Simulating the Astronaut: What Can Dummies Teach Us About Space Exploration?

This article recovers the neglected role of anthropomorphic dummies in Cold War space exploration. Going beyond their association with crash testing, the article shows how dummies were central to human factors research and helped configure ideas of the ideal spacefaring body. Through archival and media sources, the authors demonstrate how dummies embodied racialized and gendered norms and influenced both technical environments and cultural imaginaries. This reframing positions dummies as active tools in shaping astronautics, thereby contributing to the history of science, science and technology studies, and the cultural history of space.