| This object-centered study in the history of technology examines the roots, development, use, and preservation of space suits used in the National Aviation and Space Administration's (NASA's) Project Apollo. These artifacts are physical evidence of the complexity of creating American Cold War technological capability in the 1960s space race. In this context, the suits are socially constructed objects embodying the skills and priorities of varied people and institutions. They share functional roots with progenitors in sea diving and aviation from the early 18th century to the 1960s, and their form derives from human physiological needs, space race urgency, and the interplay of engineers, fabricators, and astronauts. A particular combination of government and corporate relationships in a highly specialized closed-market environment also shaped these artifacts. Since the end of their operational use, Apollo suits have become museum pieces of wide public fascination and iconic status as well as the subject of evolving conservation practice at the Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum, where a focused preservation and study program has designated them American national treasures. This study uses artifacts and documentary evidence to contextualize Apollo space suits' identity as emblems of American Cold War success in space. |
