From space development competition to Martian manned flight, NASA's movie "Suit Up" looking back on the history of space flight with huge pictures and images

ByNASA Goddard Space Flight Center

NASA celebrated its 50th anniversary as astronauts in the US for the first time carried out extravehicular activities in outer space, and in commemoration of the 50th anniversary, from the space development competition to the lunar landing / space swimming etc., concerning the universe so far Documentary of the activity "Suit Up - 50 Years of Spacewalks"On YouTube.

Suit Up - 50 Years of Spacewalks - YouTube


The documentary progresses with interviews of various astronauts and staff. It is reflected in the following imageSchnitt · WilliamsIs an astronaut who has a record of 195 days in the world's longest universe as a woman. "It's really wonderful to see the space when you come out of the ship and look around," talking about space flight.


It was the captain of Apollo 17Eugene SarnanSaid, "When the hatch was opened, the universe spreads in front of us, it was spectacular."


Richard LinhanWhen I went to space, he understood that it was clear that "what is loneliness".


Prior to going to space, the astronauts will enter the water with the space suit worn and will train outboard activities.


Actual training is like this.


Wearing space suit, correcting things outside the ship and doing something is a rare experience for many and adventurous.


Looking back on the history of human spaceflight, the world's first artificial satelliteSputnik 1Was launched by the Soviet Union in 1957. At this time, the United States which had not done exploration of the universe has received a big shock.


America that fears that "There is a country in the world that can send supplies to space ahead of the United States" will bring together all the technologies and start planning to send humans to the universe.


"Obviously motivation is competition ... to win the Soviet Union.We had to do with the prestige of the state and human beings were sent to the moon within 10 years" talkKathryn C. C. ThorntonMr.


Competition about the universe of America and the Soviet Union will heat up with the times.


In 1961 he was an astronaut in the Soviet UnionYuri GagarinWill get on to Vostok 1 alone and make the world's first manned space flight successful.


And, following the Gagarin's space flight, America was a navy soldierAlan ShepardTo the universe.


About the circumstances of the time "San Francisco said that" America needed a hero, "Sirann said.


And when both the United States and the Soviet Union succeed in manned flight, this time we will focus on doing space swimming and performing extravehicular activities. He was a soldier of the Soviet UnionAleksey LeonovWas the first astronaut in the world to do space swimming in 1965.


This is the situation when Mr. Leonov actually took part in extravehicular activities stating that "I stood in the space 500 km above the ground and looked at half of the world."


Mr. Sagnin said, "It's relatively easy to get sucked into space when you leave the ship, but the expansive bulk clothes that had become inflated should have had to pull out to get out of the ship, I explained the difficulty of space flight at the time.


After that, in the United StatesGemini planRun. The Gemini program aimed at developing more advanced technologies such as rendezvous, docking and space swimming which are required in the Apollo project sending humans in January.


The state of training is as follows.



And the following is the state of the extravehicular activity actually carried out.


The extravehicular activity time in the Gemini project reached as much as 20 minutes.


In the Gemini project a total of 10 manned flights were done, but working in a zero gravity space was difficult, and the astronauts had failed even simple tasks with the first extravehicular activity. However, he seems to have learned in the field and improved his skill by training on the earth.


And, what followed the Gemini project was the purpose of manned flight to the first month of humanityApollo plan.


Until the Gemini project, the space suit was not custom made, but the mobility of the arms and knees became more important in flight to the moon, so for the astronauts who participated in the Apollo program, Space suit fitted to your body was made.


Three, two, one ... ... while many people are watching ......


Apollo 11 will fire.


People who rejoice.


At this time, the moon's descent left a famous word "This is a small step for one person, but a great leap for mankind"Neil ArmstrongWithBuzz AldrinMr.


Mr. Thornton who was a high school student at the time said he was watching the live lunar landing on TV.


Mr. Aldrin, who actually took the moon landing, said, "If you are wearing a big backpack and wearing a big space suit, you try to walk in the direction of the camera, I will go in a completely different direction," I talked about the difficulty of moving the body.


