U. S.

Spacesuits (2nd Edition) McMann

https://www.yakibooki.com/download/u-s-spacesuits-2nd-edition/

This Book is Available on YakiBooki.com

U. S. Spacesuits (2nd Edition) McMann
U. S. Spacesuits
(Second Edition)

https://www.yakibooki.com/download/u-s-spacesuits-2nd-edition/

This Book is Available on YakiBooki.com

U. S. Spacesuits (2nd Edition) McMann

https://www.yakibooki.com/download/u-s-spacesuits-2nd-edition/

This Book is Available on YakiBooki.com

U. S. Spacesuits (2nd Edition) McMann
Kenneth S. Thomas and Harold J. McMann

U. S. Spacesuits
https://www.yakibooki.com/download/u-s-spacesuits-2nd-edition/

(Second Edition)

Published in association with

Praxis Publishing
Chichester, UK

This Book is Available on YakiBooki.com

U. S. Spacesuits (2nd Edition) McMann
Mr. Kenneth S. Thomas
Space Shuttle Spacesuit-system Engineer and Historian
Hamilton Sundstrand
Windsor Locks
Connecticut
https://www.yakibooki.com/download/u-s-spacesuits-2nd-edition/
U.S.A.

Mr. Harold J. McMann

Former NASA Spacesuit-system Engineer
and Manager from Mercury to International Space Station
Temple
Texas
U.S.A.

SPRINGER–PRAXIS BOOKS IN SPACE EXPLORATION

ISBN 978-1-4419-9565-0 e-ISBN 978-1-4419-9566-7

DOI 10.1007/978-1-4419-9566-7
% 6" 3

Library of Congress Control Number: 2011938888

# Springer ScienceþBusiness Media, LLC 2012

First Edition published 2006
All rights reserved. This work may not be translated or copied in whole or in part
without the written permission of the publisher (Springer ScienceþBusiness Media,
LLC, 233 Spring Street, New York, NY 10013, USA), except for brief excerpts in
connection with reviews or scholarly analysis. Use in connection with any form of
information storage and retrieval, electronic adaptation, computer software, or by
similar or dissimilar methodology now known or hereafter developed is forbidden.
The use in this publication of trade names, trademarks, service marks, and similar
terms, even if they are not identified as such, is not to be taken as an expression of
opinion as to whether or not they are subject to proprietary rights.

Cover design: Jim Wilkie

Project management: OPS Ltd., Gt. Yarmouth, Norfolk, U.K.

Printed on acid-free paper

Springer is part of Springer ScienceþBusiness Media (www.springer.com)

This Book is Available on YakiBooki.com

U. S. Spacesuits (2nd Edition) McMann

https://www.yakibooki.com/download/u-s-spacesuits-2nd-edition/

Contents

List of figures . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . xi
List of tables . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . xvii
List of contributors . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . xix
Preface . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . xxiii
Foreword. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . xxv
Acknowledgments . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . xxvii
Editorial notes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . xxix
Acronyms and abbreviations. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . xxxi

1 Introduction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1

2 Reaching upward and outward . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3

3 The basics of spacesuits . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11

3.1 Types of spacesuits . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11
Crew escape/rescue/launch/entry IVA suits . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11
Extravehicular activity spacesuits . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13
Intra/extravehicular activity dual-purpose spacesuits . . . . . . . . . 14
3.2 Challenges to spacesuit development . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15
Space vacuum vs. the human need for surrounding pressure . . . 15
The dynamics of a pressure enclosure and effects on joint mobility 15
Pressure selection and decompression . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16
Human-friendly spacesuit environments . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17
Thermal and radiation protection and control . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20
Protection from direct sunlight in space . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 22

v
This Book is Available on YakiBooki.com
vi Contents U. S. Spacesuits (2nd Edition) McMann
Space debris . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 23
The cost of space hardware . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 24

