Space Suit Prototypes (like Grumman Moon Suit, Republic etc)

[Graham1973]

An IVA suit developed by Garrett AiResearch between August 1968 - February 1970.

For the AAP missions?

http://ntrs.nasa.gov/archive/nasa/casi.ntrs.nasa.gov/19700011378_1970011378.pdf

 

[Michel Van]

A what seems to be a prototype shuttle space suit.

That part of "emergency intra-vehicular activity" studies for Shuttle in 1970s
This would feature a safer, more reliable, faster closing and lower leakage entry/closure system and
Also support reasonably rapid decompression from a 14.7 psi (1 atm) cabin pressure without risk of decompression sickness.
source: http://history.nasa.gov/alsj/ILC-SpaceSuits-RevA.pdf

in end NASA had problems with budget, weight and volume constraints in the planned Shuttle...

An IVA suit developed by Garrett AiResearch between August 1968 - February 1970.

For the AAP missions?

http://ntrs.nasa.gov/archive/nasa/casi.ntrs.nasa.gov/19700011378_1970011378.pdf

Sorry i get only a death pdf that not open... :-\

Does anyone have a component list with the cost of materials?

Just how much does it cost to make a EVA suit?

I know that it has to be pressurized to 3.5 ~5 psi. to be comfortable.

ood, the books i have about US space suit, don't have information on Suit Cost...

 

[Graham1973]

An IVA suit developed by Garrett AiResearch between August 1968 - February 1970.

For the AAP missions?

http://ntrs.nasa.gov/archive/nasa/casi.ntrs.nasa.gov/19700011378_1970011378.pdf

Sorry i get only a death pdf that not open... :-\


I've just checked the link and was able to get the PDF successfully, here's a link to the NTRS page.

http://ntrs.nasa.gov/search.jsp?R=19700011378&hterms=intravehicular&qs=Ntx%3Dmode%2520matchall%26Ntk%3DTitle%26Ns%3DPublication-Date|0%26N%3D4294129243%26Ntt%3Dintravehicular

 

[machin shin]

I was told bu a friend that was fitted for a suit that they are $80,000. But this was back in the mid 1990's.
The material costs are based off of the measurements of the person. But things like hose hook ups and the helmet I couldn't even begin to guess about.

 

[Barrington Bond]

British presumably high altitude, flexible visor.
Anyone know anything about it?

 

[flateric]

http://www.facebook.com/suitedforspace

 

[Michel Van]

British presumably high altitude, flexible visor.
Anyone know anything about it?

nope, is the first time i see an "net that hold plastic bag" helmet !
for a moment i thought, to see a cheap movie prop for those italian Sci-fi movies...

 

[blackstar]

Clipped this out of a report. It is a proposed Bendix work platform, essentially an early MMU. This dates from the late 1960s.

 

[Michel Van]

Here another Video about Leblanc accident in Vacuum chamber
it only document accident were someone was expose to vacuum and survived it


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KO8L9tKR4CY

 

[HeavyG]

Found some pictures of the AX-3 hardsuit design at the Retronaut picture blog: http://www.retronaut.co/2012/02/hardsuit-ax-3-space-suit-design-1977/

 

[hagaricus]

British presumably high altitude, flexible visor.
Anyone know anything about it?

Could it be this? http://www.astronautix.com/craft/typeb.htm

 

[Michel Van]

Found some pictures of the AX-3 hardsuit design at the Retronaut picture blog: http://www.retronaut.co/2012/02/hardsuit-ax-3-space-suit-design-1977/

Nice Find, HeavyG

 

[Michel Van]

British presumably high altitude, flexible visor.
Anyone know anything about it?

I found this here
it called the Type 51 full pressure suit
sadly i don't recalled were i found the picture on the internet

 

[Spark]

Many thanks Barry,
Normalair three and a half litre stainless steel LOX unit, back pack mobility style.
One assumes for emergency use in Spacecraft?
The full pressure UK suit (not Normalair) is middle latter half fifties

At that time Normalair’s spacesuit was known as the “tinman”, more like a suit of armour for a pregnant knight. The company considered by 1957/8 that it a was viable solution.

From Spark "Has anyone a picture of the Normalair Spacesuit life support back pack shown at Farnborough circa 1962?"

Could this be it? From the cover of a Westland Companies brochure undated but the latest date mentioned in it is 1966.

Regards,
Barry

 

[antigravite]

Publicity?

Not all of these images. The "For Sale" image was taken during STS-51A shuttle mission on Nov 14, 1984 when US Navy astronaut Dale A. Gardner offered for sale two Hughes communication sats (Palapa B2 and Westar 6) before they were brought back, down to Earth, for refurbishment and reuse (their apogee motor failed to ignite and the sats were damn stuck on LEO).

 

[The Artist]

We have two suits listed as prototypes in the museum's collection. Starting with the G2C. This one is in a glass case so I had to try to shoot around the reflections.

