Rocket Shoes: The 1960s Toy That Promised a Moonwalk Experience

NASA explored the concept of rocket shoes in the mid-1960s to improve astronaut mobility during spacewalks. Unfortunately, the initial designs never left the prototype stage, but the idea clicked with toy manufacturers, who rushed to market to tempt the next generation of astronauts. That race gave rise to products like the Rocket Shoes, made from a combination of plastic, metal, and three enormous springs under each sole.

Rocket Shoes: The 1960s Shoes That Let You Walk Like on the Moon — Rocket Shoes

The Rocket Shoe Concept at NASA

The need to "walk in space" was still very fresh during the Space Race, but NASA understood well that astronauts would need some kind of assistance to move through the vacuum. One of the first developments was by engineer John D. Bird, who basically proposed installing rockets on astronauts' feet.

This made a lot of sense: humans spend a good part of their time standing, so why not take advantage of that natural orientation in space? The rest would be a matter of training pilots to control the system using their toes, with the added benefit of keeping their hands free.

Rocket Shoes for Kids

Needless to say, there was also the possibility of a commercial variant in the near future. In the end, NASA favored the AMU module, which in turn became the current MMU, and which didn't see real action until the arrival of the space shuttles. The public version never happened, but the little ones at home (ages 7 to 12, to be precise) could get a "similar experience" to a moonwalk with a pair of Rocket Shoes.

Three giant springs attached to a sole with three rubber plugs, and a body of metal and plastic to receive the child's foot, who had to be well shod. I admit it's not hard to imagine a few twisted ankles with those shoes, but they also cost about six dollars, about 40 dollars adjusted for inflation. If someone launched such a product today, it probably wouldn't last ten minutes on the shelves...