NASA: Past and Present Dreams of the Future by Benedict Redgrove

MU SPACE SUIT TORSO AND HELMET

Photographer Benedict Redgrove has produced a stunning series of images titled “ NASA - Past and Present Dreams of the Future” documenting NASA technology. Seven years in the making, this is an extraordinary series of images of NASA’s iconic crafts, suits, facilities and objects. Here is a very small selection of what has been produced so far.

THE CURRENT EXTRAVEHICULAR MOBILITY UNIT SPACE SUIT - Able to support 8.5 hours of space walking, this pressurized suit is made up multiple layers and parts including a cooling suit and a type of diaper called a Maximum Absorbency Garment. The suit is pressurized to 4.3 psi to balance the outer pressure in space.

THE SPACE EXPLORATION VEHICLE, SURFACE VERSION - Designed to be a surface exploration vehicle, this machine can travel via commands sent from Nasa, or can be driven by two occupants for two weeks. Theoretically, it could sustain four people in total.

SPACE SHUTTLE DISCOVERY - Discovery is one of the orbiters from Nasa’s Space Shuttle program and the third of five fully operational orbiters to be built. Its first mission, STS-41-D, flew from August 30 to September 5, 1984.

SPACE SHUTTLE DISCOVERY - detail.

MUST SEE ALSO: Dirk Brömmel photographs the ships from above to show what is hidden on or behind them and making that visible.

NASA VALKYRIE HUMANOID, OFFICIALLY KNOWN AS R5 - Valkyrie was designed and built by the Johnson Space Center (JSC) Engineering Directorate to compete in the 2013 Darpa Robotics Challenge (DRC) Trials. It was initially designed to work in disaster zones but in November 2014, two versions of the robot were given to US research labs so it could be developed further.

THE SPACE EXPLORATION VEHICLE, SURFACE VERSION

ROBONAUT R1 - The first-generation Robonaut was designed by the Robot Systems Technology Branch at Nasa’s Johnson Space Center with support from Darpa. It was followed by R2 and more recently by Valkyrie.

VEHICLE ASSEMBLING BUILDING - This building has most recently been reconfigured for the Space Launch System rocket. Nasa’s SLS will be the most powerful rocket the agency has ever built and when completed, will help send astronauts to the far flung corners of the Solar System.

SPACE SHUTTLE ATLANTIS ROCKET MOTORS

The project is due for completion 2018/2019, with an exhibition and book planned. For more details visit Benedict’s website.