Post by @nyrath@spacey.space

2026-04-15 09:58 UTC

@SFFMagazineCovers Back in the 1950's it was unclear if space suit gloves were even possible. You need to make the various protective layers thin enough to be able to fit between adjacent fingers. And with miniature constant volume cuffs at each finger joint. Some suit designers took a tip from deep sea diving suits and postulated mechanical pincers instead of gloves. https://www.projectrho.com/public_html/rocket/spacesuits.php#glove

Replies (3)

@StefanEJones@dice.camp 2026-04-18 15:52

@nyrath@spacey.space @SFFMagazineCovers@zirk.us The illo on the right was in a book about space travel I had as a *really* little kid. Mid sixties.

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@isaackuo@spacey.space 2026-04-18 15:55

@nyrath@spacey.space @SFFMagazineCovers@zirk.us I think it should have been clear that space suit gloves were possible, but not necessarily to your average SF illustrator. If you were an illustrator without deep expertise in the relevant physics and engineering issues, the "safest" thing would be to draw inspiration from what was out there. Like deep sea diving suits. Thing is - the pressure differences involved in deep sea diving are orders of magnitude greater than a space suit.

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@su_liam@mas.to 2026-04-18 16:20

@nyrath@spacey.space @SFFMagazineCovers@zirk.us The pincers on the feet still seem like a potentially good idea. The lower body tends to be kinda dead mass in zero gee. Facilitating the use of the feet as grabbers to hold the astronaut in place frees up hands. Even if the foot-claws are hand-operated and lockable, that could still be helpful. Locking the astronaut’s feet on the shuttle arm and being moved into place was OTL solution to the same problem.

Open ##2410904