The state of the actual astronaut who actually walks on the moon is as if the rabbit is bouncing off the ground.


"It is really wonderful experience of walking" moon "which human beings have never stepped on before," says Dava Newman, deputy director of NASA.


Lunar surface exploration using a probe was also done.


After that, NASA will build a space stationSkylab planstart.


Looking at the astronaut's eyes as to the skylab plan greatly different from the Apollo project was that the backpack was integrated with the space suit.


In the Apollo project air was sent through the hose from the backpack on the back, but in the Skylab project the life support equipment was attached to the body of the space suit.


This is the structure of the space suit used in the Skylab project. It has been improved to a simple and refreshing design.


Space suit for astronauts is not a goddess like to wear only at the time of production, but a thing like a friend, to keep on wearing from the time of training.


And the space suit continued evolving, in 1984,Bruce · McCandless IIIs the first in the world to succeed in space walk without a lifeline.


McCandless II floating on the earth fluently.


After that, for the people traveling in space, extravehicular activities are important tasks while becoming a great pleasure.


In 1984,Svetlana · Evgeniyevna · SabitsukayaStayed for 3 hours and 35 minutes outside the spaceship, and for the first time as a woman did the space swimming for the first time in history.


Following Sabitsukaya,Catherine · D · SullivanAlso did the first space walk as an American woman. Sullivan stayed in space for 532 hours with a space shuttle mission of three times in total.


In this movement, extravehicular activities in space will occupy a very important position for NASA.


Development of tools for extravehicular activities has also been done steadily.


Space suit also improves, we are evolving day by day both design and function.



Also, at NASA's control center on Earth, 25 to 100 staff check the data sent from outer space and check the activities of astronauts day by day. Since data is checked also at Houston and the Space Center in Colorado, if we include the development of tools to the support of activities, thousands of people gather together every day to do one extravehicular activity .


However, even if the support system is perfect, sudden happening happens, of course. According to Aldrin, what astronauts most to avoid is 'to panic'. The situation worsens when panic occurs.


Thornton said that when feeling that it is necessary to complete the work while being seen by many people within a limited time, the feeling that "I do not want to miss" becomes stronger, and he feels fear.


Italian people working in the European Space AgencyLuca PalmitanoIs also one of the astronauts who faced terror in outer space. Mr. Palmitano seems to feel the feeling of cold water in the back of the head during extravehicular activities.


Mr. Palmitano took contact with the center staff on the planet and told him that "something that I had not anticipated has happened". However, officials on the ground seemed to be unable to grasp what happened in the space suit.


Mr. Palmitano did not successfully tell the center staff that "How much water is increasing in the helmet?", But eventually from the center "to stop the extravehicular activity" The directive was issued.


Meanwhile the water in the helmet of Mr. Palmitano increased and breathed barely because I came in my eyes and ears, but I could not see anything and I could not hear it.


Fortunately, Mr. Palmitano, who had underwater training on the earth, moved to the spacecraft using knowledge and experience. Although Mr. Palmitano who was deprived of sight, the light was on the air-tight gateway of the spacecraft, so it seems that somehow it was able to return to the ship aiming for the light.


With the help of his colleagues waiting inside the ship, Mr. Palmitano could safely take off his suit.


Based on these horrible experiences, space technology is being developed day by day, and currently focuses on manned flight to Mars. It is noteworthy that manned flight to Mars is aimed not only to "go" to Mars but "to stay". Already NASAUnmanned spacecraft on MarsWe have begun to investigate, even private companiesMove humans to MarsPlan is made.


Because we assume that gravity is small and there is no gravity in the first place, we are studying and developing methods of activities and techniques and treatments themselves.


Following the escape from the earth, landing on the moon, swimming outside the boat, and the next stage towards humans is Mars. Tools for thatNew space suitTechnology has been developed, and steadily preparations are proceeding.


The special site of "Suit Up" is also open so that you can see various pictures and movies related to past NASA activities.

#SuitUp with NASA for the Journey to Mars | NASA
http://www.nasa.gov/suitup