Well, I just spent a couple of days in the Smithsonian museums around Washington and I thought people might be as interested as I was in seeing some of the survival gear featured there.

The oldest on display is in the Natural History Museum carried by the Iceman discovered in the Alps. He didn't die of hypothermia which is what I heard when he was originally found; he was shot, they found an arrowhead in his shoulder and slashes on his wrist and palm. He either bled to death or was to weak to survive the cold. But he was carrying:
Stone drill
Bone Awl
Tinderfungus
Stone Blade
Stone Scraper
Antler and wood pressure flaker
Stone dagger with wooden handle and scabbard
Charred Ember bucket
Rope or cord (possible bow string)
Wooden Backpack frame
Deer Hide Quiver with unfinished arrows
Yew longbow 6' long
Copper headed axe
Water repellent grass cape
Skin clothes with fur on
Bear skin hat
Bear and Dear hide shoes stuffed with grass

His fire kit was tied around his waist like a money belt.

The rest of the gear was at the Air and Space museum. Equipment from Charles Lindberg, Astronauts and U-2 pilots.

Charles Lindberg was carrying:
1 flare
heavy braided fishing line
2 fish hooks
ball of cord
~4" long needle
Match case w/ matches
Emergency ration (about 2x5x6")
Hacksaw blade

Overall not too much, but I guess with out a raft he would be kind of boned if he came down in the Atlantic anyway. No air and sea rescue. If he came down on land in England or France, he really wouldn't need much gear to survive.

Astronaut survival gear was pretty variable, depending on what mission group you were in (Gemini, Mercury, Apollo, etc.) but they all carried a core of gear that was similar.

Mercury:
Pocket knife
Parachute cord
Desalinization Kit
Shark repellent
Sea dye marker
Rescue Strobe Light
Police whistle
Matchcase w/ waterproof matches
Radio beacon
Self Inflating Life raft
Soap
First aid pouch

The U-2 pilots were pretty well equipped. I was reasonably impressed by their kits:

Folding Machete
Hunting style knife with a steel handle and leather sheath
Lineman pliers
File
Sharpening stone
Fishing Kit
Monocular
Compass- Army lensatic compass
Sunscreen
Lip balm
Insect repellent
Whistle
Water Purification Tablets
Water bag vinyl? with canvas carrier
Desalinization kit
Signal mirror
Sungoggles
Dye Marker
Shark repellent
Survival manual
Radio w/ Battery

Anyway I was interested in seeing all the survival equipment on display and I thought other people might be too. I might try to post pictures later. I have to say I was particularly interested in the Iceman's tools how he made them and used them.

Thanks for the descriptions. It's been a long time since I wandered through the Air & Space museum. There is just so much to see there and lots of neat exhibits. I'd like to see whatever pictures you took if you wind up posting them...

AROTC:

Interesting note about Otzi, the Iceman, and his "ember bucket." I know that certain early American families and Pioneers carried a similar bucket in which they built a "Hearth Fire" from. Usually the Hearth Fire was in a typical fireplace and burned year round for heating, cooking and such. A newlywed couple would take embers from the fires of their parents homes and build their fires in the “new home’s fireplace.” The same was true of the Native Peoples here in the Americas. To carry a small amount of fire in ember, or something to easily burn to which building a fire was the difference between life and death.

Did you see anything about the Space Shuttle Survival Kits?

Take care,
Stargazer

Oetzi just keeps on revealing his secrets. Another researcher looked closely at the 'backpack.' There is a problem, in that it wouldn't fit either inside or over the raincape. But her close analysis postulates they are actually fragments of snowshoes. The restored dimensions and attachment points closely fall into the same ancient parameters of modern versions. Well, what I consider modern; wood and rawhide with lampwick bindings. This makes sense, as an earlier recreation of his trek was very exaustive and slow going in his footwear. The copper axe proved a splendid ice axe though. If true, this ponders another mystery. Snowshoes were considered a New World invention, oddly absent in Eurasia. It seems Oetzi not only used acupuncture before the chinese, but snowshoes before the subarctic indians.

Here's a link to info re: STS survival gear:

http://edspace.nasa.gov/text/astroschool/survival/gear.html

2 time participant in Space Camp Parent/Child Program (for the kids, of course
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http://www.spacecamp.com/details.php?cat=Space&program=Parent%2FChild

There was another interesting device it combines a Flashlight, strobe light, signal mirror, firestarting kit, fishing kit and compass all in one package. I don't remember which missions it was carried on though.

A Quik Note relating to the Space Shuttle you've mentioned.

Has to do with Flight Emergencies if not specific Survival.

Its that they have several Emergency Shuttle Landing Strips around the World, -such as the one in Senegal. They've never had to use one yet.

Must be quite a Quiet, Lonely Job, -for the Folks Manning (or Womaning) such Sites! Probably a Skeleton Crew.

But Chances reasonably well exist, -that someday out of the Blue, -one *will* have to be used. Then those Folks at this Ever Ready will Kick into Gear, -and do I'm Sure a Magnificent Job! For once getting their "Moment in the Sun"! I more than a few times, -Think of these and other such Folks!

Of course the Shuttle can Land on many typical, Major Airport / AFB Runways as well round our World, -in any such Emergency. [color:"black"] [/color] [email]ScottRezaLogan[/email]