posted 11-18-2021 12:17 PM               

Working on the lunar surface presented a problem that we also have here on Earth – there was only so much you could carry no matter how much work there was to do. So rising to the challenge, the technicians in the workshops of the Technical Services Division at the Manned Spaceflight Centre in Houston applied some lateral thinking and got to work.

The result was an ingenious little device that would fit into the palm of your hand called in NASA parlance, the "EVA Retractable Tether" that was designed to hold surface tools such as the soils scoop and tongs against the astronaut's spacesuit making them easily available leaving their hands free to carry and operate other equipment. Moonwalkers would refer to them affectionately as a 'Yo-Yo' after the fun and inexpensive flying toy that was enjoying a resurgence in popularity with kids at that time. Their Yo-Yos also avoided the need to continually compress the stiff EVA gloves and reduce the early onset of muscle fatigue in the arms and fingers.

Essentially the Yo-Yo comprised two small metal components attached together by a 90cm long brown pull-cord which was kept under constant tension by a retractor mechanism, with the other end fastened securely to a double jawed spring closure clamp.

Each moonwalker had one but it wasn't till later missions that it appears that they were used extensively by some crews. Both Yo-Yos on Apollo 15 broke.

Can anyone please help me identify the first documented use of a Yo-Yo on the moon. I have photos of Apollo 14 (see photo of Alan Shepard with his Yo-Yo holding the tongs (?) but nothing prior to that so it must have been on Apollo 12 (there simply wasn't time on Apollo 11 but I may be wrong!).

I have some information from the crews of Apollo 15 and 16 (thanks to the debrief transcripts) on how useful the Yo-Yo was but nothing from 11, 12, 14 or 17. Again if anyone can help that would be great. Ditto if you can help me identify both the items that Shepard and his Yo-Yo are holding in the picture!