 

[The Artist]

This suit is only listed as a Gemini Spacesuit Prototype donated by McDonnell Douglas. It was already on that dumpy mannequin when it was donated to the museum. I've been told that this was the suit they (McDonnell Douglas) used to take to events and presentations so it has seen a lot of abuse.

 

[Graham1973]

Not really a space-suit. Emergency Oxygen Equipment developed by Hamilton Standard for the Space Shuttle.

http://ntrs.nasa.gov/archive/nasa/casi.ntrs.nasa.gov/19760009714_1976009714.pdf

 

[Graham1973]

Now for something rather mysterious. Plans without documentation which make me think of 'The Andromeda Strain' (film) for some reason.

http://ntrs.nasa.gov/archive/nasa/casi.ntrs.nasa.gov/19690014287_1969014287.pdf

 

[Spark]

Many thanks Barry,
Normalair three and a half litre stainless steel LOX unit, back pack mobility style. Date 1958
One assumes for emergency use in Spacecraft?

The full pressure UK suit (not Normalair) is middle latter half fifties

At that time Normalair’s spacesuit was known as the “tinman”, more like a suit of armour for a pregnant knight. The company considered by 1957/8 that it a was viable solution.

This Normalair full pressure suit was made public in 1956; has any one seen any articles photos of this suit or the later Siebe Gorman full pressure suit.

From Spark "Has anyone a picture of the Normalair Spacesuit life support back pack shown at Farnborough circa 1962?"

Could this be it? From the cover of a Westland Companies brochure undated but the latest date mentioned in it is 1966.

Regards,
Barry

 

[Barrington Bond]

Any idea which company's suit this is? circa 1956 as it appears in these unused Ideal Home Exhibition clips.
http://www.britishpathe.com search for Ideal Home Exhibition 1956.

 

[Michel Van]

i not sure but that one sitting suit
look like this one who is unpressure
a R&D from the Ministry Of Supply

funny part on video
that suit leaks and run empty like ballon...

 

[GeorgeA]

Apologies if this has been mentioned before, but here's an excellent book about Apollo suit development:

Spacesuit: Fashioning Apollo (Nicholas de Monchaux, MIT Press)

http://amzn.com/026201520X

Lots of interesting stuff from an industrial design perspective.

 

[Barrington Bond]

On the Pathe site search for Aircraft Equipment Tested and you should find a vid with these in..

 

[Barrington Bond]

...and some more.

 

[Graham1973]

I've found a patent covering the plans I posted earlier:

An extravehicular human work station permitting manual operation in a hostile environment. The work station consists of a semi-anthropomorphic assembly attached to the distal end of a tunnel extending from a vehicle,wall. The tunnel is of convoluted bellows construction and may be selectively axially expanded or contracted by a system of individually controlled cables. The cables may be operated individually also in order to regulate the angle from which the tunnel axis projects from the vehicle wall.

http://ntrs.nasa.gov/archive/nasa/casi.ntrs.nasa.gov/19710015252_1971015252.pdf

 

[Spark]

Hi Barry,

The one standing I think is a USAF Semi Pressure Capstan suit used by RAE in the early fifties,
Canberra world altitude record.
Can any US give details please?
Note sure about the other?

Any idea which company's suit this is? circa 1956 as it appears in these unused Ideal Home Exhibition clips.
http://www.britishpathe.com search for Ideal Home Exhibition 1956.

 

[Graham1973]

Aperatus for dealing with a potentially dangerous condition.

http://ntrs.nasa.gov/archive/nasa/casi.ntrs.nasa.gov/19790073558_1979073558.pdf

 

[Michel Van]

that is a serious problem, see what happen during this test...

 

[RanulfC]

Hi Barry,

The one standing I think is a USAF Semi Pressure Capstan suit used by RAE in the early fifties,
Canberra world altitude record.
Can any US give details please?

Yup, bottom left picture on page 4 of this article:
http://webs.lanset.com/aeolusaero/Articles/Supporting_Life_at_80000_feet_SSuit_History_25Jan10.pdf

shows the suit and lists it as the USAF capstan type partial pressure suit, developed by Dr. James P. Henry of the University of Southern California in the late 40s.

Some good pictures (of many of the early pressure suits also) can be found here:
http://viking.coe.uh.edu/~gkitmacher/_content/spacesuits/spacesuits.pdf

Any idea which company's suit this is? circa 1956 as it appears in these unused Ideal Home Exhibition clips.
http://www.britishpathe.com search for Ideal Home Exhibition 1956.

Randy

 

[Spark]

Hi Randy,
Many thanks for the post. I love the 1951 rescue cells.

Hi Barry,

The one standing I think is a USAF Semi Pressure Capstan suit used by RAE in the early fifties,
Canberra world altitude record.
Can any US give details please?

