF A HULL LIFTS UP, THE SKI DROPS PIVOTING THE HULL DOWNWARD. THIS AUTOMATICALLY TIPS THE FOIL DOWNWARD. NOW THE WATER IS PUSHING DOWN ON THE ANGLED FOIL FORCING THE HULL DOWN WITH IT. ON THE OTHER HAND IF A HULL DROPS DOWN, THE FOIL TIPS UPWARD. THIS TIME THE WATER PUSHES UP ON THE ANGLED FOIL LIFTING THE HULL BACK UP. THE TWO SKIS WORK TOGETHER TO CONSTANTLY AND AUTOMATICALLY KEEP THE BOAT ROCK-STEADY. GREG'S SYSTEM SEEMS TO BE WORKING. BUT DOWN IN AUSTRALIA, LINDSEY CUNNINGHAM DECIDED HYDROFOILS WERE TOO RISKY. Man: STAND DOWN! WE KNEW THE PLANING WORKED ON THE SAILBOARDS AND WE KNEW HYDROFOILS WERE STILL HAVING CONTROL PROBLEMS. WHILE THEY'RE EFFICIENT IN THEMSELVES THEIR OVERALL EFFICIENCY STILL WASN'T THAT GOOD. Alda: TAKING HIS CUE FROM WINDSURFERS LINDSEY MADE ENDEAVOUR'S PONTOONLIKE HULLS FLAT ON THE BOTTOM, SO THEY CAN PLANE EASILY. AND TO REDUCE DRAG EVEN FURTHER, LINDSEY DESIGNED THE BOAT TO SAIL ON ONLY TWO OF THE THREE HULLS. THE CREW SITS IN A CAPSULE ON THE LONGEST ARM OF THE TRIPOD. HELMSMAN SIMON McKEON FACES FORWARD TO STEER. FACING SIDEWAYS, TIM DADDO WORKS THE SAIL. TIM HAS TO TIGHTEN THE SAIL JUST ENOUGH FOR THE CREW POD TO LIFT FREE OF THE WATER. IT'S A DELICATE BALANCING ACT. TIGHTENING TOO MUCH MAY DRIVE THE BOAT FASTER BUT COULD FLIP IT OVER. TOO LITTLE AND THE POD DROPS IN THE WATER. BUT WITH THE POD FLYING AND THE OTHER TWO HULLS PLANING ENDEAVOUR, LIKE GREG'S TRIFOILER CAN MATCH A WINDSURFER'S PERFORMANCE. STILL, NO DESIGN'S PERFECT. THE DRAWBACK OF LINDSEY'S SOLUTION IS THE TERRIFIC STRAIN CREATED AS THE WEIGHT OF THE CREW FIGHTS THE FORCE OF THE WIND. LAST YEAR IN THE MIDDLE OF A RUN THAT STRAIN RESULTED IN DISASTER. McKeon: WE THINK WHAT'S HAPPENED IS A WIRE JUST LET GO AT THE WRONG MOMENT AND CAUSED THE BOAT TO BASICALLY FALL APART. WE HIT THE WATER AT QUITE A HIGH SPEED BUT FORTUNATELY THE COCKPIT IS DESIGNED TO LET US OUT WHEN A DISASTER HAPPENS SO WE JUST SOMERSAULTED OVER THE WATER A FEW TIMES. Alda: WHILE LINDSEY CUNNINGHAM'S BOAT WAS OUT OF ACTION FOR REPAIRS GREG KETTERMAN WAS HARD AT WORK. DURING THESE SPEED TRIALS OFF THE COAST OF AFRICA HE CAME TANTALIZINGLY CLOSE TO BIELAK'S RECORD-- CLOSE, BUT NOT QUITE. Ketterman: RIGHT NOW WE SEEM TO BE HITTING A WALL AT ABOUT 50 MILES PER HOUR. Alda: THE FASTER THE BOAT GOES, THE HARDER IT IS TO DRIVE AND THEN IT REACHES A LIMIT REGARDLESS OF HOW HARD THE WIND BLOWS. Ketterman: I SUSPECT OUR EFFICIENCY'S PROBABLY DROPPING OFF AROUND 43, 45 MILES PER HOUR BUT THEN AT 50, WE JUST CAN'T GO ANY FASTER. Alda: GREG SUSPECTS A PROBLEM WITH THE FOILS BUT WITH THE BOAT ROCKETING ALONG AT 50 MILES AN HOUR IT'S IMPOSSIBLE TO KNOW. IF THERE WERE SOME WAY HE COULD LOOK AT HIS FOILS AT HIGH SPEED HE MIGHT BE ABLE TO FIND A WAY TO BREAK THOUGH THE WALL. IT'S WITH JUST THIS HOPE THAT GREG HAS COME HERE TO M. I.T. GREG AND RESEARCH ENGINEER CHARLIE MAZEL ARE SETTING UP A RARE DEVICE, A WATER TUNNEL. RIGHT NOW THE TUNNEL IS DRAINED OF WATER SO THAT ONE OF GREG'S FOILS CAN BE MOUNTED IN THE SEE-THROUGH TEST SECTION. WITH THE FOIL IN PLACE, THE TUNNEL IS FILLED. I CAUGHT UP WITH GREG AND CHARLIE JUST AS THEY WERE BEGINNING THEIR FIRST TESTS. IS THIS YOUR FOIL? THAT'S OUR