4 Launch/entry spacesuits: Past, present, and possibly future . . . . . . . . . 25

4.1 The NACA/NASA X-15 Program (1954–1968) . . . . . . . . . . . . 26
https://www.yakibooki.com/download/u-s-spacesuits-2nd-edition/
4.2 Mercury program (1959–1963) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 32
4.3 Dual-purpose suits for Gemini, Apollo, and the U.S. Air Force . 34
4.4 Shuttle crew escape systems research and development (1971–
1979) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 35
4.5 Shuttle ejection escape suits (1981–1982) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 38
4.6 Shuttle launch/entry suit (1987–1995). . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 40
4.7 Shuttle advanced crew escape suit (1990–present) . . . . . . . . . . . 44
Helmet assembly . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 46
Communications carrier assembly (CCA) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 47
Coverall assembly . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 47
Glove assemblies . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 49
Anti-g suit (AGS) assembly . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 49
Automatic safety features . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 49
4.8 Shuttle crew escape system overview . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 50
4.9 Answering the call for future intravehicular space safety . . . . . . 52

5 Gemini: The first approaches to exploring and working in space . . . . . . 61

5.1 Early safety warnings . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 62
5.2 Gemini pressure suit evaluation and development . . . . . . . . . . 63
5.3 The development of extravehicular systems for Gemini IV . . . . . 67
5.4 Gemini IV: The first U.S. spacewalk . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 72
5.5 Gemini V through VII goals and suit systems (1965 1966) . . . . 73
The Gemini V mission . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 73
Gemini VII/VIA mission: Objectives and results . . . . . . . . . . . 73
5.6 Systems and experiences from Gemini missions VIII to XII (1966) 76
Gemini VIII mission goals and system introductions . . . . . . . . 76
Gemini IXA systems revisions and objectives . . . . . . . . . . . . . 81
Gemini X mission changes and objectives. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 86
Gemini XI mission hardware revisions and objectives . . . . . . . . 89
Gemini XII mission changes and objectives . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 90
5.7 Lessons learned from Gemini. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 93

6 Apollo: Mankind starts the exploration of the Moon . . . . . . . . . . . . . 97

6.1 Before the Apollo suit program (1960–1962) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 98
6.2 The original Apollo spacesuit assembly program (1962–1964) . . . 102
6.3 The possibility of flying the ‘‘Lunar Leaper’’ (1963–1965) . . . . . 115
6.4 The Lunar Roving Vehicle (1963–1972) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 117
6.5 Suit system recovery through replan and invention (1963–1965) . 119
Developing the lunar ‘‘backpack’’ (1963–1965) . . . . . . . . . . . . 119

This Book is Available on YakiBooki.com

U. S. Spacesuits (2nd Edition) McMann Contents vii

Parallel efforts to develop the ‘‘Moon suit’’ (1964–1965) . . . . . 126

The 1965 EVA Pressure Suit Competition . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 147
6.6 Apollo Block I suits, almost (1965–1967) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 148
6.7 Completing the Apollo journey (1965–1972) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 150
Pushing to orbit (1965–1967) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 150
https://www.yakibooki.com/download/u-s-spacesuits-2nd-edition/
Apollo 7–10: Extravehicular mobility unit and use (1968) . . . . . 152
Apollo 11–13: EMU experience (1969–1970) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 159
Apollo 14: EMU configuration (1970) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 167
Apollo 15–17: EMU—improving existing systems and use (1968–
1972) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 168
6.8 Apollo suit system review . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 177

7 Advanced development for canceled Apollo missions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 179

7.1 Early advanced suits (1962–1965) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 180
7.2 Competition for Block III Apollo spacesuits (1966–1971). . . . . . 185
Litton Corporation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 185
NASA’s Ames Research Center . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 191
International Latex . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 191
Hamilton Standard . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 193
David Clark Company . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 195
AiResearch Division of Garrett Corporation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 198
Webb Associates . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 201
NASA’s Manned Spacecraft Center. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 203
7.3 Late Apollo summary . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 205

