In its hyperbaric (high-pressure) chamber, Duke conducts the first recorded studies of humans’ ability to function and work at pressures equal to a 1,000-foot deep-sea dive. More than half a century later, in 2021, the same facility would be used to train passengers for the first-ever all-civilian spaceflight. In addition to its four pressure chambers for research, the Duke Center for Hyperbaric Medicine and Environmental Physiology also maintains three pressurized chambers for patients, where a team of specialists treat problem wounds and respond to emergencies ranging from scuba diving accidents to carbon monoxide poisoning.