Narrator: SPACE-- THE MOST EXTREME ENVIRONMENT
HUMANS HAVE EVER EXPLORED.
Man: YOU’RE IN THIS TOTALLY HOSTILE ENVIRONMENT,
AND IF A GLOVE POPS OFF, YOU’RE DEAD.
Narrator: THERE’S ONLY A FEW THIN LAYERS OF FABRIC
TO KEEP YOU ALIVE.
Man: I COULD FEEL THE INTENSE HEAT INCREASE
ALONG THE BACK OF MY SPINE.
I KNEW I WAS GETTING IN TROUBLE.
Narrator: THERE’S NO AIR,
HIGH DOSES OF RADIATION, AND SEVERE SWINGS OF TEMPERATURE.
TO EXPLORE THIS FRONTIER,
WE’VE ENGINEERED THE ULTIMATE SURVIVAL SUIT.
Man: TO BUILD AN ELBOW THAT FLEXES,
A SHOULDER JOINT THAT ROTATES,
WHEN YOU PUT THAT PRESSURE IN THE SUIT,
THAT’S WHERE IT BECOMES A REAL CHALLENGE.
Narrator: FROM THE EARLY PIONEERS,
IT’S A TALE OF HEROIC COURAGE.
Man: WHEN I REALIZED I HAD PROBLEMS WITH MY SUIT,
THEN I KNEW THAT NO ONE WOULD BE ABLE TO HELP ME.
Woman: HE WAS THE FIRST. THAT’S VERY BRAVE.
Narrator: AND FOR THOSE LUCKY ENOUGH TO WALK IN SPACE TODAY,
IT’S AN UNFORGETTABLE EXPERIENCE.
Man: WHEN YOU OPEN THE AIRLOCK,
IT FEELS LIKE ELECTRICITY FLOATING THROUGH YOUR VEINS.
NOW YOU CAN FLY WITHOUT WINGS, WITHOUT WEIGHT.
YOU’RE FLOATING. IT’S ALMOST MAGIC.
Narrator: THIS IS THE STORY OF THE SPACE SUIT,
TOLD BY THE DESIGNERS, THE ENGINEERS,
AND THOSE WHO WEAR THEM
ON THE HIGHEST FRONTIER OF HUMAN EXPLORATION.
Man on radio: WELCOME TO SPACE. HAVE A GOOD ONE.
Narrator: 250 MILES ABOVE THE EARTH,
LUCA PARMITANO IS REALIZING AN ASTRONAUT’S DREAM.
Luca Parmitano: WHEN YOU GO OUTSIDE,
ALL YOU HAVE IS YOUR SPACE SUIT,
AND OUT THERE, THERE IS A WHOLE UNIVERSE,
AND YOU ARE STRONGLY AWARE OF THAT.
IS IT EXCITING? YES, INCREDIBLY EXCITING.
Narrator: WITH FELLOW ASTRONAUT CHRIS CASSIDY,
HE’S WALKING IN SPACE TO MAINTAIN THE SPACE STATION,
WHEN HE NOTICES THAT SOMETHING’S WRONG.
Parmitano: I REACH BACK WITH MY HEAD,
AND I FELT WATER IN MY HELMET.
IT COULD HAVE BEEN SWEAT, BUT IT FELT LIKE A LOT.
IT DIDN’T MAKE ANY SENSE,
AND THAT’S WHEN I CALLED THE GROUND.
AND CHRIS STARTED SEEING THE WATER
ACCUMULATING ON MY FOREHEAD.
Narrator: THIS SITUATION IS EXTREMELY DANGEROUS.
IN SPACE, THE WATER WILL STICK TO HIS HEAD
AND COULD SPREAD ACROSS HIS FACE.
Parmitano: I COULD FEEL IT TRAVELING
FROM THE BACK OF MY HEAD TOWARDS THE FRONT OF MY HEAD.
Man on radio: ALL RIGHT, CHRIS AND LUCA,
WE THINK WE’RE GOING TO TERMINATE EVA CASE FOR EV-2,
SO, LUCA, WE’LL HAVE YOU HEAD BACK TO THE AIRLOCK.
Chris Cassidy: YOU COPY THAT, LUCA?
HEAD ON IN.
Narrator: NASA QUICKLY ABORTS THE SPACE WALK,
BUT LUCA’S CONDITION IS CHANGING FASTER THAN ANYONE EXPECTS.
Parmitano: THE WATER COVERED MY EYES,
AND IT WENT INSIDE MY NOSE.
IT ALSO WENT INSIDE MY EARS.
NOW I COULDN’T SEE. I COULDN’T HEAR.
I HAD TO BREATHE ONLY THROUGH MY MOUTH,
AND I COULDN’T TALK.
Narrator: TRAPPED INSIDE HIS SPACE SUIT,
LUCA CAN’T WIPE THE WATER AWAY.
THE SUIT THAT SHOULD PROTECT HIM
IS NOW THREATENING TO SUFFOCATE HIM.
NO ONE KNOWS HOW LONG HE’S GOT
BEFORE THE WATER COVERS HIS MOUTH.
THE ORIGINS OF THE SPACE SUIT BEGIN ALMOST BY ACCIDENT
80 YEARS EARLIER.
IT’S 1934.
AVIATION PIONEER WILEY POST IS PREPARING
A RECORD-BREAKING TRANSCONTINENTAL FLIGHT
ACROSS AMERICA.
Bob van der Linden: WILEY POST WAS JUST AN ADVENTURER.
HIS CAREER GOT STARTED
AS A ROUGHNECK IN THE OILFIELDS OF TEXAS.
SECOND DAY ON THE JOB,
HE WAS BLINDED IN ONE EYE BY AN ACCIDENT.
HE TOOK THE MONEY HE GOT IN COMPENSATION
AND BOUGHT AN AIRPLANE
AND JUST JUMPED IN WITH AVIATION WITH BOTH FEET.
Narrator: WITH TWO ROUND-THE-WORLD FLIGHT RECORDS
TO HIS NAME,
POST IS NO STRANGER TO DANGER,
BUT THIS NEW CHALLENGE WILL EXPOSE HIM TO DIFFERENT RISKS.
TO FLY FASTER, POST WILL NEED TO USE
HIGH-SPEED WINDS FOUND AT UP TO 50,000 FEET,
WHERE THE AIR’S TOO THIN TO SURVIVE.
UP HERE, WITHOUT ENOUGH ATMOSPHERIC PRESSURE,
NITROGEN IN HIS BLOOD WILL FORM BUBBLES,
CAUSING THE BENDS.
THEN THERE’S THE LACK OF OXYGEN.
Pablo de León: THE FIRST THING YOU NOTICE
IS COGNITIVE ISSUES.
YOU DON’T KNOW WHERE YOU WERE BORN,
YOU DON’T REMEMBER YOUR NAME,
AND IF THAT PERSISTS, YOU’LL DIE.
♪
Narrator: ONE POSSIBLE SOLUTION IS TO CARRY MORE AIR,
SEALING THE COCKPIT TO MAINTAIN THE RIGHT PRESSURE,
BUT THAT WILL BE TOO EXPENSIVE FOR POST
AND WILL ADD TOO MUCH WEIGHT
TO GET THE PLANE TO THE RIGHT ALTITUDE.
Van der Linden: SO THE SOLUTION FOR HIM, VERY LOGICALLY,
IS IF YOU CAN’T PRESSURIZE THE AIRPLANE,
PRESSURIZE THE PILOT.