FOIL. THAT'S WHAT YOU WILL RIDE? YEAH. COULD I SEE WHAT HAPPENS WHEN THE WATER GOES PAST IT? SURE... CHARLIE, IF YOU'D SPEED IT UP. Alda: THE TUNNEL SHOULD SHOW WHAT'S GOING ON WITH GREG'S FOIL AS THE WATER SPEED APPROACHES THE MYSTERIOUS WALL. OKAY, SPEED'S COMING UP A LITTLE MORE. Alda: AS WE PASSED THROUGH 40 MILES AN HOUR WE SAW WHAT GREG HAD LONG SUSPECTED. THERE'S SOME CAVITATION. THERE IT IS. JUST STARTING. Alda: STREAMS OF BUBBLES BEGAN TO APPEAR UNDER THE FOIL. IT'S CALLED CAVITATION. WHAT'S THE SPEED? Mazel: ABOUT 43 MILES AN HOUR. Alda: SO YOU WANT TO INCH UP CLOSER TO THE SPEED AT WHICH YOU EXPERIENCE THE WALL? LET'S GO SLOWLY-- A LITTLE FASTER. Mazel: I CAN SPEED IT UP MORE. Alda: AS WE APPROACHED 50 MILES AN HOUR THE FOIL BECAME COVERED IN A SHEET OF FOAM. THIS IS WHAT GREG'S BOAT HAS TO PULL ALONG WITH IT. Alda: HOW DOES IT FORM? WHAT MAKES IT HAPPEN? WELL, THE PRESSURE GOES SO LOW THAT, UH, THE WATER VAPORIZES OR BOILS. SO YOU'RE LOOKING AT A KIND OF BOILING, THEN? YEAH. Alda: CAVITATION CREATES A LOT OF DRAG. IT'S LIKE A BIG UNDERWATER BRAKE. GREG HAD SUSPECTED IT MIGHT BE HAPPENING BUT UNTIL NOW, HE HADN'T KNOWN FOR SURE. THAT EXPLAINS EXACTLY WHAT OUR PROBLEM IS. SO THAT CONFIRMS YOUR HYPOTHESIS THAT CAVITATION IS THE DRAG'S SOURCE. YOU'RE OUT THERE ON THE WATER YOU'RE GOING AS FAST AS YOU CAN YOU HIT THAT WALL AT 50-SOME MILES AN HOUR. YOU'RE THINKING THAT UNDER THE WATER THIS IS HAPPENING. NOW YOU'VE SEEN IT FOR THE FIRST TIME. THAT MUST BE AN INTERESTING EXPERIENCE. IT'S SUPER EXCITING. THIS IS WHAT I WANTED TO SEE BECAUSE WE WANT THE RECORD AND TO SIMPLY CHANGE THE SHAPE IS A REAL SIMPLE FIX. Alda: NOW GREG CAN CONCENTRATE ON REDESIGNING HIS FOILS RATHER THAN TINKERING WITH OTHER ELEMENTS LIKE THE SAILS, WHICH ARE PROBABLY WORKING FINE. BUT IN THE VERY WEEK GREG AND I WERE AT M. I.T. GREG'S BIG RIVALS DOWN UNDER WERE WAITING FOR THE WIND IN THIS BAY SOUTH OF MELBOURNE. LINDSEY CUNNINGHAM'S ENDEAVOUR IS FULLY REPAIRED AND BACK IN ACTION. PERFECT WEATHER IS FORECAST WITH HIGH WINDS SWEEPING DOWN THE WIDE BEACH ONTO THE BAY. THE 500-METER COURSE IS SET UP CLOSE TO THE BEACH WHERE THE SMOOTHEST WATER WILL BE. IN THE BLUE WIND SHELTERS ARE CAMERAS AND OFFICIAL TIMERS. SIMON AND TIM MAKE SEVERAL RUNS, BUT THE WIND IS GUSTY. YOU CAN SEE TIM STRUGGLING HERE TO KEEP THE POD FLYING. SUDDENLY A GUST SLAMS THE BOAT SIDEWAYS. IT SWERVES DANGEROUSLY, ALMOST OUT OF CONTROL. TIM FRANTICALLY LOOSENS THE SAIL TO ABORT THE RUN. IT WAS A CLOSE CALL, BUT NO DAMAGE WAS DONE. SINCE THE BOAT CAN ONLY SAIL IN ONE DIRECTION ENDEAVOUR IS DRAGGED BACK TO THE START. IT'S ANOTHER IN A LONG LINE OF FRUSTRATING RUNS. NOW THE WIND IS RISING OMINOUSLY WITH AN APPROACHING STORM, NOBODY WANTS A REPEAT OF LAST YEAR'S DISASTER. ... LOOKS DANGEROUS AND WELL, YOU KNOW, IT SHOULD BE OKAY. WE'LL JUST WATCH IT. Alda: LINDSEY DECIDES THEY CAN GET IN ONE MORE RUN. THIS TIME THE WIND IS STEADY. TIM KEEPS THE POD DEAD-LEVEL. EVEN BEFORE THE OFFICIAL TIME IS ANNOUNCED THE CREW KNOWS IT WAS A GREAT RUN. ( whooping ) Interviewer: SO WHAT KIND OF RUN WAS IT? OH, THAT IS THE BEST WE HAVE HAD IN A YEAR. IF THAT DOESN'T GO CLOSE TO 50, I'M GOING HOME. Woman: YES, IT'S A WORLD RECORD: 46. 