Word: astronaut
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Aware of the risks, NASA has insisted that Astronaut Bassett remain attached to Gemini 9 by a 200-ft. nylon tether. If both Bassett and AMU perform satisfactorily, however, the astronaut who leaves Gemini 12 in an AMU may well be allowed to sever his last connection with the mother ship and strike out into empty space...
Perfected after six years of research, the sophisticated AMU (for Astronaut Maneuvering Unit) that is built into the space walker's backpack will give Bassett singular agility. It is powered by twelve small hydrogen peroxide thrusters that can propel it in any direction; it has its own fuel tanks, running lights, gyroscopes, and an alarm system that warns the wearer by flashing lights and sounding beeps in his earphones if fuel or oxygen is running low. With its own hour-long oxygen supply, storage batteries and radio and telemetry systems, the AMU does not even need the "umbilical cord...
Flying by Eyeball. An AMU-equipped astronaut will maneuver through space by manipulating control knobs at the end of each of two projecting arms-the right knob for attitude, the left for direction of motion. Should he want to turn to the left, for example, he will turn the right knob to the left, automatically firing two thrusters that rotate AMU counterclockwise around its own axis. To move backwards, he will pull back on the left control knob and activate forward-firing thrusters. If an astronaut has to use both hands for other jobs, he will move into the proper...
...three-second burn from the backward-firing thrusters, for example, will increase an astronaut's forward velocity by one foot per second. Because there is no air friction to slow him down, the astronaut will have to use his forward-firing thrusters for exactly three seconds to stop his forward motion as he approaches his destination. If his timing is inaccurate, he may crash into his target or wind up bouncing back and forth like a celestial ping pong ball...
Tethered by Nylon. Mastering orbital mechanics, the physical laws that govern the motion of an orbiting satellite, will be even more difficult. When an astronaut is behind his Gemini capsule he cannot simply increase his speed to catch up with it. Increased speed will put him into a higher orbit, which will make him fall farther behind. To overtake his Gemini capsule, he will have to fire his downward and forward thrusters alternately until he edges close to his target...