Narrator: POST DECIDES TO PROTECT HIMSELF
INSIDE A SUIT THAT WILL HOLD THE AIR PRESSURE AND THE OXYGEN
HE NEEDS TO SURVIVE.
HE APPROACHES A COMPANY THAT SPECIALIZES IN RUBBER,
CALLED B.F. GOODRICH.
THEY TASK ENGINEER RUSSELL COLLEY WITH THE JOB.
Cathleen Lewis: RUSSELL COLLEY IS A FASCINATING CHARACTER
IN THE HISTORY OF SPACE SUIT DEVELOPMENT.
HE HAD ORIGINALLY WANTED TO GO TO FASHION SCHOOL
AND BECOME A DESIGNER FOR WOMEN’S DRESSWEARS,
AND SOMEHOW HIS PARENTS CONVINCED HIM
TO GO TO TECHNICAL SCHOOL.
Narrator: COLLEY HAS A TOUGH CHALLENGE.
THE SUIT HAS TO DO TWO DIFFERENT JOBS--
CONTAIN AIR AT A HIGHER PRESSURE THAN ITS SURROUNDINGS
AND STAY FLEXIBLE.
Van der Linden: THE REQUIREMENT FOR FLEXIBILITY
AND THE PRESSURE ARE, ARE CONTRADICTORY.
THE TRICKY PART, IN A PRESSURE SUIT,
IS BEING ABLE TO MOVE BECAUSE YOU’VE GOT TO FLY THE CONTROLS,
AND IF YOU CAN’T DO THAT, YOU CAN’T FLY THE AIRPLANE.
Narrator: TO KEEP THE SUIT FLEXIBLE,
THE PRESSURE INSIDE IT
WILL BE JUST ONE THIRD OF THAT FOUND AT SEA LEVEL,
BUT NO ONE KNOWS IF THE SUIT WILL KEEP HIM ALIVE.
COLLEY STITCHES IT ON HIS WIFE’S SEWING MACHINE.
POST’S LIFE WILL DEPEND ON THE QUALITY OF HIS NEEDLEWORK.
[SEWING MACHINE RUNNING]
DRESSED INSIDE IT, POST BOARDS HIS LOCKHEED VEGA AIRCRAFT
IN LOS ANGELES ON MARCH 15, 1935.
AS HE APPROACHES 50,000 FEET, HE’S WELL INTO THE DEATH ZONE,
BUT COLLEY’S STITCHING IS HOLDING.
Van der Linden: WHEN HE GOT THE AIRPLANE UP TO ALTITUDE
AND FOUND THE JET STREAM,
HIS AVERAGE SPEED WAS 289 MILES AN HOUR,
QUITE REMARKABLE BECAUSE IT WAS SIGNIFICANTLY FASTER
THAN THE AIRPLANE WAS DESIGNED TO GO.
Narrator: POST COVERS THE FIRST 2,000 MILES
IN JUST OVER SEVEN HOURS
AND IS ON TRACK TO BEAT THE TRANSCONTINENTAL RECORD.
BUT 400 MILES SHORT OF THE NEW YORK FINISH LINE,
HE STARTS TO RUN LOW ON OXYGEN
AND IS FORCED TO LAND IN CLEVELAND.
POST MIGHT NOT HAVE CLINCHED HIS SPEED RECORD,
BUT HE’S PROVED THAT MAN CAN SURVIVE AT 50,000 FEET,
THANKS TO COLLEY’S PRESSURE SUIT.
Van der Linden: HIS FLIGHT WAS INDEED A VERY BIG DEAL
BECAUSE HE SHOWED THE IMPORTANCE OF PRESSURIZATION,
DEVELOPING THE WORLD’S FIRST PRACTICAL WORKING PRESSURE SUIT
WAS ENORMOUSLY IMPORTANT.
♪
Narrator: TODAY, POST’S SUIT IS KEPT
AT THE SMITHSONIAN’S CONSERVATION INSTITUTE
IN WASHINGTON, D.C.
Van der Linden: POST’S PRESSURE SUIT IS MADE OF THREE LAYERS.
YOU CAN SEE THE FIRST ONE HERE WAS THE INNER LAYER.
THIS IS A UNION SUIT, OR LONG JOHNS.
IT WAS FOR WARMTH,
SO IT WOULD HAVE BEEN VERY NICE AND COMFORTABLE.
THE SECOND LAYER, AND THIS IS, YOU KNOW,
THE CRUX OF THE OUTFIT
IS THIS RUBBER INFLATABLE BLADDER
THAT WENT OVER HIS ENTIRE BODY, UP TO HIS HEAD,
BUT IT WOULDN’T WORK UNLESS YOU HAD THIS HEAVY-DUTY OUTER LAYER,
WHICH IS MADE OUT OF VERY HEAVY-DUTY COTTON
THAT’S STITCHED AND RE-STITCHED
TO CONTAIN THE RUBBER BLADDER AS IT EXPANDS.
KEY TO THE SUCCESS OF THE SUIT WAS THE HELMET.
IT LOOKS A BIT LIKE A DIVING HELMET.
GOOD FIT, RUBBER SEAL AROUND THE EDGE.
GIVEN THAT HE ONLY HAD ONE EYE,
THEY ACTUALLY POSITIONED THE WINDOW A LITTLE BIT OFF CENTER
SO IT WOULD MAXIMIZE THE VISIBILITY FOR HIS GOOD EYE.
IT IS THE GRANDFATHER OF ALL PRESSURE SUITS.
Narrator: TODAY’S SPACE SUITS STILL BALANCE
THE SAME CONTRADICTORY REQUIREMENTS
OF FLEXIBILITY AND PRESSURE
IN THE EVEN MORE CHALLENGING VACUUM OF SPACE.
DURING THE 1940s AND ’50s,
RUSSELL COLLEY LAYS THE GROUNDWORK
FOR MANY OF TODAY’S SPACE SUITS
AS HE WORKS ON A NEW GENERATION OF PRESSURE SUITS
TO FLY EVEN HIGHER THAN POST.
SURPRISINGLY, HIS BREAKTHROUGH SOLUTION COMES TO HIM
WHILE TENDING HIS GARDEN.
Lewis: HE WAS WATCHING A TOMATO WORM
WALKING IN SEGMENTS AND EXPANDING AND CONTRACTING,
AND HE SAW HOW THE WORM WOULD EXPAND ON ONE SIDE
WHILE CONTRACTING ON THE OTHER AND USING THAT AS LOCOMOTION.
Narrator: COPYING THE TOMATO WORM,
COLLEY DESIGNS SOMETHING CALLED A CONVOLUTE.
IT’S A JOINT THAT BEHAVES LIKE AN ACCORDION,
AND IT TRANSFORMS PRESSURE SUITS LIKE THIS ARROWHEAD MARK IV.
Lewis: THE CONVOLUTES ARE SPACED AT THE KNEES,
THE TOPS OF THE THIGH, THE WAIST,
THE ELBOWS, AND FOREARMS.
HERE YOU HAVE A PRESSURE SUIT
THAT WOULD ALLOW A PILOT TO MOVE HIS LEGS,
BEND HIS KNEES, BEND OVER, REACH FROM SIDE TO SIDE.
Narrator: IT’S ANOTHER ADVANCE,
AND BY THE LATE 1950s,
SEGMENTED SUITS HAVE BEEN ADOPTED
BY U.S. NAVY AND AIR FORCE PILOTS,
WHO ARE FLYING REGULARLY UP TO 100,000 FEET,
TWICE AS HIGH AS WILEY POST.