2. All: HURRAY! Man: HIP! HURRAY! HURRAY! Alda: 46. 2 KNOTS-- OVER 53 MILES AN HOUR-- NOT THE 50 KNOTS THEY WERE HOPING FOR BUT ENOUGH TO STEAL THE WORLD SPEED-SAILING RECORD FROM THIERRY BIELAK'S WINDSURFER AND ENOUGH TO GIVE GREG KETTERMAN A SLIGHTLY HARDER TARGET. THE RECORD HAS BEEN HERE. I'VE BEEN COMING UP, AND THE RECORD'S BEEN GOING UP AND I CAN'T QUITE GET THERE. THAT'S THE WAY IT'S BEEN GOING FOR THE LAST FIVE YEARS. Alda: HE'LL BE READY FOR ANOTHER ATTEMPT SOON AND THIS TIME HE MIGHT MAKE IT ASSUMING NOBODY COMES ALONG AND MOVES THE TARGET AGAIN. 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				High Anxiety Physiologists attempt to identify who will adapt to high altitudes and who might succumb to mountain sickness.
		Select text to jump ahead in the clip: Beautiful. Enticing. And all too often... deadly. Hardly able to move this climber is a victim of mountain sickness. Here at 15,000 feet, thin air is starving her body of oxygen. One in ten climbers get so sick their lives are in danger. She could become one of them. It's an all too common sight for the mountain guides. ( asking climber questions in French ) ( coughs ) It's mostly from the high altitude why they get very tired. Sometimes they vomit in the snow and... they walk like drunken people. But mostly they don't like any help but they don't like to go down also, they... strange... It's difficult to say why they don't go back. Alda: Going back would clear the symptoms. But like most climbers, she goes on. Getting to the top despite the risks is what mountaineering is all about, of course. Nowadays, more and more people are taking the risks. On distant peaks around the world we're seeing the tragic consequences. The problem is we're not all super people. We can't all be brilliant mountaineers. This story is about trying to predict the basic attribute that mountaineers need: not to get altitude sickness on their way to the top. There is a big population that exposes itself to high altitude. If you look at the Rocky Mountains all the resorts you have there. If you look at the Andes. If you look around here and see how popular mountaineering is. This is, I think an important question to these people that we find measures how to predict and how to treat and how to prevent these illnesses. Alda: Here in Heidelberg, Germany Peter Bartsch is trying to develop a test to predict which climbers will get altitude sickness. He's recruited volunteers willing to push their bodies to the limit in the lab and then go mountain climbing. This is Arndt. His testing begins by finding out how fit he is. As he works harder his body responds by increasing his heart rate pumping more blood to his muscles and so supplying them with more oxygen to burn. ( technicians speaking excitedly in German ) Alda: To get that extra oxygen into his blood he breathes faster and more deeply. ( technicians encouraging him in German ) Alda: Now the real test begins. Arndt's oxygen is cut back, simulating high altitude. The idea is to see how he responds when there is less oxygen available. Again, his heart rate increases and again, his breathing gets faster and