"With more than 150 illustrations, most from the Smithsonian Institution's National Air and Space Museum photo archive, U.S. Space Gear introduces students and space buffs to the development of the American space suit. From the earliest days of flight, design of comfortable yet protective flying clothing has proved almost as great a challenge as the creation of airplanes and spacecraft. As advancing technologies carried pilots nearer to space, suits were needed to duplicate the earth's atmosphere - its pressure, oxygen supply, and temperature." "Lillian Kozloski shows how researchers and suit designers culled life-saving ideas from sources both expected and obscure: deep-sea divers' equipment, the pressurized inner tubes of car tires, tomato worms, and medieval armor. Combinations of these ideas led to the protective garments still worn by high-flying pilots and to the full pressure suit, which became the modern space suit. Synthetic materials, such as Nomex, Mylar, and Kevlar, also played a significant role in making space clothing a reality." "U.S. Space Gear covers the development of the suits for each manned spaceflight program (Mercury, Gemini, Apollo, Skylab, and the present-day Shuttle) and the care and maintenance of space clothing." "Conservators, museum specialists, and others who work with textiles will appreciate the historical information on textiles used in space suits and the National Air and Space Museum protocols for handling newer synthetics that are ideal for short-term high performance in space but often cannot stand up to the more mundane rigors of museum display."--BOOK JACKET.Title Summary field provided by Blackwell North America, Inc. All Rights Reserved

With more than 150 illustrations, most from the Smithsonian's National Air and Space Museum's photo archive, this volume shows how researchers and designers culled life-saving ideas from sources both expected and obscure in their development of the space suit.

Spacesuits are far more than garments. They are a personalized spacecraft that allows direct contact and interaction with everything beyond our world, and a last refuge for survival in a disaster. Creating safe, reliable, and comfortable spacesuits is an ongoing challenge that has spanned over four decades. "U. S. Spacesuits, 2nd Edition" by Kenneth S. Thomas and Harold J. McMann details the technical evolution of U. S. spacesuits from their roots in high altitude aviation and vacuum tube development to present day, with an additional look into the future. This primary source of spacesuit information explains the functions, historical development, and use of spacesuits from a worldwide perspective. In this new edition, the authors update the story of U.S. spacesuit development and efforts, from the design challenges modern engineers face to the latest roles of spacesuits in space exploration. The book also provides a close up look at NASA's new Constellation Space Suit System as well as Apollo prototype configurations that have been discovered since 2005. Also not in the earlier edition is a prototype and model of the Gemini pressure suit and an explanation of its development. Finally, there are new insights into the suits used for the Gemini, Apollo, Skylab, Space Shuttle, and International Space Station missions.

The goal of landing a man on the Moon and returning him safely to Earth required the development of three things: spacecraft, launch vehicles, and protective clothing. Spacesuits: Within the Collections of the Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum takes the reader through the development of the last category, the spacesuits used during this venture. Highlighting the pressure suits created during the years leading up to the lunar missions and beyond, this book features dramatic photographs of the Smithsonian's collection, as well as never-before-published historical images of spacesuit development and testing-range-of-motion studies, for example, in which researchers wore spacesuits while playing baseball and football. The book also includes a group of advanced spacesuits, which, though never used on a mission, are in many respects the most exciting suits ever created. One suit glove has steel fingernails and sharkskin pads, in an attempt to harness the abilities of the human hand. Spacesuits are surprisingly fragile; they are made for a short lifespan in the most extreme of conditions, and long-term survival is not part of their design process. The final chapter touches briefly on the current conditions of historic suits, how they have held up over time, the reasons for their deterioration, and the rewards and difficulties associated with caring for and preserving these very complex and iconic artifacts. From the first spacesuit designs of the 1930s through those worn on the landmark Apollo-Soyuz program of 1975, Spacesuits provides a behind-the-scenes look at the history of these remarkable creations, including some that have never before been publicly displayed.

Featuring over 380 color photographs, this illustrated guidebook presents a visual history of the United States' space adventures, from the Mercury, Gemini, Apollo, Skylab, and Space Shuttle programs to the current International Space Station and Space X commercial ventures. A wide-ranging variety of equipment is featured, from rockets and spacecraft to clothing and handheld items. Detailed captions explain the construction and use of these custom-made, exotic items, many actually used on specific short- and long-duration space voyages. Featured museums include the National Museum of the United States Air Force, Dayton, Ohio; Space & Rocket Center, Huntsville, Alabama; Museum of Flight, Seattle, Washington; Smithsonian National Air & Space Museum, Washington, DC, and the nearby Steven F. Udvar-Hazy Center at Dulles Airport; and, in Florida, Cape Canaveral and the adjacent Kennedy Space Center, the Air Force Space Museum, Space History Center and the Astronaut Hall of Fame, the American Space Museum & Walk of Fame in Titusville, and the National Museum of Naval Aviation, Pensacola. This work is intended to enlighten readers as to what kind of space artifacts are on display to the public, and to inform as to where they can be seen in person.

"Astronauts need a lot of gear to complete missions. They can even build their own gear in space using 3D printers. Augmented reality makes space come alive in this exciting adventure"--