BUT THIS TYPE OF SUIT ISN’T A MATCH FOR THE NEXT CHALLENGE.
Man: T-MINUS 5, 4, 3, 2, 1,
LIFTOFF.
LIFTOFF AT 30 MINUTES PAST THE HOUR.
Narrator: AMERICA IS ABOUT TO ENTER
THE SPACE RACE AGAINST THE SOVIET UNION,
AND THAT BRINGS A WHOLE NEW SET OF PROBLEMS TO SOLVE--
TO KEEP A MAN ALIVE WHERE NO PILOT HAS GONE BEFORE.
NASA’s FIRST ASTRONAUTS, THE MERCURY SEVEN,
WILL SOAR TO ALMOST A MILLION FEET ABOVE SEA LEVEL,
OVER TEN TIMES HIGHER THAN ANY PLANE HAS BEEN FLOWN.
TO KEEP THEM ALIVE, THEIR CAPSULES WILL BE PRESSURIZED,
BUT THEY’LL NEED A BACKUP IN CASE THAT FAILS.
Lewis: THIS IS A MERCURY SUIT.
IT’S VERY SIMILAR TO THE MARK IV SUIT.
THE SHOULDERS ARE FLEXIBLE, THE ELBOWS ARE FLEXIBLE,
BUT IT’S NOT SO MUCH NECESSARY TO HAVE THE KNEES FLEXIBLE
BECAUSE THE ASTRONAUTS ARE JUST GOING TO BE SITTING
FOR THE ENTIRE DURATION.
THESE SUITS WERE NOT MADE
FOR WORK OUTSIDE OF THE SPACECRAFT,
BUT THEY WANTED THE SAFETY OF HAVING A SPACE SUIT
SO IF ANYTHING HAPPENED TO THE SPACECRAFT,
THE ASTRONAUT COULD SURVIVE
LONG ENOUGH TO GET BACK DOWN TO EARTH.
Narrator: ONCE AGAIN, ALL EYES TURN TO RUSSELL COLLEY
AS THE MAN MOST TRUSTED TO BUILD NASA A SUIT FOR SPACE.
BUT THIS IS UNCHARTED TERRITORY,
AND IT WILL BE COLLEY’S BIGGEST CHALLENGE.
IN THE VACUUM OF SPACE,
A PRESSURIZED SUIT IS GOING TO WANT TO EXPAND
INTO THE AIRLESS VOID,
AND IT COULD BURST.
COLLEY’S CONVOLUTED JOINTS ARE GOING TO NEED A RETHINK.
Lewis: COLLEY THOUGHT THAT BY USING
JUST A SIMPLE RESTRAINT SYSTEM ON EITHER SIDE OF A JOINT
THAT WOULD HOLD IT IN,
AND HE EXPERIMENTED IN INSERTING FABRIC INSIDE THE RUBBER JOINTS
TO MAKE SURE IT HELD ITS SHAPE.
Narrator: BUT BEFORE A MERCURY ASTRONAUT
CAN TEST COLLEY’S SUIT ON A SPACEFLIGHT,
COSMONAUT YURI GAGARIN, WEARING A SOVIET PRESSURE SUIT,
CAPTURES THE WORLD’S ATTENTION,
AS HE BECOMES THE FIRST SPACEMAN IN HISTORY.
[SPEAKING RUSSIAN]
JUST THREE WEEKS LATER,
ALAN SHEPARD STEPS OUT OF HIS SUITING ROOM
TO BOARD HIS OWN ROCKET SHIP TO SPACE.
HE’S DRESSED IN COLLEY’S ICONIC SILVER MERCURY SPACE SUIT.
Man: 24 VOLTS.
26 AMPS.
10, 9, 8, 7, 6,
5, 4, 3, 2, 1, 0.
LIFTOFF.
Alan Shepard: ROGER.
LIFTOFF, AND THE CLOCK IS STARTED.
Narrator: LOOKING ON IS TEST PILOT
AND FUTURE APOLLO ASTRONAUT CHARLIE DUKE.
Charlie Duke: I LOOKED AT ALAN SHEPARD
IN THAT LITTLE MERCURY SUIT,
AND MY INITIAL IMPRESSION WAS,
THESE GUYS LOOK LIKE THEY’RE IN A BUCK ROGERS SUIT,
YOU KNOW, AND I HOPE THIS THING HOLDS TOGETHER.
Shepard: WHAT A BEAUTIFUL VIEW.
Narrator: ALAN SHEPARD’S MERCURY FLIGHT IS A TRIUMPH.
AS THE FIRST AMERICAN ASTRONAUT RETURNS TO EARTH,
THE PRESS DUB COLLEY "FIRST TAILOR OF THE SPACE AGE."
COLLEY’S FUTURISTIC-LOOKING OUTFITS
WILL PAVE THE WAY FOR A FULLY FLEXIBLE SPACE SUIT
THAT WILL ACHIEVE THE UNTHINKABLE--
ALLOWING MEN TO WALK ON ANOTHER WORLD.
SUCH A MISSION WILL CALL FOR ASTRONAUTS AND COSMONAUTS
TO VENTURE OUTSIDE THE SAFETY OF THEIR SPACECRAFT.
IN MARCH 1965, IT’S THE SOVIETS WHO ARE FIRST YET AGAIN,
BEATING THE AMERICANS TO A SUIT
THAT’LL KEEP A MAN ALIVE IN THE VACUUM OF SPACE.
IT’S KNOWN AS THE BERKUT GOLDEN EAGLE.
Lewis: IT’S A SUIT THAT THE RUSSIANS
REALLY COBBLED TOGETHER VERY QUICKLY,
BASED ON YURI GAGARIN’S SUIT.
THEY ADDED A COUPLE OF EXTRA LAYERS OF INSULATION
SO HE WOULDN’T BE SUBJECTED TO THE SOLAR RADIATION
COMING UNFILTERED DIRECTLY FROM THE SUN.
AND THEY REALLY DIDN’T KNOW WHAT WAS GOING TO HAPPEN.
Narrator: COSMONAUT ALEXEI LEONOV
IS HAND-PICKED TO PUT HIS LIFE ON THE LINE.
♪
[SPEAKING RUSSIAN]
Alexei Leonov, translated: WHEN I GOT OUT,
I STOOD ON THE EDGE OF THE AIRLOCK.
MY FIRST IMPRESSION WAS-- I EVEN SAID SO--
IT TURNS OUT THAT THE EARTH IS ROUND.
I COULD SEE THE ROUND EARTH,
AND THEN I LOOK DOWN, AND I COULD SEE
THE WHOLE BLACK SEA, BULGARIA, ROMANIA,
ON THE HORIZON, THE BOOT OF ITALY.
I COULD SEE ALL THE ROADS, ALL THE CANALS.
AND AT THE SAME TIME, IT WAS INCREDIBLY QUIET.
THIS IS WHAT I REMEMBER MOST. I COULD HEAR MY HEART BEAT.
NORMALLY YOU DON’T HEAR YOUR OWN HEARTBEAT,
AND NOW I COULD HEAR TUC-TUC, TUC-TUC, TUC-TUC.
Narrator: BUT AFTER JUST TEN MINUTES,
LEONOV’S WORST FEARS ARE REALIZED.
Leonov: I SUDDENLY FELT MY FINGERS COME OUT OF THE GLOVES.