8 U.S. Air Force spacesuits . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 207

8.1 The U.S. Air Force X-20 program (1958–1963) . . . . . . . . . . . . 207
8.2 Early USAF spacesuit developments (1959–1964) . . . . . . . . . . . 209
8.3 Manned Orbiting Laboratory IEVA suit program . . . . . . . . . . 212
MOL IEVA developments (1963–1966) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 213
The MOL IEVA suit production contract (1967–1969) . . . . . . . 223
8.4 The ‘‘other’’ MOL suit systems . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 230
The MOL ‘‘exclusively EVA’’ suit development (1967–1969) . . . 231
MOL-related primate suits (1964–1969) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 234
8.5 Continuing USAF support of EVA spacesuit development (1970–
present) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 238

9 Skylab and the Apollo–Soyuz Test Project suit systems (1969–1975) . . . 239
9.1 Planning for a space station . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 239
9.2 Pressure suits: ‘‘Piggybacking’’ on Apollo . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 241
9.3 EVA life support system development: The umbilical makes a
comeback. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 243
ALSA hardware and operations description . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 245
Pressure control unit description. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 245
Secondary oxygen package description . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 251

This Book is Available on YakiBooki.com

viii Contents U. S. Spacesuits (2nd Edition) McMann
Life support umbilical description . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 254
Instrumentation system, and caution and warning system . . . . . 257
9.4 Skylab EVA and IVA experience . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 257
9.5 Skylab review . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 266
9.6 Apollo Soyuz Test Project. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 267
https://www.yakibooki.com/download/u-s-spacesuits-2nd-edition/
10 The Space Shuttle program: Orbital EVA comes of age . . . . . . . . . . . 271
10.1 Development of the Shuttle extravehicular mobility unit (1971–
1979) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 272
Development of requirements and technologies . . . . . . . . . . . . 272
The Shuttle EMU contract competition (1976–1977). . . . . . . . . 276
Changes in requirements and further EMU development (1977–
1983) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 282
Manned maneuvering unit development . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 289
EVA lights and helmet TV camera . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 290
10.2 Shuttle EMU: Baseline configuration (1979–2002) . . . . . . . . . . 292
Life support system contract end items . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 296
Spacesuit assembly contract end items . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 298
Support and ancillary items . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 300
Incremental improvements to the Shuttle EMU before 1990. . . . 301
Baseline flight service . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 303
Baseline EMU summary . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 316
10.3 The enhanced EMU for the International Space Station (1990–
present) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 316
System level enhancements . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 318
Pressure suit enhancements . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 322
Life support enhancements . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 327
Sizes considered and incorporated . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 330
Japan’s purchase of a U.S. EMU . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 332
Enhanced EMU flight experience . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 333
10.4 Shuttle EMU summary. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 340

11 The quest for future extravehicular activity and planetary exploration . . 341
11.1 Zero-gravity developments that continue to influence . . . . . . . . 342
Zero pre-breathe suit (ZPS) efforts (1982–1985) . . . . . . . . . . . . 344
The Ames AX-5 hard suit (1983–1989) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 352
Space Station Freedom (SSF) AEMU (1985–1990) . . . . . . . . . . 354
Continued advanced pressure glove efforts (1991–1999) . . . . . . . 366
Oceaneering Space Systems (OSS), a new competitor (1988). . . . 368
11.2 International cooperation and cross-influences . . . . . . . . . . . . . 369
11.3 Back-to-the-Moon and on-to-Mars ideas other than Project
Constellation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 374
Entrepreneurial EVA spacesuit efforts (1989–present) . . . . . . . . 376
NASA-funded efforts leading to Project Constellation (1994–2007) 381
Proactive contractor efforts (1996–present) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 395

This Book is Available on YakiBooki.com

U. S. Spacesuits (2nd Edition) McMann Contents ix

11.4 Constellation Spacesuit System (2007–2010) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 405

Development studies leading up to the CSSS competition . . . . . 405
The CSSS competition, contract, and cancelation. . . . . . . . . . . 407

12 Epilogue . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 413
https://www.yakibooki.com/download/u-s-spacesuits-2nd-edition/
Appendix A: U.S. spaceflight suit system overview . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 415
Appendix B: U.S. EVA information. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 447
Bibliography . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 461
Index . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 467

This Book is Available on YakiBooki.com