Apollo/Skylab spacesuit: Difference between revisions

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Revision as of 00:17, 12 December 2020

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{{short description|Space suit used in Apollo and Skylab missions}}

[[File:Apollo 11 space suit.jpg|thumb|200px|[[Neil Armstrong]] described his Apollo 11 A7L suit as "tough, reliable and almost cuddly."<ref>{{cite news|title=Science Friday Archives: How to Dress for Space Travel |url=http://www.sciencefriday.com/program/archives/201103256 |newspaper=NPR |date=March 25, 2011 |url-status=dead |archiveurlarchive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111010145433/http://www.sciencefriday.com/program/archives/201103256 |archivedatearchive-date=October 10, 2011 }}</ref>]]

The '''Apollo/Skylab space suit''' is a class of [[space suit]]s used in [[Apollo program|Apollo]] and [[Skylab]] missions. The names for both the Apollo and Skylab space suits were Extravehicular Mobility Unit (EMU).<ref name="us">{{cite book |title= US Spacesuits |author1=Kenneth S. Thomas |author2=Harold J. McMann |year= 2006 |publisher= Praxis Publishing Ltd. |___location= Chichester, UK |isbn= 0-387-27919-9 | pages = 428–435 | url= https://books.google.com/books?id=cdO2-4szcdgC }}</ref> The Apollo EMUs consisted of a Pressure Suit Assembly (PSA) aka "suit" and a Portable Life Support System (PLSS) that was more commonly called the "backpack".<ref name="us1">{{cite book |title= US Spacesuits |author1=Kenneth S. Thomas |author2=Harold J. McMann |year= 2006 |publisher= Praxis Publishing Ltd. |___location= Chichester, UK |isbn= 0-387-27919-9 | pages = 428–433 | url= https://books.google.com/books?id=cdO2-4szcdgC }}</ref> The A7L was the PSA model used on the Apollo 7 through 14 missions.<ref name="us2">{{cite book |title= US Spacesuits |author1=Kenneth S. Thomas |author2=Harold J. McMann |year= 2006 |publisher= Praxis Publishing Ltd. |___location= Chichester, UK |isbn= 0-387-27919-9 | pages = 428–429 | url= https://books.google.com/books?id=cdO2-4szcdgC }}</ref>

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The complete Apollo EMU made its space debut with Apollo 9 launched into space on March 3, 1969.<ref name=tjtm162-169>{{cite book |title= The Journey To Moonwalking |author=Kenneth S. Thomas |year= 2017 |publisher= Curtis Press |___location= Great Yarmouth, Norfolk, UK |isbn= 9-780993-400223 | pages = 162–169 | url= https://books.google.com/books?id=cdO2-4szcdgC }}</ref> On the fourth day of the mission, Lunar Module Pilot Russell Schweickart and Commander James McDivitt went into the Lunar Module. The astronauts then depressurized both the Command and Lunar Modules. Schweickart emerged from the Lunar Module to test the backpack and conduct experiments. David Scott partially emerged from the Command Module's hatch supported by an umbilical system connected to the Command Module to observe. The EVA lasted only 46 minutes but allowed a verification of both EVA configurations of the EMU. This was the only Apollo spacewalk prior to the Apollo 11 lunar landing mission.

Apollo 11 made the A7L the most iconic suit of the program. It proved to be the primary [[pressure suit]] worn by [[NASA]] astronauts for [[Project Apollo]]. Starting in 1969, the A7L suits were designed and produced by [[ILC Dover]] (a division of [[Playtex]] at the time). The A7L is an evolution of ILC's initial A5L, which won a 1965 pressure suit competition, and A6L, which introduced the integrated thermal and micrometeroid cover layer. After the deadly [[Apollo 1]] fire, the suit was upgraded to be fire-resistant and designated A7L.<ref name='SP-4011:Skylab A Chronology'>{{cite web|url=https://history.nasa.gov/SP-4011/part2c.htm |title=SP-4011:Skylab A Chronology |accessdateaccess-date=2007-07-07 |year=1977 |publisher=[[NASA]] | archiveurlarchive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20070717011524/https://history.nasa.gov/SP-4011/part2c.htm| archivedatearchive-date= 17 July 2007 | url-status= live}}</ref><ref name='EMU Development'>{{cite web|url=http://www.hq.nasa.gov/alsj/tnD8093EMUDevelop.html |title=Development of the Extravehicular Mobility Unit|publisher=NASA |author1=Charles C. Lutz|author2=Harley L. Stutesman |author3=Maurice A. Carson |author4=James W. McBarron II |year=1975 |accessdateaccess-date=10 January 2016 | archiveurlarchive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20070801204432/http://www.hq.nasa.gov/alsj/tnD8093EMUDevelop.html| archivedatearchive-date= 1 August 2007 | url-status= live}}</ref>

