At present, I’m working on refuting the “Nine Space Oddities” that conspiracy theorist and encourager David Milne says must be answered. In the process of doing so, I have been subjected to the accompanying article, to which the “Nine Space Oddities” are a footnote.

Part of the article states:

“Not one Apollo astronaut ever contracted cancer…”

The claim is related to the concept that “cosmic radiation” would have been more than the astronauts could physiologically withstand. No long-winded debunk needed here, just a couple of facts.

Jack Swigert, CMP Apollo 13

• Jack Swigert died of cancer in 1982. He was the Command Module Pilot of Apollo 13. That makes him an “Apollo astronaut” who “contracted cancer”. While I accept the Milne article is quite old, it isn’t that old – Swigert had died before it was written.
• Walter Schirra contracted mesothelioma (a type of lung cancer). He died in 2007 following a heart attack caused by complications. Schirra was the Commander of Apollo 7, who also flew Mercury and Gemini missions.
• Deke Slayton died following a battle with a malignant brian tumour. While not an Apollo specific astronaut, he did fly in space on Apollo-Soyuz.
  

So. That’s three Apollo astronauts who did get cancer. While the point is moot anyway (radiation is extremely unlikely to  have been a factor in any long-term illnesses), it is yet another example of the shoddy research and wording used by conspiracy theorists. Swigert, in particular, is a surprising omission; he went on to run for office, so was a continued presence in the public eye. He sadly died of cancer before he could take office.

It does make me wonder if some conspiracy theorists realise there are bonafide Apollo astronauts outside of the household names.

EDIT – 23/08/09
Thanks to LaurelHS for the comment on this post:

Sadly, there was another Apollo astronaut who contracted cancer. Apollo 14 Commander Alan Shepard died of leukemia in 1998. He was 74.