Word: tethers
(lookup in dictionary)
(lookup stats)
Dates: during 1960-1969
Sort By: most recent first
(reverse)
...tether during a space walk, the astronaut suddenly seems to be in trouble. His command pilot orders him back aboard the spacecraft, but he does not respond. Something has happened to him, and obviously he must be recovered...
...problem could arise during any extravehicular activity, and the answer seems simple: haul in the tether. But in frictionless space, the free-floating astronaut is orbiting the spaceship as it circles the earth, and any attempt to pull him in would make him rotate around it so fast that he would be ultimately subjected to fatal G forces. He would also be moving at an uncontrollable speed when he finally reached-and crashed into-the spacecraft...
...stand-mounted toy dog made of beads. When the bottom of the stand was pressed up, the string threaded through the beads relaxed and the dog collapsed; when it was released, the strung-together dog was pulled into shape again. Why not use the same simple principle in a tether? So Marton built a new space line of interlocking aluminum balls and collars, all strung on a central cable. When the cable is loose, the tether is completely flexible, bending at each ball joint. But when tightened by a winch or a similar device, the cable pulls all parts together...
...space walk on June 3, 1965 put him in the first rank of astronaut heroes, it was as much for his offhanded casualness as for the feat itself. With the world following his every move, White stepped out of orbiting Gemini 4 at the end of a 24-ft. tether, strolled in space for a spell, then matter-of-factly informed Pilot James Alton McDivitt: "It's fun. I'm not coming in." At one point, McDivitt protested: "Hey, you smeared my window you dirty dog." Replied the floating White: "Yep." He finally returned to the capsule after...
With such aids, and by installing an 8-ft. telescoping handrail between Gemini and Agena while the crafts were docked, Aldrin was able to maintain his equilibrium. With frequent two-minute rests, he first moved forward to the Agena and secured its 100-ft. tether to Gemini's docking bar, an assignment that had proved exasperating and difficult for unanchored Gemini 11 Astronaut Richard Gordon...