posted 02-21-2023 09:36 PM            

MITCHELL: I discovered this at that point — I don't know when it occurred — my right glove wanted to move to the left and down whenever I relaxed pressure on it. In order to move it back to normal working position, it took a great deal of effort. Anytime I'd relax, it would snap over to that position. It caused quite a bit of a problem during EVA-2. It limited to a great extent the amount of things I could do with my right hand without tiring. I could do most anything but it was just slow and tedious to do it. Outside of that, there was no other major effect of the glove problem. We brought back the glove. You just have to look at it and see what the problem was.

Yes, after I said broke I wasn't sure that's what I really meant. I didn't know what had happened to it, but it was not performing as it should have.

The mission report has this about the post-flight testing of Mitchell's right glove:

Purpose: To investigate operational difficulties experienced with the Lunar Module Pilot's pressure garment assembly.

Tests performed: Inspect gloves for possible wrist cable damage. Perform pressure garment assembly evaluation of suited pressure with Lunar Module Pilot.

Results: No wrist cable damage was found. The problem was duplicated in a test with the Lunar Module Pilot suited. Test not complete.

posted 02-22-2023 10:51 AM            

After suit pressurization for the second extravehicular activity, the Lunar Module Pilot reported that his right glove had pulled his hand to the left and down and that he had not had this trouble during the first extravehicular activity period. The condition was a nuisance throughout the second extravehicular activity period. Initial indications from the Lunar Module Pilot were that a cable had broken in the glove.

A detailed examination of the returned glove, together with chamber tests, have shown that there are no broken cables and that there is free operation of the glove wrist-control cable system. However, with the Lunar Module Pilot in the pressurized flight suit, the glove took the position which was reported during the mission.

The wrist control assembly provides a free moving structural interface between the glove and the wrist disconnect so as to assure convolute action for wrist movement in the pressurized state. The design inherently allows the glove to take various neutral positions.

This anomaly is closed.

posted 11-21-2025 11:40 PM            

During the Apollo 14 mission, Edgar Mitchell had just pressurized his suit in the Lunar Module prior to opening the door for his EVA. He radioed back to Houston to say that he thought one of the restraint cables in his right glove wrist area may have broken because his hand was being somewhat pulled down and to the right. After consulting between NASA and ILC engineers, a decision was made to continue with the EVA. All went well during his time on the moon, but the EVA gloves were returned to earth for evaluation.

Mitchell's suit and gloves were sent to ILC in Dover. DE., and a month or so later, Edgar Mitchell flew to ILC and got back into his suit (now coated in Lunar dust) and demonstrated the problem he experienced in the presence of engineer Richard Pulling and others. It was determined that the cables were not installed onto the wrist hardware symmetrically, and as a result, the glove was being pulled to the side.

posted 11-25-2025 06:50 PM            

Mitchell: Oh, I think I see what my suit problem is, Al. I've got a broken cable in my wrist.

Shepard: Oh, really?

Mitchell: Yes. See, I - I can't control the right hand.

Shepard: ...

Mitchell: ... pull it back to the inside on me.

Shepard: Pull it there?

Mitchell: I can pull it, but I can't turn it this way and make it stay there. See, it's doing it by itself.