This page deals with some of the spacesuits that were contenders for the
role of being the suit to walk on the moon. Some are interesting, some
absurd, and some are very good.
I'm not sure of the name of
this suit, but I think it was called the RX-3. It was definately an early
concept, without a water cooling system, and it had a padded helmet, front
zipper entry, and the exhaust outlet was on the back of the helmet. The
oxygen inlet is on the front of the suit, and the comunications hookup
was on a pigtail on the helmet. This wasn't even really a contender for
a lunar suit, it was basically just a suit that was used to demonstrate
the flexibility of the bellows-like joints.
This
prototype lunar suit was the second major contender for a lunar spacesuit.
It was a relatively early concept, but it was a good one. It had two double-oxygen
connectors (one actual locking mechanism but two ports in one large connector)
on the torso, a padded helmet with a pull-down searling visor, and an entrance
zipper in the front. It lacked a water cooling system, and the communication
attachment was on the helmet itself. This particular model was designated
the A-3H-024. The one on the right may have been a later version of the A-3H-024, with two seperate connectors instead of one, but I'm not sure about the rest of the suit.
In this picture, a test subject is submerged
in a water tank for extended periods of time in order to simulate extended
periods of weightlessness in a spacesuit. (I don't know the exact time,
but I think it was at least 36 hours.) It was originally planned for Apollo
that one member of the crew would spend the entire journey in his spacesuit,
and this experiment was designed to perfect the Apollo suit for long-term
wear. This was one of the earliest Apollo spacesuit prototypes, modified
for underwater use. Experiments like this were conducted frequently to
determine the effects of extended durations of relying on a spacesuit for
life-support. What an experience it would have been to be the test subject
in one of these experiments!
This image also shows a test subject
submerged in a specialized suit for long durations. This test was to determine
the effects of long-term weightlessness, and the subject was submerged
for about two weeks. (Yes, up to and including 14 days!) Supplied with EVERYTHING needed for survival by a
large number of hoses, the test subject relied totally on these tubes and
hoses to keep him alive and connected to the world outside the tank for
two weeks. I would have been a willing volunteer in one of these experiments!
This is the Apollo spacesuit with its prototype
thermal meteoroid overgarment (TMG) completely covering the suit. The overgarment
was designed to protect the pressure suit from micrometeoroids and extreme
temperatures. However, the TMG was deemed too difficult to don for EVAs,
so it was later incorperated directly into the Apollo space suit. This
made the suit somewhat less flexible in the pressure suit configuration,
but it was much easier to don. This astronaut is wearing the suit with
two oxygen hoses connected from an external source, but he is wearing the
backpack to simulate the extra weight on the moon. The TMG was actually
a two-piece garment, unlike the pressure suit itself, and it was donned
over the pressure suit like a shirt and pants, and it closed with a zippered
or Velcro™ flap in the front. The test subject in this photo has the entire
TMG on, and it covers all umbilical connections on the chest of the suit.
This
pressure suit was the best prototype lunar suit. Designated the A6-L, it
is very similar to the A7-L, the suit that was actually used on the moon.
It had 6 connectors on the front (The arrangement of these connectors was
the same as that on the A7-L. See the Apollo page.). It had a rear zipper
entry, an open helmet (it wasn't padded) that put the weight of the helmet
on the wearer's shoulders instead of his head, and attachments for a water-cooled
undergarment. The reason you cannot see the chest connectors on the A6-L
is that it had a dust cover to protect the hoses and thier connectors on
the suit. It was attached whenever the suit's umbilicals were attached.
The suit had quick disconnects at the wrists for the gloves, and at the
neck for the helmet. It's helmet was more compact than that of the A7-L,
though. It was a wonderful merging of man and machine. What an enjoyable
experience it would be to wear one of these creations. The procedure for
donning an A6-L is the same as donning an A7-L.
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This
prototype lunar suit was the second major contender for a lunar spacesuit.
It was a relatively early concept, but it was a good one. It had two double-oxygen
connectors (one actual locking mechanism but two ports in one large connector)
on the torso, a padded helmet with a pull-down searling visor, and an entrance
zipper in the front. It lacked a water cooling system, and the communication
attachment was on the helmet itself. This particular model was designated
the A-3H-024. The one on the right may have been a later version of the A-3H-024, with two seperate connectors instead of one, but I'm not sure about the rest of the suit.
In this picture, a test subject is submerged
in a water tank for extended periods of time in order to simulate extended
periods of weightlessness in a spacesuit. (I don't know the exact time,
but I think it was at least 36 hours.) It was originally planned for Apollo
that one member of the crew would spend the entire journey in his spacesuit,
and this experiment was designed to perfect the Apollo suit for long-term
wear. This was one of the earliest Apollo spacesuit prototypes, modified
for underwater use. Experiments like this were conducted frequently to
determine the effects of extended durations of relying on a spacesuit for
life-support. What an experience it would have been to be the test subject
in one of these experiments!
This image also shows a test subject
submerged in a specialized suit for long durations. This test was to determine
the effects of long-term weightlessness, and the subject was submerged
for about two weeks. (Yes, up to and including 14 days!) Supplied with EVERYTHING needed for survival by a
large number of hoses, the test subject relied totally on these tubes and
hoses to keep him alive and connected to the world outside the tank for
two weeks. I would have been a willing volunteer in one of these experiments!
This is the Apollo spacesuit with its prototype
thermal meteoroid overgarment (TMG) completely covering the suit. The overgarment
was designed to protect the pressure suit from micrometeoroids and extreme
temperatures. However, the TMG was deemed too difficult to don for EVAs,
so it was later incorperated directly into the Apollo space suit. This
made the suit somewhat less flexible in the pressure suit configuration,
but it was much easier to don. This astronaut is wearing the suit with
two oxygen hoses connected from an external source, but he is wearing the
backpack to simulate the extra weight on the moon. The TMG was actually
a two-piece garment, unlike the pressure suit itself, and it was donned
over the pressure suit like a shirt and pants, and it closed with a zippered
or Velcro™ flap in the front. The test subject in this photo has the entire
TMG on, and it covers all umbilical connections on the chest of the suit.
This
pressure suit was the best prototype lunar suit. Designated the A6-L, it
is very similar to the A7-L, the suit that was actually used on the moon.
It had 6 connectors on the front (The arrangement of these connectors was
the same as that on the A7-L. See the Apollo page.). It had a rear zipper
entry, an open helmet (it wasn't padded) that put the weight of the helmet
on the wearer's shoulders instead of his head, and attachments for a water-cooled
undergarment. The reason you cannot see the chest connectors on the A6-L
is that it had a dust cover to protect the hoses and thier connectors on
the suit. It was attached whenever the suit's umbilicals were attached.
The suit had quick disconnects at the wrists for the gloves, and at the
neck for the helmet. It's helmet was more compact than that of the A7-L,
though. It was a wonderful merging of man and machine. What an enjoyable
experience it would be to wear one of these creations. The procedure for
donning an A6-L is the same as donning an A7-L.