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Life Science Library - Man and Space, 1964
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This is a really wonderful Life Science Library book, part of the Life Science Library series of hardcover books intended for young adults and as family reference. Of the entire set, this is the most interesting to me as it contains some really great Life photography of man's exploration of space. Since it was published before the first Moon landing, the photographs and artists' renderings are mostly speculative, are based on current Mercury/Gemini technology, and incorporate a lot of science fiction elements. This is to be expected, as Science Fiction writer Arthur C. Clark and "the Editors of Life" are listed as the authors.
The first black and white moonsuit photo is used as the opening image for chapter one: "The Dreamers and the Doers." (see below for photo and caption "Attired for Space").
The book goes into depth on propulsion, rocketry (with some great renderings, diagrams and history), proposed vehicles including the Nova class, the various US and Russian space programs/projects, and most important to us, proposed moonsuit designs.
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Attired for Space
"A technician tests a space suit in simulated moon conditions - a Mojave desert lava cave. By the time the first deep-space voyagers actually depart, tens of thousands of tests will have been made, so that every conceivable exigency can be met and overcome. For example, this suit allows its wearer to pull his arms inside for the vital luxury of scratching an itch."
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Trends in Space Fashions
"Buck Rogers needed little protection on his comic-strip planets, but Wiley Post's 1934 suit anticipated real space conditions. The Mercury pressure suit was mainly for cooling since the capsule was pressurized. The projected moon suit is intended for wear over several weeks."
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At Home on the Moon
"An advance scientific base using specialized LESA (Lunar Exploration System for Apollo) modules might resemble this scene. In the foreground is a shelter LESA with bunks and showers on the top floor, supplies and generators below."
I encluded this pic with the accompanying caption as the suited figure in the foreground looks like a typical MMM figure in his space suit. Also, the Station could be a model for the MMM space station (imagine the MMM station wrapped in a tin can!)...note the chair, the round hole in the floor, the shelves, etc.
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All images, captions and content are Copyright © 1997-2018 John Eaton unless otherwise stated. If there are any comments or objections, please contact John Eaton, by clicking here.
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