Astronaut knives

[kBob]

Given the cost per pound of a lift to LEO in those days NASA must have thought a “Survival Knife” pretty important.

I had heard that the Mercury knives were all RM knives but could not tell from this one if that is true.

My Son and I visited the Cape Last a year ago and I thought you guys might like this photo…. and then forgot about it until a bit ago.

Imagine trying to walk through TSA with that!

Anyhow it got me wondering what other knives have gone to space with our Space Folks.

When Fred Bear Museum was a thing, he had something like a large Case Bowie that was supposedly for the Apollo program. He also had one if his points with the small removable blade in the middle that one of the lunar walkers took up and stuck in the moon and brought back making it the longest throw of an arrow head ever!

Can a modern Astronaut even take a MacGyver with them today let alone a BHK like Deke’s?

-kBob

 

[JeeperCreeper]

That's cool!

I just saw, I'm sure mostly marketing, that kabar is advertising they're space force knife.

Kabar is blue handle and gray finish. Kinda cool actually

 

[Bazoo]

That is pretty cool. Thanks for sharing.

Cases catalog last year showed a reproduction of their space knife was being made. It looks like a 12" machete.

 

[Bazoo]

I forgot to mention, the reason for knives were not really for in space use. It was more for if they crash land back on earth and have to survive any length of time.

 

[JeeperCreeper]

I forgot to mention, the reason for knives were not really for in space use. It was more for if they crash land back on earth and have to survive any length of time.

I can imagine sharp pokey things in a pressure sealed environment with novel physics is a big no-no haha

 

[Shanghai McCoy]

I seem to remember a Randall astronaut knife at one time..?

 

[jmr40]

We landed our spacecraft in the ocean and were always either within sight, or very close to recovery ships. The odds of needing to survive very long were slim. But the Russians landed their spacecraft in remote areas on land. There were often hours before recovery vehicles got to the crew. And rumors that it may have been more than a day in some cases. They supposedly supplied survival firearms for their crew. I've read that in the past but have never tried to confirm it.

 

[hso]

I like the customization of that!

The Mercury 7 were issued these Randall Model 17s that Gordon Cooper helped spec out in their survival kits.

Glenn's


Grissom's

He carried this as well.


This is the type of Case that flew with Gemini & Apollo.

https://www.knifemagazine.com/knife-of-the-day-case-astronaut-machete/

Gemini IV


This first generation commemorative is in my living room.


Supposedly Camillus had at least one Gemini mission where their paratrooper flew.


Lots of Victoriniox knives have flown on US space missions. This is the Master Craftsman. NASA ordered several dozen during Apollo and Shuttle.


Russian Cosmonauts of course had their own versions.


Then some genius decided to make it do double duty as a buttstock.

 

[kBob]

I think Between Five and Six inches based on the finger groove.

It is difficult to measure be hind two layers of glass…. did not think to try measure function on phone.

-kBob

 

[hso]

I think Between Five and Six

Should be 5.5".

 

[hso]

I'm sure mostly marketing, that kabar is advertising they're space force knife.

Yep, just marketing. Started as a spoof and "took off".

 

[Ohen Cepel]

Randall still makes their Astro model.

 

[hso]

Randall still makes their Astro model.

Yep
https://www.randallknives.com/knives/model-17-astro/

 

[herrwalther]

Apparently the most common knife was the Case M-1. My late grandmother in law worked at NASA and was in the control room for several big missions. But she didn't talk about interesting details like this. The story she liked to tell was the infamous "Houston we have a problem" was a much longer, expletive filled statement that wasn't safe for TV.

https://agrussell.com/knife/Case-Astronaut-Knife-M-1--CS-12019

 

[hso]

A great summary.

https://www.fratellowatches.com/astronauts-knife/

 

[Double_J]

Apparently the most common knife was the Case M-1. My late grandmother in law worked at NASA and was in the control room for several big missions. But she didn't talk about interesting details like this. The story she liked to tell was the infamous "Houston we have a problem" was a much longer, expletive filled statement that wasn't safe for TV.

https://agrussell.com/knife/Case-Astronaut-Knife-M-1--CS-12019

I had the pleasure of meeting Fred Haise 12 years ago, and that was one of the first questions asked. He also said that they were VERY professional and knew the ground support crew would do anything to get them home. He also said they were all ready to meet their maker if it was time.

He said the survival training he received in the military helped shape his "personal" survival gear, aka a Swiss army knife and p38 can opener. The astronauts from that Era were truly a different breed.

 

[kBob]

HSO,

wow thanks for the big post with pictures!

Had I but known as a kid I was already carrying a real “Astronaut Knife”, yep the Demo Kit knife!

also thanks for confirming my suspicions about MacGyver knives….. if I ever need to break into a Russian space station I now know to have a SAK handy!

got to admit the Case Machete makes sense, but there is just something about a Randall Made crowbar with sharp edges that just seems RIGHT for Boldly Going.

-kBob

 

[hso]

I've been surprised that Mission Knives and their beta Ti knives weren't selected for flights. Now that we have makers like Mad Science Forge successfully making swords and machetes out of Ti alloy I would expect orders to them.

Perhaps the commercial spaceflight companies would reach out to the more exotic materials makers.

 

[Rick Bowles]

HSO,

wow thanks for the big post with pictures!

Had I but known as a kid I was already carrying a real “Astronaut Knife”, yep the Demo Kit knife!

also thanks for confirming my suspicions about MacGyver knives….. if I ever need to break into a Russian space station I now know to have a SAK handy!

got to admit the Case Machete makes sense, but there is just something about a Randall Made crowbar with sharp edges that just seems RIGHT for Boldly Going.

-kBob

2021 was the 60th. anniversary of Randall Knives (or any knives) in space.I was tickled that our President created "The Space Force". Every branch of our military has been supported by Randall knives. As a Randall authorized dealer and with the help of Gary Randall I designed and released a limited edition (60 ea.) to acknowledge to newest addition to our warriors. These sold out quickly but I thought I'd share.

 

[Speedo66]

While I understand they want good quality for the program, was a several hundred dollar knife really necessary?

Next time perhaps a nice quality Mora. lol

 

[CapnMac]

We landed our spacecraft in the ocean and were always either within sight, or very close to recovery ships. The odds of needing to survive very long were slim.

They did their best to ensure the odds were slim, too.
But, being good engineers, they also planned for the unexpected, like landing on the ground, in a forest or the like.

Especially during Mercury, when the slightest thing would abort the plan, and they'd land ASAP. They actually had two Task Groups for recovery--one in the Pacific and one in the Atlantic. And with at least one of the missions, they landed with the alternate TG due to a shortened mission.

This eased up through the second half of Gemini, as things were ironed out, and early mission terminations were better planned when required.

 

[GEM]

As an aside, the chances that the astronauts would come down in the Amazon basin and have to live off the wild, led to studies on eating various ugly insects. This led to the investigation of cognitive dissonance and how folks would take an action that was seemingly disgusting. I guess they also would slice up the nice bugs with their survival knives.

 

[FL-NC]

I would not have left MY Randall in a spaceship headed to Davey Jones locker. They would have pulled that capsule up years later saying- "I wonder why we can't find Fl-NC's knife in here"?

 

[hso]

They would have pulled that capsule up years later saying

"Poor FL-NC, wonder why he drowned? Musta been trying to cut himself loose, see the knife. "