AND MY FEET BECAME LOOSE IN THE BOOTS.
[SPEAKING RUSSIAN]
THE SOFT SPACE SUIT TURNED RIGID UNDER PRESSURE,
LIKE AN INFLATED TIRE.
♪
Narrator: EXPANDING UNCONTROLLABLY INTO THE VOID,
LEONOV’S SUIT HAS BECOME RIGID, TRAPPING HIM INSIDE,
AND PREVENTING HIM FROM MOVING FREELY.
Leonov: IT WAS EXTREMELY DIFFICULT,
REQUIRED A LOT OF ENERGY, AND PRODUCED A LARGE AMOUNT OF HEAT,
AND THE SWEAT WAS STINGING MY EYES.
Narrator: PARALYZED INSIDE HIS BLOATED SPACE SUIT
AND NOW OVERHEATING AS WELL,
LEONOV FEARS HE CAN’T GET BACK INSIDE THE CAPSULE.
Leonov: I WOULDN’T BE ABLE TO ENTER BACK IN THE CRAFT,
I WOULDN’T BE ABLE TO CLOSE UP THE HATCH,
AND I KNEW THAT I HAD ONLY 30 MINUTES OF LIFE LEFT.
Narrator: TRAPPED OUTSIDE HIS SPACESHIP, TIME IS RUNNING OUT,
AND LEONOV NEEDS TO DO SOMETHING FAST.
Leonov: THERE WAS A SPECIAL VALVE, A HAND VALVE,
AND USING THIS VALVE,
I COULD LOWER THE PRESSURE BY HALF.
I DIDN’T REPORT ANYTHING TO THE EARTH.
I JUST PUT THE PRESSURE DOWN.
Narrator: THE SUIT DEFLATES,
BUT NOW THERE’S A NEW DANGER-- THE BENDS.
Leonov: I WAS IN A STATE WHERE NITROGEN BOILS IN THE BLOOD,
AND I COULD FEEL THE DECOMPRESSION
PRICKLING THE TIPS OF MY FINGERS.
I WAS ANXIOUSLY WAITING FOR MY FACE TO SWELL UP
AND MY HANDS TO BECOME LIKE RUBBER.
I GOT SLIGHT PRICKLING, BUT EVERYTHING BECAME EASIER,
SO I STARTED GOING INTO THE AIRLOCK.
EVEN NOW, I CANNOT REALLY IMAGINE
HOW I WAS DOING ALL THAT.
Narrator: LEONOV’S SPACE WALK ALMOST ENDS IN DISASTER.
HE ONLY JUST MAKES IT BACK INSIDE,
BUT HE PROVES THAT MAN CAN SURVIVE
BEYOND THE EARTH’S ATMOSPHERE.
Leonov: MY REPORT TO THE STATE COMMISSION WAS VERY SHORT--
A MAN EQUIPPED WITH THE SPECIAL CLOTHING OF A SPACE SUIT
CAN LIVE AND WORK IN OUTER SPACE.
THAT WAS MY REPORT.
IT WAS A VERY IMPORTANT STEP.
Narrator: THE AMERICANS HAVE NO IDEA
ABOUT THE PROBLEMS WITH LEONOV’S GOLDEN EAGLE SUIT,
BUT THEY’VE CREATED THEIR OWN SUIT FOR A WALK IN SPACE.
IT’S CALLED THE GEMINI,
AND IT USES A TYPE OF CHAIN MAIL CALLED LINK-NET
TO PREVENT THE RUBBER GARMENT FROM BLOATING
AND TO MAINTAIN THE SUIT’S FLEXIBILITY UNDER PRESSURE.
Lewis: THE GEMINI SUIT WAS MORE ADVANCED, WITH THE CHAIN LINK,
SO THE RESTRAINTS WERE BUILT INTO THE SUIT.
IT HAD BETTER INSULATION, BETTER REFLECTION OF RADIATION,
SOLAR RADIATION THAT WASN’T BEING FILTERED OUT
BY THE EARTH’S ATMOSPHERE.
Narrator: ASTRONAUT GENE CERNAN IS CHOSEN
FOR AN AMBITIOUS MISSION TO TEST THE SUIT’S PERFORMANCE.
Gene Cernan: THE HOPE WAS TO BE ABLE
TO GIVE YOU SOME MOVEMENT, SOME DEXTERITY,
TO BE ABLE TO DO THINGS IN SPACE,
BECAUSE WE WERE STILL IN ZERO GRAVITY.
WE WEREN’T GOING TO BE WALKING,
BUT WE NEEDED IT UP HERE IN THE ARMS.
Narrator: CERNAN’S MISSION IS BOLD.
HE MUST CLIMB TO THE REAR OF HIS SPACECRAFT,
WHERE HE’LL TEST A ROCKET-POWERED BACKPACK
CALLED AN ASTRONAUT MANEUVERING UNIT, OR AMU.
IT’LL BE THE FIRST TIME IT’S BEEN USED IN SPACE.
Cernan: THESE WERE REAL ROCKET ENGINES
THAT WERE SPITTING OUT FIRE,
SO MY PANTS WERE MADE OUT OF THIS WOVEN STEEL THREAD,
WHICH PUT ANOTHER LAYER ON TOP OF IT,
TO PROTECT ME FROM BURNING A HOLE IN MY SUIT,
WHICH MADE IT EVEN MORE DIFFICULT TO MANEUVER IN.
EVERYTHING YOU DID WITHIN THAT SUIT WAS A MAJOR EFFORT.
Narrator: ON JUNE 5, 1966,
CERNAN FLOATS OUT OF HIS CAPSULE WEARING THE NEW SUIT,
BUT HIS FIRST SPACE WALK DOESN’T START WELL.
THE STIFFNESS OF THE SUIT ISN’T GIVING HIM THE CONTROL HE NEEDS
TO CLIMB TO THE BACK OF THE CAPSULE,
AND HE’S BEGINNING TO OVERHEAT.
Cernan: I WAS WORKING PRETTY HARD OUT THERE.
MY HEART RATE WAS RUNNING 170, 180.
I KNEW I WAS GETTING IN TROUBLE.
I KNEW PEOPLE DOWN AT MISSION CONTROL
WERE GETTING A LITTLE CONCERNED, AND AS A RESULT,
I OVERPOWERED MY ENVIRONMENTAL SYSTEM IN THE SUIT.
Cernan: I CREATED SO MUCH HUMIDITY IN THE SUIT
THAT AS SOON AS THE SUN WENT DOWN,
IT COOLED IMMEDIATELY.
VOOM! MY VISOR FOGGED UP.
Cernan: THE ONLY WAY I COULD SEE
WAS I COULD PUSH MY NOSE AGAINST THE HELMET
AND RUB A LITTLE HOLE IN IT IN THE FOG
TO BE ABLE TO LOOK DOWN AND SEE.
I COULD SEE THE LIGHTS OF AUSTRALIA AS I WENT OVER,
AND THAT’S ABOUT ALL I COULD SEE.
Narrator: CERNAN’S SPACE WALK IS ABORTED
BEFORE HE’S EVEN TESTED THE ROCKET PACK.
HE’S ORDERED BACK INSIDE,
BUT THE LACK OF MOBILITY IN HIS LEGS
STILL POSES A THREAT.
Cernan: IN GEMINI, WE DIDN’T NEED THE DEXTERITY
FROM THE WAIST DOWN, WITH ONE EXCEPTION--
GETTING BACK IN THE SPACECRAFT.
