To test designs of new Apollo spacesuits, as well as affiliated equipment, a large neutral buoyancy water tank was employed. This film shows SCUBA divers in the tank wearing Aqua Lungs, assisting a test subject in a spacesuit, who is attempting to perform simulated assembly tasks. It’s unclear exactly what the precise nature of the task was, but it appears that a key part of the test was to see if the subject’s feet could be stabilized in a piece of hardware (visible at 7:48).

The suit shown is probably either a Mercury Program / Navy Mark IV model or an SPD-143 model. (The suit’s peculiar look, with joints and connectors forming an exoskeleton, was to allow an assessment of these parts.)

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This film is part of the Periscope Film LLC archive, one of the largest historic military, transportation, and aviation stock footage collections in the USA. Entirely film backed, this material is available for licensing in 24p HD, 2k and 4k. For more information visit http://www.PeriscopeFilm.com