U.S. spacesuits / Kenneth S. Thomas and Harold J. McMann.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Thomas, Kenneth S.

Contributor:

McMann, Harold J.

Thomas, Kenneth S.

Series:

Space Exploration

Springer-Praxis books in space exploration

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Space suits--United States--History.

Space suits.

Extravehicular space suits.

Physical Description:

1 online resource (500 p.)

Edition:

2nd ed.

Other Title:

U.S. space suits

Place of Publication:

New York : Springer ; Chichester, UK : Published in Association with Praxis Pub., c2012.

Language Note:

English

Summary:

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.

Contents:

List of figures

List of tables

List of contributors

Preface

Foreword

Acknowledgments

Editorial notes

Acronyms and abbreviations

Chapter 1: Introduction

Chapter 2: Reaching upward and outward

Chapter 3: The basics of spacesuits

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

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

Chapter 6: Apollo: Mankind starts the exploration of the Moon

Chapter 7: Advanced development for canceled Apollo missions

Chapter 8: U.S. Air Force spacesuits

Chapter 9: Skylab and the Apollo-Soyuz Test Project suit systems (1969-1975)

Chapter 10: The Space Shuttle program: Orbital EVA comes of age

Chapter 11: The quest for future extravehicular activity and planetary exploration

Chapter 12: Epilogue

Appendix A: U.S. spaceflight suit system overview

Appendix B: U.S. EVA information

Bibliography

Index.

Notes:

Previous ed. published 2006 with title: US spacesuits.

Includes bibliographical references (p. 461-465) and index.

Related Work:

Thomas, Kenneth S. US spacesuits.

ISBN:

9786613445124

9781283445122

1283445123

9781441995667

1441995668

OCLC:

779195985