BENDING YOUR LEGS
AND TRYING GETTING THEM UNDER THE INSTRUMENT PANEL,
AND YOU JUST COULDN’T.
Narrator: BACK INSIDE THE CAPSULE,
BUT UNABLE TO CLOSE THE DOOR, CERNAN’S STILL STRUGGLING.
Cernan: YOU HAD TO GET IN AND JUST EXTEND YOUR BODY
AND GET IT AS LOW INTO THE SEAT AS POSSIBLE
AND THEN REACH UP WITHOUT A LOT OF ROOM
AND GRAB THAT HATCH AND GET IT TO THE POINT
WHERE YOU COULD CLOSE IT AND THEN CRANK IT CLOSED.
Narrator: CERNAN’S SAFE.
HE’S PUSHED HIS SUIT BEYOND ITS LIMITS
AND SURVIVED TO TELL THE TALE.
Cernan: I GUESS I WAS GIVING THAT SUIT THE MAXIMUM TEST,
IN TERMS OF MOVING AROUND
AND LOOKING FOR THE KIND OF MOBILITY I NEEDED.
IT WAS THAT BRIDGE.
WE NEEDED TO LEARN HOW TO DO SO MANY NEW THINGS,
INCLUDING HOW TO BUILD A SUIT
THAT WE COULD LITERALLY UTILIZE ON THE SURFACE OF THE MOON.
Narrator: WINNING THE RACE TO THE MOON
WILL REQUIRE A BRAND-NEW SUIT
THAT REMAINS FLEXIBLE ENOUGH TO WALK IN WHEN PRESSURIZED.
♪
SOLVING THIS PARADOX FALLS TO A TEAM OF ENGINEERS
AT THE INTERNATIONAL LATEX CORPORATION, OR ILC.
Bill Ayrey: IT’S A TOUGH TRADE-OFF.
YOU WANT TO BE ABLE TO HAVE ALL THAT FLEXIBILITY
BUT YET NOT BE ENCUMBERED BY A PRESSURE SUIT.
YOU HAVE TO THINK IN TERMS OF WHAT THE BODY CAN DO.
THERE IS FLEX-EXTENSION. THERE’S ADDUCTION, ABDUCTION.
THERE’S ALL THE DIFFERENT MOTIONS THAT A BODY WANTS TO DO.
Narrator: WHILE ILC’s ENGINEERS STRUGGLE WITH THE SUIT,
THERE’S A COMPLETELY DIFFERENT PROBLEM TO SOLVE.
TO WALK ON THE MOON, ASTRONAUTS WILL NEED TO BE
DISCONNECTED FROM THEIR SPACECRAFT.
THE ANSWER IS A SELF-CONTAINED LIFE SUPPORT BACKPACK.
TOM SANZONE TRAINED THE LUNAR ASTRONAUTS TO USE IT.
Tom Sanzone: SO, WHEN THE ASTRONAUT
WORE THIS LIFE SUPPORT SYSTEM,
HIS BACK WAS UP AGAINST IT.
WE HAD HARNESSES THAT WOULD GO OVER HIS SHOULDERS
AND AROUND HIS WAIST,
SO IT WAS LITERALLY A BACKPACK.
OF COURSE, WE HAVE THE UMBILICALS HERE.
THE BLUE ONE CARRIED THE OXYGEN IN,
AND THE RED CARRIED IT OUT.
THEY WOULD COME AROUND THE FRONT AND PLUG IN.
Narrator: AS THE FIRST SPACE WALKS HAVE SHOWN,
REMOVING BODY HEAT FROM SPACE SUITS
IS ALSO ESSENTIAL FOR SURVIVAL.
THE SOLUTION COMES FROM A BRITISH 1950s INVENTION,
WHICH KEPT PILOTS COOL BY PIPING COLD WATER
THROUGH A NETWORK OF FINE TUBES
THREADED THROUGH THEIR UNDERWEAR.
Sanzone: THE ASTRONAUT WORE
WHAT WE CALL THE LIQUID COOLING GARMENT,
WHICH WAS LIKE A PAIR OF LONG JOHNS WITH PLASTIC TUBING,
AND WATER WOULD CIRCULATE THROUGH THAT.
IT WOULD PICK UP THE HEAT FROM HIS BODY,
AND THEN THAT WATER WOULD GO UP TO OUR HEAT EXCHANGER
AND PASS ACROSS PLATES.
Narrator: BY EXPOSING THESE PLATES TO THE VACUUM,
THE WATER VENTS OFF INTO SPACE,
CARRYING THE ASTRONAUT’S HEAT WITH IT.
IT’S CALLED A SUBLIMATOR.
Sanzone: I’VE ALWAYS LOVED THE SUBLIMATOR
BECAUSE OF ITS SIMPLICITY.
IT IS TOTALLY SELF-REGULATING. IT HAS NO MOVING PARTS.
IT WAS A TECHNOLOGY THAT WAS INVENTED MORE THAN 50 YEARS AGO,
AND IT’S A TECHNOLOGY THAT WE STILL USE TODAY.
♪
Narrator: WITH THE APOLLO LIFE SUPPORT BACKPACK IN HAND,
THE ORIGINAL PROBLEM OF BUILDING
A FLEXIBLE PRESSURE SUIT REMAINS.
IT TAKES THEM FOUR YEARS TO FIND A SOLUTION.
Ayrey: WE CAME UP WITH THIS CABLE SYSTEM
SO THAT YOU COULD HAVE THE FLEXIBILITY IN IT,
WHICH MEANT THAT IF YOU DO A FLEX EXTENSION,
YOU CAN SEE HOW THIS PULLEY’S ACTUALLY ROTATING
WHEN I GO LIKE THIS BECAUSE IT ALLOWS THE PULLEY
TO SLIDE THROUGH THIS TUNNEL RIGHT HERE
AND YET KEEP ITS SHAPE AGAIN WHEN IT’S PRESSURIZED.
THIS IS THE KNEE CONVOLUTE.
IT LOOKS FAIRLY SIMPLE, BUT THERE WAS A LOT INVOLVED
IN DIPPING THIS AND MAKING IT WORK.
THERE WAS A RESTRAINT LINE, CABLE ON THE SIDE
THAT CAME DOWN.
THIS WAS REVOLUTIONARY AT THE TIME,
AND WE PUT THESE CONVOLUTES THROUGHOUT THE SUIT.
Narrator: THE ASTRONAUTS’ LIVES DEPENDED
ON THE CRAFTSMANSHIP OF THOSE WHO BUILT THEIR SUITS.
AT ILC, THIS TASK FELL TO A TEAM OF DEDICATED SEAMSTRESSES.
Cernan: THEY KNEW THAT YOUR LIFE DEPENDED UPON
WHAT THEY WERE DOING AT THAT MOMENT IN TIME,
SO THEY TOOK OWNERSHIP.
Ayrey: IF THEY STRAYED OFF COURSE BY 1/32 OF AN INCH,
THEY TOTALLY DAMAGED IT,
AND THEY’D HAVE TO TEAR IT APART,
AND IT WOULD COST THOUSANDS OF DOLLARS TO FIX IT,
SO THERE WAS NO ROOM FOR ERROR.
Duke: WE WENT UP THERE A LOT TO HAVE SUIT CHECKS AND SUIT FITS.
