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Eugene "Gene" Cernan almost died performing an incredibly grueling two-hour EVA during the Gemini IX-A mission in 1966. No one had yet realized the need for handholds and footholds to stabilize a spacewalking astronaut. Without having a way to hold on, he became exhausted. Without gravity providing resistance to his heart, his heart rate became almost deadly—about 200 beats per minute.
Cernan's EVA had many problems, including a cooling system that worked poorly and used air that caused his visor to fog up entirely.
Sweat accumulated in the lower half of his spacesuit and equaled out to 13 pounds of weight lost over the three-day mission.
This failure in space turned into new learning for scientists. Astronauts began wearing garments with interwoven tubes to circulate cool water close to their skin.
What else did NASA learn?
What else did NASA learn?
The event also forced NASA to reevaluate EVA (Extravehicular Activity), or spacewalk, training and operational procedures to develop the knowledge and experience needed for the Apollo Moon landing program.
Jetpack Testing
Jetpack Testing
Cernan needed to return to the spacecraft as soon as possible before conditions turned deadly. Unfortunately he didn't get complete his mission to test the jet-powered Maneuvering Unit to fly back inside to safety. Below you can see a mock up of what these jetpack maneuvering units looked like during the Gemini 9 mission.
Chill Out
Chill Out
After Cernan's mission failed due to issues with his suit, NASA created the liquid cooling garment. Which would later be used in the Apollo missions to the Moon.
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