Aeromax Astronaut Boots

Product Information

Because NASA did not really know what the surface of the Moon was like, there was a fear that the Lunar Module or the astronauts themselves would sink into the dust. However, as with the Mercury and Gemini programmes, the organisation had some smart people working for it, and their judgment of the Moon’s surface was right, so there was a reasonably firm surface on which to stand.

After lunar surface exploration had been performed by six pairs of American astronauts, the programme ended in 1972. All manned NASA space missions after 1981 flew in the reusable Shuttle, often to launch or recover satellites or work on the International Space Station (ISS). Outer boots worn during spacewalks did not need to be as flexible as those used on the Moon’s surface or when inside the craft. A rigid sole was utilised and a heel clip fitted, which could locate and secure into foot restraints on the exterior of the ISS and on the robotic arm. The biggest difference between the suits is how they are donned. The EMU is a modular suit, with the torso, legs, arms and helmet all being separate pieces that connect together. This modular system permits a substantial variation in astronaut size, because longer or shorter arms and legs can be used. By contrast, the Russian Orlan is a single component. As a result, the acceptable size of a cosmonaut is more limited than for the US programme. Heading to Mars? As can be expected, the boots that he and fellow astronaut Edwin ‘Buzz’ Aldrin wore that day had to meet the most stringent safety and performance specifications. These consisted of two main parts – an inner ‘pressure boot’ with a flexible sole which was worn by the crew during their time in space, and a galosh that was strapped on over the inner boot prior to stepping onto the Moon. With temperatures on Mars ranging from a low of -176°C (-284°F) to a high of +30°C (+86°F), the boots will have to be designed with a proactive heating/cooling system. An ideal system to maintain foot temperature would use a liquid, especially if it has a high specific heat capacity.Because Armstrong and Aldrin left their overshoes on the Moon due to weight reasons, Lewis said that the picture of Armstrong's outfit does not contain the lunar shoes. They were created to provide the Apollo astronauts more traction when they were in the dust. Additional layers of white beta fabric and insulation materials were added to the lunar overshoes to protect them against unfiltered sun radiation. As head of advanced development, Joe Kosmo worked on the design of a number of space suits used by the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA), beginning with the Mercury programme in the 1960s – including the boots used by astronauts for spacewalks and during the Moon landings. Originally an aeronautical engineer, Mr Kosmo was approached in the early days with an interesting proposition – to help develop life support systems for space suits. At first, he was unsure about how his skills could be put to use, saying: “I don’t know much about space suits.” Because there are so many unknown factors about the exploration of Mars, it is difficult to accurately plan the exact nature of the work clothes the astronauts will need to wear. However, what is obvious is that footwear will need to be pressurised, as the Martian atmosphere is so thin.

The major complaint raised by the astronauts during their EVAs was the amount of dust which found its way between the inner and outer boots. NASA uses a suit called an ‘Extravehicular Mobility Unit’ (EMU) while Russia’s cosmonauts wear an ‘Orlan’ suit (Russian for ‘eagle’). Both of these suits and their corresponding boots are functionally very similar – they are designed to allow a crew member to perform operations in the vacuum of space while in the immediate vicinity of a spacecraft, although neither is designed for use on the surface of a body like the Moon or Mars. The current Chinese spacesuit was based on the Russian Orlan-M design and was worn by astronaut Zhai Zhigang during China's first-ever spacewalk on September 27th 2008.Ed White was the first NASA astronaut to leave the protection of his spacecraft when he ‘walked’ in space for 22 minutes in June 1965. The boots he wore did all that was expected of them and proved a valuable stepping-stone to achieving the stated goal of putting a man on the Moon before the end of the 1960s. Walking on the Moon Prototypes for the Apollo boots were first designed in 1962 and, within six years, a definitive design had been forged. During the Apollo programme, this footwear gradually evolved, with the last changes made in 1972.