wmartin@brl-tgr.ARPA (Will Martin ) (01/19/85)
A query for some of the NASA or other knowledgeable readers: Back in the days of the Mercury (& I guess Gemini & Apollo) program(s), one of the items of gear was an "astronaut's knife" -- the one I know about was a machete-like thing made by Case, designed to hack through the wall of the capsule for emergency exits. (Copies of these were sold by Case, in a rather garish-looking package, and went out of production after a short run. They are now worth ten or more times original list on the collectors' market.) Do the shuttle astronauts have any form of issued knives (not food knives in the galley, if any are provided, but equipment knives, as part of the tools or emergency gear)? Is there any form of knife available to an astronaut during EVA as part of the equipment on the outside of the space suit or MMU? What inspires this is the memory of a comment that some fiberglass insulation blocked the attachment to Solar Max; I wondered why they couldn't simply cut away the offending protrusion. Will Martin USENET: seismo!brl-bmd!wmartin or ARPA/MILNET: wmartin@almsa-1.ARPA
eder@ssc-vax.UUCP (Dani Eder) (01/24/85)
> A query for some of the NASA or other knowledgeable readers: > > Do the shuttle astronauts have any form of issued knives (not food knives > in the galley, if any are provided, but equipment knives, as part of the > tools or emergency gear)? Is there any form of knife available to an > astronaut during EVA as part of the equipment on the outside of the > space suit or MMU? What inspires this is the memory of a comment that some > fiberglass insulation blocked the attachment to Solar Max; I wondered > why they couldn't simply cut away the offending protrusion. > > Will Martin > Ok sucker, you asked for it (joke). The Johnson Space Center (houston, texas 77058), published a 'Satellite Services Catalog' in September of 1983. Document number JSC-19211. It is a "catalog of available and proposed Shuttle crew aids, devices, tools, and support equipment". They fall into three categories: A. Standard Services - normally manifested and flown B. Auxiliary Services - available, but must be manifested on particular missions C. Projected Servicing Capability - not yet existing. Suggestions for tools and equipment not listed may be submitted to: Gordon Rysavy, Program Development Office/EB, JSC, NASA, Houston TX 77058. Section A-2 lists EVA tools normally manifested: Unless otherwise indicated, tools have 1-1/2-in finger rings welded on for better grip with EVA glove, and a 1/2-in clip ring to attach safety lines to. Most tools have Velcro(TM) patches for holding them temporarily in place. Diagonal Cutters Have 1-in blades with a maximum opening of 7/8-in. Needle-nose Pliers Have a maximum opening of 2-in. The angle between the handles and the jaws is approx. 60 degrees. Overall length 9-in. Hammer 11-in long with a 1-1/4-in diameter brass head. Masses 3-lb. Probe The probe is a 0.188-in diameter rod, with a screwdriver-like tip. 8-5/8-in long excluding handle. Vise-Grip Pliers Vise-Grip brand model 10WR, with the adjustment knob enlarged to 1-in diameter for better grip in EVA gloves. Bolt Puller (i'm getting tired of typing full descriptions, so I'll just skip more or less standard tools) Forceps Lever Wrench Tube Cutter Used to cut drive links on cargo bay doors if they get stuck. Is part of emergency door closing operation. Two carried. Winch Used to close cargo bay doors manually after drive failure. Rope is 3/8-in Kevlar(TM), 10000 lb test. Of course, the handrail you mount the winch on fails at 584 lb. Two carried. Centerline Latch Bypass Tool Used to hold two cargo bay doors together if regular latch fails. Two carried. Three point Latch Tool Same as previous, except holds door to bulkhead. Four carried. Pry Bar 3/8-in drive Ratchet 3/8-in drive Extension 19.5-in long, used to disconnect failed radiator drive. 3/8-in drive Ratchet with 7/16-in Socket Specifically to manually close airlock hatch. One in cargo bay, one in crew compartment. 1/2-in Box Socket Ratchet Wrench 1/2-in Open-end Wrench Adjustable End Wrench Loop Pin Extractor Looks like a crochet hook with an overgrown handle. Used to pull pins so nut-and-bolt assemblys can be taken apart. EVA Scissors Capable of cutting lightweight steel cable and Kevlar cord, and spacecraft insulation blankets. One in a pocket per EVA suit, plus one in tool caddy Dani Eder / Boeing / ssc-vax!eder