deeper. At the equivalent of 15,000 feet Arndt is breathing five times more air than usual even at rest. This is Michael, another volunteer for the test. On the fitness test, he's as good as Arndt. ( all speaking excitedly in German ) Alda: But when Michael's oxygen is reduced there's a striking difference. At a simulated 15,000 feet Michael's breathing is little different from what it was at normal altitude. Even during moderate exercise his body, unlike Arndt's, seems to be ignoring the fact that his oxygen supply is dropping. ( technician speaking in German ) Alda: The Heidelberg researchers wondered if people like Michael whose bodies don't seem to recognize they're getting into trouble when oxygen is scarce might be the ones most susceptible to mountain sickness. There was one way to find out. Perched at 15,000 feet on the Italian-Swiss border is the perfect laboratory a 100-year-old mountain hut, the highest building in Europe. Peter Bartsch, the leader of the Heidelberg team is heading there now. He's taking it slowly, giving his body time to acclimate. But the subjects in his experiment don't have that luxury. They climb fast rising two miles in elevation in just over a day. The experiment is designed so that neither Bartsch nor his subjects know how they performed in their lab tests. So Arndt, for instance doesn't know his test suggested he'd cope with mountain air by breathing much harder. Man: How you feeling? I feel good, very good, good air. Alda: Michael, who didn't adapt his breathing in the lab test is finding the going rough. As the test predicted his body isn't getting the message that the air up here is thinner. But then there's a third subject, Udo who like Arndt, adapted fine in the lab but may be having the first hint of a problem. Udo: I've just a little bit of a headache very little bit. Except for this I'm feeling really good and I'm lucky to do this now. Alda: We're going to see what happens to Arndt, Michael and Udo once they reach Peter Bartsch's mountaintop laboratory. Night falls, the most dangerous time for those vulnerable to mountain sickness. During the shallow breathing of sleep blood oxygen levels can drop steeply. Six hours after arriving Arndt, whose test suggested he'd do well at high altitude is absorbed in a murder mystery. But Udo, whose test results also suggested he'd cope is in trouble. When I came up I was feeling quite good. But then it was developing a big headache. And it was a stomachache and wasn't good. I had to vomit. Alda: All he wants to do now is rest. Udo: My body is exhausted and I have to sleep. So I hope that I will have a good night. Alda: Knowing the dangers of the night Bartsch makes regular checks. At 5:30 a. m., the only one complaining is Udo. ( speaking in German ) Bartsch: Udo has a lot of problems. He was vomiting once at night and he had headache. I gave him some drugs. His symptoms went away. He didn't feel nauseated anymore but he couldn't sleep. Just an incredible headache the whole night. I got some pills, some drugs but they didn't help so I didn't sleep the whole night. I think another night like this and I'm going crazy. It's just, you can't sleep and there's