THE SEAMSTRESSES THAT HAD TO SEW THE SUIT TOGETHER
WERE VERY IMPORTANT,
AND WE GOT TO KNOW THEM,
AND THIS NICE LADY THAT SEWED THE ZIPPERS IN MY SUIT,
I WANTED HER TO REALIZE THAT MY LIFE DEPENDED ON IT.
Narrator: WITH ITS CONVOLUTES AND BEARINGS
AND PULLEYS AND CABLES, AND LIFE SUPPORT BACKPACK,
THIS LEGENDARY MOON SUIT, THE A7L,
IS THE MOST SOPHISTICATED SPACE SUIT IN HISTORY.
EVEN PUMPED FULL OF AIR,
IT REMAINS FLEXIBLE ENOUGH FOR A GAME OF FOOTBALL.
IT PERFORMS BRILLIANTLY ON EARTH,
BUT NO ONE CAN BE CERTAIN THAT IT’LL WORK ON THE MOON,
UNTIL THE ASTRONAUTS GET THERE.
[CHEERING AND APPLAUSE]
Neil Armstrong: I’M AT THE FOOT OF THE LADDER.
Narrator: IT’S JULY 20, 1969,
AND AMERICA HAS WON THE RACE TO LAND ON THE MOON.
NOW EVERYONE’S ATTENTION IS FOCUSED
ON THE NEW A7L SPACE SUIT
PROTECTING APOLLO 11 COMMANDER NEIL ARMSTRONG,
AS HE TAKES HIS FIRST TENTATIVE STEP ONTO ANOTHER WORLD.
Armstrong: VERY FINE-GRAINED, AS YOU GET CLOSE TO IT.
IT’S ALMOST LIKE A POWDER.
Narrator: BACK ON EARTH, TOM SANZONE IS MONITORING
ARMSTRONG’S SUIT AND LIFE SUPPORT BACKPACK.
Sanzone: WE WERE VERY FOCUSED ON WHAT WE WERE DOING.
EVERYBODY WAS.
I REMEMBER BEING QUITE CONFIDENT
THAT THE HARDWARE WOULD WORK WELL.
IT HAD WORKED WELL ON THE GROUND.
SOME OF OUR MORE SENIOR MANAGERS
WERE A LITTLE BIT MORE NERVOUS THAN THE YOUNG GUYS.
Armstrong: OK, I’M GOING TO STEP OFF THE LM NOW.
THAT’S ONE SMALL STEP FOR MAN,
ONE GIANT LEAP FOR MANKIND.
Narrator: AS THE WORLD SAVORS THIS HISTORIC MOMENT,
TOM REMAINS FOCUSED ON PLOTTING THE TEMPERATURE
OF THE COOLING SYSTEM
IN ARMSTRONG’S LIFE SUPPORT BACKPACK.
Sanzone: THIS IS ONE OF THE SHEETS OF GRAPH PAPER
THAT I WAS PLOTTING.
THE YELLOW BAND’S WHERE WE EXPECTED THE DATA TO FALL.
YOU CAN SEE THE DOTS
ARE A LITTLE BIT LOWER THAN THE YELLOW BAND,
AND THAT’S BECAUSE THE PERFORMANCE
WAS ACTUALLY BETTER THAN WE HAD EXPECTED.
OUR HEAT EXCHANGER PERFORMED BETTER
THAN IT HAD ON THE GROUND.
Narrator: NEIL ARMSTRONG IS SOON JOINED ON THE SURFACE
BY BUZZ ALDRIN.
THE CAMERA CAPTURES THEIR WALK
IN THE MOST EXTREME PLACE HUMAN BEINGS HAVE EVER STOOD.
[CHEERING]
Narrator: AFTER THE SUCCESS OF THIS FIRST MOONWALK,
MISSIONS ON THE LUNAR SURFACE
BECOME LONGER AND MORE AMBITIOUS.
Sanzone: WE WENT FROM A FOUR-HOUR SYSTEM
THAT EXISTED ON APOLLO 11
TO A SEVEN-HOUR SYSTEM FOR THOSE LAST THREE MISSIONS.
Narrator: FREE TO ROAM MILES FROM THEIR SPACECRAFT,
THE ASTRONAUTS WEARING THE NEW MOON SUITS,
LIKE APOLLO 16’s CHARLIE DUKE, CAN’T WAIT TO TRY THEM OUT.
Duke: OK.
I STEPPED ON THE MOON, SAW THAT FIRST FOOTPRINT,
AND THE THOUGHT KEPT GOING TO ME,
"I’M ON THE MOON, I’M ON THE MOON."
IT WAS JUST AN OVERWHELMING FEELING
OF JUST, "I’M ON THE MOON,"
AND IT WAS AWESOME.
Narrator: GENE CERNAN,
THE LAST MAN TO WALK ON THE MOON, ON APOLLO 17,
WILL SPEND THE LONGEST OUT ON THE LUNAR SURFACE,
MORE THAN 22 HOURS OVER 3 DAYS.
Cernan: THE A7L, THE SUIT I WALKED ON THE MOON WITH,
WAS AS GOOD AS IT GETS.
I MEAN, THAT WAS MY OWN PRIVATE LITTLE SPACECRAFT
I HAD SURROUNDING ME TO ROAM ABOUT THE MOON.
Cernan: I WAS TOTALLY INDEPENDENT.
I HAD MY COMMUNICATIONS. I HAD MY OXYGEN.
I HAD MY COOLING. I HAD IT ALL.
THINK ABOUT THAT.
THAT’S NO WIRES, NO CABLES, NO NOTHING ATTACHING ME.
♪
Narrator: INSIDE THESE EXTRAORDINARY SPACE SUITS,
IT’S EASY FOR THE ASTRONAUTS TO FORGET
THAT THEY’RE STANDING IN A DEADLY VACUUM.
Duke: HERE I AM WORKING ON THE MOON,
AND I DON’T THINK I EVER ONCE STOPPED TO THINK,
"MY GOSH, I’M ON THE MOON, AND THIS SUIT’S GOT TO WORK."
YOU JUST DON’T THINK ABOUT THOSE KIND OF THINGS.
Cernan: I HAD ALL THE CONFIDENCE IN THE WORLD
EXCEPT FOR ONE TIME AT ONE POINT.
IF YOU FALL AND YOU PUT A HOLE IN THAT SUIT.
Duke: IF YOU PUNCTURE IT, UH, YOU’RE DEAD.
THE BACKPACK HAD THE OXYGEN, THE COOLING WATER,
ALL THE PUMPS, ALL THE ELECTRICAL SYSTEMS.
EVERYTHING TO KEEP YOU ALIVE WAS IN THAT BACKPACK,
AND IF IT BROKE, UH, YOU’RE DEAD.
Narrator: THE APOLLO SUITS PROVE THEY CAN SURVIVE
THE ROUGH AND TUMBLE OF LUNAR EXPLORATION,
BUT THERE’S A BIGGER DANGER TO THEM ON THE MOON--
DUST, OFTEN MADE OF JAGGED PARTICLES,
FORMED BY CONTINUOUS METEORITE IMPACTS OVER BILLIONS OF YEARS.
Duke: MOON DUST IS VERY, VERY FINE, LIKE POWDER,
AND YOU’D BRUSH AND BRUSH AND BRUSH,
AND SOME OF IT WOULD COME OFF, BUT NOT NEARLY ENOUGH,
SO THE SUITS ENDED UP GRAY.
Narrator: ALTHOUGH THE ASTRONAUTS
WERE UNAWARE OF IT AT THE TIME,
THE DAMAGE THAT THE ABRASIVE LUNAR DUST
WAS CAUSING TO THEIR SUITS IS CLEARLY VISIBLE TODAY.
