{"id":13147,"date":"2016-09-06T00:25:41","date_gmt":"2016-09-06T04:25:41","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/hobbyspace.com\/Blog\/?p=13147"},"modified":"2016-09-06T00:25:41","modified_gmt":"2016-09-06T04:25:41","slug":"nasa-space-suit-test-robot-from-1965-available-at-auction-house","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/hobbyspace.com\/Blog\/?p=13147","title":{"rendered":"NASA space suit test robot from 1965 available at auction house"},"content":{"rendered":"

RR Auction<\/a>\u00a0offers\u00a0a wide range of\u00a0Space Collectibles<\/a>\u00a0in their items up for bid. The\u00a0current catalog<\/a>\u00a0includes an interesting item that is getting a lot of press – a NASA 1965 Space Suit Test Robot<\/a>\u00a0valued\u00a0in the $80,000+ range\u00a0:\u00a0You could own this dilapidated 1960s NASA robot – CNET<\/a><\/p>\n

\"NASAMechanicalManSpacesuitTester\"<\/a><\/p>\n

From the item description:<\/p>\n

An extraordinary hydraulically powered robot dummy designed for NASA to use in testing space suits, circa 1963\u20131965, produced by the IIT Research Institute. The life-size dummy could simulate 35 basic human motions and was equipped with torque sensors at each joint to gather data on forces imposed on the human body by a pressurized suit. While a person could qualitatively describe the comfort and restrictions of a certain suit, the articulated dummy could provide direct quantitative information for a more scientific method of refining the design.<\/em><\/p>\n

Weighing 230 pounds, the dummy was made height adjustable from 5\u00b4 5\u2033 to 6\u00b4 2\u2033 so that it could represent the average American male from the fifth to ninety-fifth percentile. The movements of the robot were enabled by hydraulic actuators powered by oil flowing through a nylon-tube circulatory system, and controlled by the operator from a separate console. The exterior is covered with a 1\/32-inch thick aluminum skin with cutaways to allow freedom of motion, and the facial section of the fiberglass head is removable for access to the interior connections. The dummy is missing a forearm and hand, has various scuffs and dings to the body, and some of the wiring is frayed or damaged.<\/em><\/p>\n

Only two of these robot dummies were produced, and the other is owned by the Smithsonian\u2019s National Air and Space Museum; this one was purchased as surplus from the University of Maryland. The \u2018Power Driven Articulated Dummy\u2019 project was under Contract No. NAS 9-1370 and ran from May 22, 1963 through July 31, 1965, and is described at length in an official report dated December 14, 1965. The report covers, in great detail, the specifications of the dummy, its various systems, and technical hurdles encountered while creating it.<\/em><\/p>\n

Although the development team succeeded in creating this impressive android\u2014it could swivel its hips, raise and lower its arms and legs, shrug its shoulders, clench its fists, and even shake hands\u2014the robot was never deployed as intended. The hydraulic system could not handle the pressure needed to move the robot\u2019s extremities without leaking, and despite some creative test solutions\u2014including outfitting it with a scuba wetsuit\u2014the problem was never solved. NASA ultimately dropped the project in order to direct its funding elsewhere. Nevertheless, this remarkable robot stands as a testament to the innovative creativity NASA inspired in its quest skyward. Oversized.<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

RR Auction\u00a0offers\u00a0a wide range of\u00a0Space Collectibles\u00a0in their items up for bid. The\u00a0current catalog\u00a0includes an interesting item that is getting a lot of press – a NASA 1965 Space Suit Test Robot\u00a0valued\u00a0in the $80,000+ range\u00a0:\u00a0You could own this dilapidated 1960s NASA robot – CNET From the item description: An extraordinary hydraulically powered robot dummy designed for … Continue reading NASA space suit test robot from 1965 available at auction house<\/span> →<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false},"categories":[6,30],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-13147","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-history","category-space-collecting"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p34aWK-3q3","jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":17164,"url":"https:\/\/hobbyspace.com\/Blog\/?p=17164","url_meta":{"origin":13147,"position":0},"title":"Sotheby’s space auction includes Moon rock from Soviet Luna 16 mission","author":"TopSpacer","date":"November 29, 2018","format":false,"excerpt":"[ Update: The Moon rocks sold near the top of the expected range of bids: Soviet robot-retrieved moon rocks sell for $855,000 at Sotheby's | collectSPACE Sotheby's on Thursday (Nov. 29) auctioned the only known pieces of Earth's natural satellite to be collected from the lunar surface and be legally\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "History"","block_context":{"text":"History","link":"https:\/\/hobbyspace.com\/Blog\/?cat=6"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/hobbyspace.com\/Blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/11\/Luna16_MoonRock.jpg?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":12929,"url":"https:\/\/hobbyspace.com\/Blog\/?p=12929","url_meta":{"origin":13147,"position":1},"title":"Space history: Bonhams memorabilia auction + Start space collecting + Smithsonian’s Apollo 11 collection & 3D model","author":"TopSpacer","date":"July 22, 2016","format":false,"excerpt":"Bonhams in New York City held a\u00a0\"Space History\" auction\u00a0on Wednesday:\u00a0The space auction where a Sputnik model goes for $269,000 -\u00a0The Verge\u00a0(lots of pictures included) More than 280 items were for sale at Bonhams; all told, they racked up a combined total of $1,315,063. 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