all this banging the whole night. Alda: To make this a scientifically, unbiased experiment neither Udo nor Bartsch knows that his test predicted his breathing should adjust. But it hasn't prevented his worsening symptoms. Arndt, meanwhile, is doing fine, as predicted. His balance is good, his blood oxygen normal. Now, I feel me good. Only mude, in German, tired. Bartsch: He would love to climb the Dufourspitze or any other mountain here. I think he's actually enjoying himself here. That's my impression. Alda: Which leaves Michael, who is definitely not enjoying himself. Of course, Bartsch doesn't know his pre-climb test suggested he wouldn't adjust his breathing to high altitude. He's now very sick. The problem with him was he didn't call us last night. When he went to bed, he already realized that something was wrong and no one called us. And when I saw him this morning he was really in a severe condition. I think if we had caught him earlier we could have stopped the process at an early level. Alda: Michael's decision to tough out the night could have been a fatal error. I didn't notice quite that I was getting worse and worse. So just this morning at half past 5:00 they wake me up and I couldn't do anything. Alda: X rays show Michael has advanced pulmonary edema. The lacelike pattern in his lungs, especially on the right is accumulating fluid. This means that we have a very severe illness. If we do not treat Michael he's most likely going to die. Fluid will accumulate in all his lung and he will eventually drown. And we have to immediately install treatment by giving oxygen now, and fly him down as soon as possible. Alda: The oxygen will stabilize Michael's condition for a while but the only way to clear the fluid from his lungs is to get him off the mountain, fast. A rescue helicopter is called in from Zermatt, Switzerland. For Michael, the experiment is over. As it turned out, the breathing test Peter Bartsch hopes might help predict mountain sickness was accurate in Michael's case and by not admitting he was having problems he got into serious trouble. Fortunately, after a few days at low altitude he'll make a complete recovery. Back at the hut, there's a farewell dinner. Tomorrow, all the subjects will be heading down. Feeling fine to the end is Arndt whose pre-climb test also proved accurate. But Udo, whose test results suggested he'd cope got sick, at least temporarily. So the breathing test alone isn't a perfect predictor. I'm feeling good now. It's okay. I have no more headache and I'm fine now. Alda: And as things turned out Udo's acclimation and Michael's rescue had come in the nick of time. A fierce blizzard means no helicopter could have made it in today. For Udo and Arndt, it's going to be a difficult climb down. While the experiment was promising the mystery of why altitude illness devastates some but leaves others unaffected isn't solved yet. These young people now know if they want to be super mountaineers the best advice is the old advice: climb slowly, heed the warning signs and you'll be back to climb another day. Alda: We're 250 miles above the Earth. It's May 16, 1997. The American space shuttle Atlantis