CONSERVATOR LISA YOUNG, AT THE SMITHSONIAN INSTITUTION,
LOOKS AFTER THEM.
Lisa Young: THIS IS CHARLIE DUKE’S SPACE SUIT,
FROM THE APOLLO 16 MISSION.
THIS IS A MICROSCOPIC VIEW
OF LUNAR DUST EMBEDDED IN THE OUTER LAYER OF THE SUIT.
BECAUSE IT IS SO ABRASIVE AND IT CLINGS TO THE SUIT MATERIALS
AND IT EMBEDS ITSELF IN THOSE LITTLE FIBERS,
IT CREATES PROBLEMS.
OVER HERE, YOU CAN SEE A LITTLE BIT OF FUZZINESS IN THE IMAGE
IS ACTUALLY ABRASIONS
WHERE THE FIBERS HAVE SEPARATED AND BROKEN APART.
TIME HAS TAKEN A TOLL ON THE SPACE SUITS UNFORTUNATELY.
A LOT OF THE MATERIALS USED IN THE SPACE PROGRAM
ARE REACHING THEIR 50-YEAR LIFE SPAN,
SO WE’RE NOT SURE SCIENTIFICALLY
WHAT’S GOING TO HAPPEN AFTER THAT.
WE JUST TRY TO KEEP IT FROM DEGRADING FURTHER.
WHEN PEOPLE COME TO THE NATIONAL AIR AND SPACE MUSEUM,
THEY NEED TO BE SEEING
THE SPACE SUIT THAT SOMEBODY USED TO GO TO THE MOON.
Man on radio: 5, 4, WE’VE GONE FOR MAIN ENGINE.
Narrator: WITH THE RACE TO THE MOON WON,
A NEW CHALLENGE BECKONS ON OUR ROAD TO THE STARS--
SETTLEMENT OF SPACE.
MORE PEOPLE THAN EVER BEFORE
WILL NOW MAKE THE ASCENT TO ORBIT,
LEARNING TO LIVE BEYOND THEIR HOME PLANET FOR MONTHS ON END.
AND THIS DEMANDS A NEW KIND OF SPACE SUIT.
Steve Dionne: THE APOLLO-ERA SUITS HAD A VERY SHORT LIFE.
THEY JUST SERVED FOR THAT ONE MISSION.
WITH SHUTTLE, THE SUITS ARE REUSABLE OVER AND OVER AGAIN.
SPACE SUITS ARE PUT TOGETHER FOR INDIVIDUAL PEOPLE
BY ASSEMBLING DIFFERENT COMBINATIONS
OF STANDARD-SIZE COMPONENTS.
Narrator: SUCH REUSABLE SPACE SUITS
HAVE NOW BEEN WORN BY DOZENS OF DIFFERENT ASTRONAUTS,
DURING MORE THAN 150 SPACE WALKS, OR EVAs,
TO BUILD THE INTERNATIONAL SPACE STATION,
AND TODAY, ANY VISITORS CAN USE THE SUITS,
STORED PERMANENTLY ON BOARD.
Dionne: THE SPACE SUITS ARE LAUNCHED TO SPACE STATION,
AND THEY STAY UP THERE FOR SEVERAL YEARS,
SO WE’VE CHANGED FROM A SCENARIO
WHERE THE MAINTENANCE IS ALL GROUND-BASED,
DONE BY EXPERIENCED TECHNICIANS,
TO IT’S DONE ON ORBIT BY THE ASTRONAUTS.
Narrator: SPACE WALKS ARE A REGULAR
AND VITAL PART OF LIFE IN ORBIT,
BUT THEY’RE NEVER ROUTINE, AND ALWAYS RISKY.
IT’S JULY 2013,
AND EUROPEAN SPACE AGENCY ASTRONAUT LUCA PARMITANO
AND NASA’S CHRIS CASSIDY
ARE MAKING THE LATEST SPACE WALK FROM THE STATION.
Parmitano: CHRIS AND I WERE GOING TO INSTALL EQUIPMENT
ON THE OUTSIDE TO ALLOW DATA TO BE TRANSMITTED.
Narrator: VICKY MARGIOTT IS MONITORING
THE SPACE WALK, OR EVA, FROM THE GROUND.
Vicky Margiott: IT WAS A NORMAL EVA.
THE CREW GETS INTO THEIR SUIT.
THEY’VE GONE OUTSIDE THE HATCH, SO WE WERE WATCHING.
Parmitano: AND I’D JUST FINISHED A TASK
WHEN I FELT WATER IN MY HELMET.
IT COULD HAVE BEEN SWEAT, BUT IT FELT LIKE A LOT.
AND IT JUST, IT DIDN’T MAKE ANY SENSE,
AND THAT’S WHEN I CALLED THE GROUND.
Narrator: IT’S NEWS THAT TAKES EVERYONE ON THE GROUND
BY SURPRISE.
Dave Graziosi: NOBODY REALLY EVER ANTICIPATED
THAT YOU COULD HAVE WATER BACKING UP INTO THE HELMET.
Margiott: SO, WE REALLY WEREN’T SURE
WHAT THE SOURCE OF THE WATER WAS AT THAT POINT IN TIME.
Narrator: IN ZERO GRAVITY, THE SURFACE TENSION OF THE WATER
BINDS IT TOGETHER INTO A STICKY MASS.
Parmitano: EVEN IF I TRIED TO SHAKE IT OFF,
IT FELT LIKE I WAS JUST MOVING MY HEAD
INSIDE THIS BUBBLE OF WATER.
Narrator: NO ONE KNOWS IT YET,
BUT OVER 2 1/2 PINTS OF WATER IS FLOODING INTO LUCA’S HELMET.
Parmitano: I COULD FEEL IT TRAVELING
FROM THE BACK OF MY HEAD TOWARDS THE FRONT OF MY HEAD.
Margiott: BASED ON THAT INFORMATION,
THE FLIGHT DIRECTOR CALLED TO TERMINATE THE SPACE WALK.
Man: ALL RIGHT, CHRIS AND LUCA,
WE THINK WE’RE GOING TO TERMINATE EVA CASE FOR EV-2,
SO, LUCA, WE’LL HAVE YOU HEAD BACK TO THE AIRLOCK.
Narrator: LUCA SHOULD REACH THE AIRLOCK IN UNDER FIVE MINUTES,
BUT HE’S STRUGGLING.
Parmitano: MOVING AROUND IN A SPACE SUIT
AROUND THE SPACE STATION IS NOT AN EASY TASK.
YOU HAVE TO MANEUVER YOUR BODY AND YOUR SPACE SUIT
AND REORIENT IT ACCORDING TO WHERE YOU ARE.
SO, WHILE I WAS DOING ONE OF THESE MANEUVERS,
THE SUN WENT DOWN.
IT HAPPENS ALMOST INSTANTANEOUSLY.
ONE MOMENT YOU HAVE LIGHT, YOU HAVE HEAT, YOU CAN SEE,
AND THE NEXT, ALL THAT IS GONE.
YOU ARE LEFT IN COMPLETE DARKNESS.
THAT’S WHEN THE WATER COVERED MY EYES.
IT COVERED MY EYES, AND IT COVERED MY NOSE,
AND IT ALSO WENT INSIDE MY EARS.
Parmitano: NOW I COULDN’T SEE. I COULDN’T HEAR.