On July 20, 1969, the [[Apollo 11]] EMUs were prominent in television coverage of the first lunar landing. Also in 1969, International Latex elected to spin-off its pressure suit business to form ILC Dover.

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[[Image:EV-A7LB.png|thumb|200px|left]]

For the last three Apollo lunar flights [[Apollo 15|Apollos 15]], [[Apollo 16|16]], and [[Apollo 17|17]], the spacesuits were extensively revised. The pressure suits were called A7LB, which came in two versions. The Extra-vehicular (EV) version was a new mid-entry suit that allowed greater mobility and easier operations with the lunar rover. The A7LB EV suits were designed for longer duration J-series missions, in which three EVAs would be conducted and the [[Lunar Roving Vehicle]] (LRV) would be used for the first time. Originally developed by ILC-Dover as the "A9L," but given the designation "A7LB" by NASA,<ref name="isbn0-387-27919-9">{{cite book |author1=Harold J. McMann |author2=Thomas, Kenneth P. |title=US Spacesuits (Springer Praxis Books / Space Exploration) |publisher=Praxis |___location= |isbn=0-387-27919-9 |oclc= |doi=|pages=171–172}}</ref> the new suit incorporated two new joints at the neck and waist. The waist joint was added to allow the astronaut to sit on the LRV and the neck joint was to provide additional visibility while driving the LRV. Because of the waist joint, the six life-support connectors were rearranged from the parallel pattern to a set of two "triangles," and the up-and-down back zipper was revised and relocated.<ref name='EMU Development' /> The "zipper" is actually a misnomer in that the A7L entry was through two zippers sewn over each other. The inner zipper had rubber teeth and provided sealing. The outer (externally visible) zipper was a conventional metal toothed slider for mechanical restraint. The A7LB had two pairs of such zipper sets that intersected on the right side of the suit above the waist joint. Opening the suit required undoing a clasp that held the zipper sets together.{{Citation needed|date=July 2018}}

In addition, the EVA backpacks were modified to carry more oxygen, [[lithium hydroxide]] (LiOH), more power, and cooling water for the longer EVAs.<ref name='EMU Development' /> While NASA wished these revisions to be accomplished without a volume increase, that was not possible. NASA allowed a minor protrusion on one side for an auxiliary water tank resulting in the last configuration of backpack. To maximize the return of lunar samples, the main module of both the Apollo 11,12,14 and 15-17 backpacks were left on the Moon.

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=== ASTP Spacesuit ===

[[Image:Astp-KSC-75PC-409HR.2.jpg|thumb|200px|right| The ASTP crew, entering the transfer van]]

For the [[Apollo-Soyuz Test Project]], NASA decided to use the A7LB CMP pressure suit assembly worn on the J-missions with a few changes to save cost and weight since an EVA was not planned during the mission. The changes included a simplified cover layer which was cheaper, lighter and more durable as well as the removal of the pressure relief valve and unused gas connectors. No EVA visor assemblies or EVA gloves were carried on the mission.<ref name="ASTP Press">{{cite web|title=Apollo ASTP Press Kit|url=https://history.nasa.gov/astp/documents/astp%20press%20kit%20(us).pdf|publisher=NASA|accessdateaccess-date=4 March 2014|page=53|date=10 June 1975}}</ref>

The ASTP A7LB suit was the only Apollo suit to use the [[NASA logo|NASA "worm" logo]], which was introduced in 1975 and used extensively by NASA until 1992.