Space Horse – Bearing a strong resemblance to a mechanical horse in this mockup of a Maneuvering Work Platform, an open space- going tool shop. Design work on tha platform was done under contract to the National Aeronautics and Space Administration's Marshall Spoce Flight Center at Huntsville, Ala., by LTV Aerospace Corporation's Missile and Space Division.
• Ling-Temco-Vought Maneuvering Work Platform and Space Taxi
In 1966, Ling-Temco-Vought (LTV), in conjunction with Argonne National Laboratory (ANL), completed a thorough investigation of manned maneuvering manipulator spacecrafts for the NASA Marshall Space Flight Center. The objectives of the LTV program, called the Independent Manned Manipulator (IMM) Study, were as follows
– Produce the conceptual designs and mockups of two selected IMM units which extend and enhance man's utilization in the support of AAP(Apollo Applications Program) experiments and overall areas of EVA(ExtraVehicular Activity) during future space exploration.
– Define Research, Development, and Engineering (RD&E) required to implement the IMM systems.
– Develop preliminary program definition plans which lead to flight-qualified hardware in the 1969-1971 time period.
The IMM vehicle designs were evaluated against NASA-specified criteria, and two concepts were selected for detailed analysis. the Maneuvering Work Platform (MWP) and the Space Taxi. The preliminary program definition plans were developed for obtaining the MWP flight-qualified hardware in the 1969-1971 time period and 1972-1974 for the Space Taxi.
• MWP Configuration
The MWP configuration selected consists of four basic modules (Figure 5-17b) {RH-same as 4-11 above].
– A forward control
– An aft propulsion module
– A removable tools/spares nodule
– A collapsible cargo frame
The MWP would carry a crew of one and have a rescue capability of approximately 1 1/4 miles in any orbital direction. Its normal duration is 8 hours with a rescue contingency of 2 hours.
Source: The Daily Messenger, 22 Nov 1967.
Source: Wilmington News Journal, 27Feb1968
Grand_Prairie_Daily_News_Feb_25_1968
…"Studies continued toward possible use in the Apollo program of the division's [LTV Missile and Space Division] Astronaut Maneuvering Unit, the self-propelled, stabilized back pack unit designed to permit an astronaut in a pressure suit to operate like a one-man space vehicle for assembling and servicing spacecraft in orbit. The division also performed engineering design work on larger extravehicular units, including an open Maneuvering Work Platform described as a spacegoing toolshop and an enclosed version equipped with remotely-controlled manipulators for space tasks."
See other early Teleoperators here.
See other early Lunar and Space Robots here.