Abstract
At the inception of the Apollo Applications Program (later to become Skylab) there was no operational experience with the Apollo EVA System and the Gemini EVA experience had created a concern for the workload to which the crew would be subjected. With a major scientific objective of the program depending upon EVA for data retrieval, strong emphas is was placed upon the EVA system development and validation.
This paper will trace the EVA hardware design from initial conceptual development to final flight configuration, identify the major concepts which were considered during design evolution and discuss the reasons for the acceptance or rejection of these concepts. Man/system simulations played a vital part in the decision making process. The types of developmental simulation used will be discussed, as will their role in providing design information.
The developmental protocol of interleaving analyses and simulations on an iterative basis provided Skylab with a conservative, flexible and simple FVA system which was effective not only for the nominal mission but for many contingency activities as well.
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