Yup, bottom left picture on page 4 of this article:
http://webs.lanset.com/aeolusaero/Articles/Supporting_Life_at_80000_feet_SSuit_History_25Jan10.pdf

shows the suit and lists it as the USAF capstan type partial pressure suit, developed by Dr. James P. Henry of the University of Southern California in the late 40s.

Some good pictures (of many of the early pressure suits also) can be found here:
http://viking.coe.uh.edu/~gkitmacher/_content/spacesuits/spacesuits.pdf

Any idea which company's suit this is? circa 1956 as it appears in these unused Ideal Home Exhibition clips.
http://www.britishpathe.com search for Ideal Home Exhibition 1956.

Randy

 

[Grey Havoc]

Nice Find Barry ! ! !
the P Frankenstein and Sons Ltd. prototypes spacesuit for RAF
they made also the Space suit for Stanley Kubrick ‘2001: A Space Odyssey. !

On a related note:

Frederick Fox became famous for the hats he designed for the Queen. Over a period of 35 years he created an average of 10 hats a year for the monarch, often preferring to make the finished article himself. His royal hats were designed to be worn for long periods and shaped so that the Queen's face was not obscured as she met her public. One of his best-known creations was the pink hat with fabric bells which the Queen wore to her Silver Jubilee service of thanksgiving. Other members of the royal family also appeared in Fox hats, including the Princess of Wales, who swiftly became a fashion icon. Royal Ascot was a showcase for his designs and, later in his career he was among milliners who came up with the fascinator, an item that has divided opinion in the fashion world. He also designed headgear for a number of films, including the space helmets used in 2001: A Space Odyssey.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/magazine-25560161

 

[Graham1973]

Not a full blown spacesuit, but an emergency breathing system for use aboard the Space Shuttle:

Hamilton Standard has developed a Portable Oxygen Subsystem (POS) for use in the Space Shuttle Orbiter System. This development effort was conducted under Contract NAS 9-14458 to NASA's Johnson Space Center. The scope of this program included the selection, design, fabrication, and test of a POS which meets the Shuttle objectives of long life, low cost and minimum maintenance.

The POS is a rebreather type system which provides a revitalized breathing gas supply to a crewman for denitrogenization, emergency IV activity, and/or emergency rescue.

http://ntrs.nasa.gov/archive/nasa/casi.ntrs.nasa.gov/19760009714.pdf

 

[Graham1973]

This is the Garret Airesearch design for the same emergency oxygen system contract as the item in the last post:

This report describes the concept selection, design, fabrication, and testing of a Portable Oxygen Subsystem (POS) for use in Space Shuttle operations. Tradeoff analyses were conducted to determine the POS concept for fabrication and testing, The fabricated POS was subjected to unmanned and manned tests to verify compilance with the Statement of Work requirements. The POS used in the development program described herein met requirements for the three operationl modes -- prebreathing, contaminated cabin, and Personnel Rescue System operations.

http://ntrs.nasa.gov/archive/nasa/casi.ntrs.nasa.gov/19760009713.pdf

 

[Michel Van]

i found more on this pressure suit
it's from Drägerwerke but not Watanzug, it's the "Leichter Druckanzug" model 223


Drägerwerke were leading manufacture for diving breathing equipment in Germany 1930s
The Reichs Luftfahrt Ministerium order them for to deliberate a pressure suit in 1935

RLM demands
01. Internal pressure: 0.8atm, safety margin three times as much.
02. Shape and size for a person 1.8m tall.
03. Suit should be partitioned to simplify the donning.
04. Use of hands and sight shall not be hampered to allow easy landing and take-o.
05. Suit shall be electrically heated or the heat of the exhaustion pipe should be utilized.
06. Closed-Circuit-Rebreather system.
07. Fogging of the visor must be prevented.
08. Freedom of movement.
09. Rescue-exit with parachute must be possible.
10. Fail-safe system.
11. Radio communication inside the suit must be available.
12. Domestic components should be used, i.e. production independent of foreign currency.
13. Light weight.

At Drägerwerke Dr. Hermann Tietze, chief engineer for diving apparatuses start R&D
the first soft suit and hard suit were unusable for RLM need
but over the war Drägerwerke produce better and better pressure suits.


source

Under the waves, above the clouds.
A history of the pressure suit.

Alexander von Lünen

a Dissertation publish 2010
to find in internet for free.

 

[carmelo]

Wow!
Nazi space suits!

 

[athpilot]

@Michel Van

Great Stuff this PhD-Thesis! Thanks for the reference!

 

[covert_shores]

Poor quality photos of Soviet Moon Program space suit. The body is metal and integrated into the breathing rig on the back. c1969

 

[Michel Van]

Poor quality photos of Soviet Moon Program space suit. The body is metal and integrated into the breathing rig on the back. c1969

must be one of prototypes for the Krechet-94
were is this suit put on display ?

 

[covert_shores]

Milan, Italy.