Invented in 1965 by NASA engineer John D. Bird, jet shoes were created out of supposed sci-fi-esque flying practicality a la George Jetson. These shoes were developed to enable astronauts to walk around in outer space and have freedom of motion. Before jet shoes came to fruition, similar flying technologies were invented in the ‘50s, including a flying platform that was anticipated for military use.
The jet shoe system would use an altitude control that worked with the spaceman’s equilibrium for EVA activity. To get going while wearing the jet shoes, the wearer would activate a toe-switch from inside the boot for a hands-free experience. Pushing the toe down on the throttle would activate the jets and ignite the boot’s thruster. Researchers hoped that these boots would enable astronauts to gain altitude.
Jet shoe wearers would have to wear a storage pack that contained 15 pounds of pressurized gaseous oxygen at 6,000 pounds per square inch. This gas would need to reach the solenoid valves of the jets through a series of supply lines.
These shoes underwent various tests at the NASA Langley Research Center in Hampton, VA. For all tests, the subject would be sideways, gaining mobility with his feet to navigate with the jet shoes. The first test used pendulum tech where the person was suspended in mid-air; the second used a whipple-tree suspension system; the third tested with an overhead dolly and docking simulator; the last test was held in an air-bearing environment where the subject was up in the air by airbags on a frictionless surface to test out the concept of freedom of motion, just like an astronaut would have in outer space. These tests appeared to work well, but some setbacks arose.
The video above demonstrates altitude control with jet shoes through an Air Bending Simulator.
Even though jet shoes were never fully developed or executed in outer space, it’s interesting to take a look back at what technology was almost integrated into space travel.
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