I HAD TO BREATHE ONLY THROUGH MY MOUTH,
AND I COULDN’T TALK.
THEN I REALIZED THAT TIME WAS REALLY NOT ON MY SIDE.
Man on radio: HEY, LUCA, FROM HOUSTON.
HOW YOU DOING? GIVE US A STATUS.
Cassidy: LUCA, DID YOU HEAR THAT?
Margiott: WHEN LUCA DID NOT RESPOND
IS THE FIRST TIME
THAT WE UNDERSTOOD THE MAGNITUDE OF, OF THE EVENT.
WE’RE ALL LISTENING TO THE COMM.
MY KNEES WERE SHAKING.
WE WERE CONCERNED.
Graziosi: AND THEN THE CLOCK’S
REALLY TICKING FAST AT THAT POINT.
IT WAS SCARY.
Parmitano: I DIDN’T KNOW IF THE WATER KEPT FLOWING,
IF IT WOULD COVER MY MOUTH,
I WAS THINKING,
"WHAT IF MY NEXT BREATH I’M GOING TO BE DRINKING WATER?
WHAT AM I GOING TO DO?"
I KNEW THAT THERE WAS A PATH THAT I COULD TAKE
USING THE HANDLES THAT ARE INSTALLED
OUTSIDE THE SPACE STATION.
EVEN THOUGH I COULDN’T REALLY SEE
BECAUSE MY EYES WERE COVERED WITH WATER AND IT WAS DARK,
I KNEW THE GENERAL DIRECTION I HAD TO TAKE.
Narrator: REACHING THE HATCH,
LUCA FINALLY MAKES IT TO THE AIRLOCK INSIDE
AND WAITS FOR CHRIS.
Narrator: BUT MISSION CONTROL NO LONGER HAVE CONTACT WITH HIM,
AND NO ONE KNOWS IF HE’S ALL RIGHT.
Margiott: PROBABLY ABOUT A MINUTE OF CHRIS
TRYING TO COMMUNICATE WITH LUCA
AND NO RESPONSE BACK ON THE COMM.
Woman: HATCH COMING OPEN.
Narrator: INSIDE THE SPACE STATION,
THE CREW ARE STANDING BY
TO GET LUCA OUT OF HIS SUIT AS FAST AS POSSIBLE.
Parmitano: IT WAS VERY MOVING,
THEIR CONCERN AND HOW FAST THEY MOVED TRYING TO, TO HELP ME
AND TO DRY MY FACE AND TO GET, TO GET ME OUT OF THE SUIT.
Margiott: WE WERE VERY HAPPY TO HEAR, AND RELIEVED,
THAT, YOU KNOW, HE WAS FINE.
Narrator: NASA CANCELS ALL FUTURE SPACE WALKS
UNTIL THEY CAN FIGURE OUT WHAT WENT WRONG.
Graziosi: YOU START GOING BACK THROUGH
THESE VERY COMPLEX SCHEMATICS OF THE LIFE SUPPORT SYSTEM,
TRYING TO FIGURE OUT WHAT COULD HAVE HAPPENED.
Paul Spampinato: ONCE IT WAS DETERMINED
THAT COMPONENTS IN THE LIFE SUPPORT SYSTEM
WERE THE SOURCE OF THIS PROBLEM,
THEN THE HISTORY OF THOSE COMPONENTS WERE LOOKED AT.
WHAT WERE THE SERIAL NUMBERS? WHAT WAS THE COOLING GARMENT?
WHEN WAS IT LAST TESTED? WHAT WAS ITS AGE?
WAS IT NEAR ITS LIFE EXPECTANCY?
Narrator: THE INVESTIGATION REVEALS A BLOCKED LINE
IN THE SUIT’S COOLING SYSTEM
THAT DIVERTED WATER INTO THE HELMET’S AIR SUPPLY.
A REPAIR IS CARRIED OUT ON BOARD,
AND THE SUIT’S MAINTENANCE PROCEDURES ARE CHANGED.
Parmitano: I CAN GUARANTEE YOU
THAT THAT FAILURE IS NOT GOING TO HAPPEN EVER AGAIN,
SO, IN A WAY, WE HAVE A LOT OF LESSONS LEARNED FROM MY EVA
AND FROM WHAT HAPPENED THAT DAY.
Narrator: THE LESSONS LEARNED FROM LUCA’S EXPERIENCE
ARE INVALUABLE FOR FUTURE MISSIONS
EVEN FURTHER AWAY FROM EARTH.
De León: WHEN WE START THINKING ABOUT TAKING PEOPLE TO MARS,
ONE OF THE MAIN CHALLENGES IS THE DISTANCE WE ARE FROM EARTH,
AND WE HAVE TO DEVELOP A SUIT SYSTEM
THAT WILL BE ABLE TO BE REPAIRED AND MAINTAINED
VERY, VERY FAR FROM HOME.
Greg Quinn: THE SUIT WILL HAVE TO BE MUCH MORE RELIABLE.
IT WILL HAVE TO BE MAINTAINED BY THE ASTRONAUTS,
TO A GREATER EXTENT, EVEN THAN TODAY.
THE INTERNATIONAL SPACE STATION PROVIDES AN IDEAL PLATFORM
FOR TESTING THE NEXT GENERATION OF SPACE SUITS
PRIOR TO GOING DEEPER INTO SPACE.
Narrator: BUT TOMORROW’S SPACE SUITS
DON’T JUST NEED TO BE ROBUST ENOUGH FOR EXPLORATION.
THIS TIME THEY MUST BE BUILT FOR COLONIZATION.
De León: WE NEED TO PROVIDE THE ASTRONAUTS A SPACE SUIT
THAT WILL ALLOW THEM TO DO CONSTRUCTION WORK,
SET UP FACILITIES AS WE DO HERE ON EARTH.
TO REACH A MOBILITY CLOSE TO WHAT WE HAVE HERE ON EARTH
IS ONE OF THE MAIN CHALLENGES OF SPACE SUIT DESIGN,
AND WE ARE STILL WORKING WITH THE IDEAS OF RUSSELL COLLEY.
Narrator: 80 YEARS AFTER COLLEY’S FIRST PRESSURE SUIT
CARRIED WILEY POST TO NEW HEIGHTS,
HIS DESIGNS ARE NOW BRINGING THE DREAM OF LIVING ON MARS
A STEP CLOSER.
De León: I REALLY BELIEVE THAT THE NEXT, UH,
PLACE WHERE WE’LL EXPLORE WILL BE MARS.
♪
Parmitano: ONE DAY IT’S GOING TO LET US CONTINUE OUR EXPLORATION
BEYOND LOW-EARTH ORBIT
AND WILL ALLOW SOMEBODY LIKE ME TO,
TO PUT HIS FOOT ON THE RED SOIL OF MARS.
♪
De León: NOW WE ARE REACHING THE POINT OF TECHNOLOGICAL MATURITY
WHERE WE WILL BE ABLE TO SET UP
A MORE OR LESS PERMANENT PLACE FOR HUMANKIND ON MARS.
THAT IS COMPARABLE TO 500 YEARS AGO
WHEN PEOPLE STARTED GOING AWAY FROM EUROPE
AND GOING TO PLACES WHERE, MANY YEARS LATER,
WE CONSIDER IT HOME.
WE ARE REACHING THAT POINT IN HISTORY
WHERE WE ARE BECOMING A MULTIPLANETARY SPECIES,
AND I THINK THAT IS JUST AMAZING.
♪