|
Last Updated:
Tuesday January 02, 2007 11:36 PM

# Of Souls Taken
Home Page
Site Updates Archive
Syxx's Links
Military
MOPP
Non-US Soldiers
Pilot Pages
Special Ops Pages
US Air Force
US Army Pages
US Army Rangers
US Marine Corps
US Navy SEAL Pages
WWII Pages
Villains
Axis Zero
Rogue's Gallery Pages
The Dragon Clan Pages
The Misfits Gang Pages
Police
American Police Pages
Hong Kong Police Pages
Photo Stories
NYPD Vice Bust
Scorpion Arrives
The Snitch
Miscellaneous
1:6 Female Figure Pages
1:6 Vehicles Pages
Martial Artists
Miscellaneous Pages
Predator
Product Reviews
Punisher Video
T.O.R.O.
Unusual Kitbashes
| |
|


|

Houston, We Have A Problem...
This is a NASA Apollo -era astronaut.
The following descriptions are lifted from
Dragon's website. Used without permission.
The Lunar Extravehicular Visor
Assembly or "LEVA" attached directly to the EMU suit by a
pressure-sealing neck ring, providing visual, thermal, and mechanical
protection to the Apollo astronaut's head while still allowing him
complete range of motion inside. The A7L LEVA featured a wraparound
fabric thermal cover with track-mounted sideshade panels for eye
protection. The layered visor system consisted of an inner "protective
visor" made of ultraviolet-stabilized polycarbonate for filtering UV
rays and infrared, and an outer "sun visor" of gold-tinted high
temperature polysulfone plastic for filtering visible light and
additional UV/IR protection
|
The Portable Life Support System or PLSS was the key
component for an Apollo astronaut to perform extravehicular activity
freely on the lunar surface, without the hindrance and added risk of a
physical tether-line between the EMU suit and the LEM spacecraft.
Weighing 26kg on Earth (approximately 10 pounds on the Moon), the PLSS
contained tanks for both fresh oxygen and water, a fan to move oxygen
through the suit, a pump to move the closed-loop water through the
Liquid Cooling Garment, a lithium-hydroxide canister to remove waste
carbon dioxide, an electric power battery, as well as various
communication and telemetry gear.
In the event of PLSS failure, the astronaut carried
an additional Oxygen Purge System or OPS as an emergency back-up.
Mounted above the PLSS, the OPS was primarily made up of a pair of
oxygen cylinders and an actuator cable on the Remote Control Unit (RCU)
attached to the suit's chest. To run the OPS system, the astronaut
pulled down on the actuator cable to start flow of oxygen, then opened
the diverter valve of the front of the suit to create a presure
gradient which would force oxygen into the suit -- thus allowing him
enough fresh air and suit integrity to return safely to the LEM
spacecraft.
|

The Pressure Garment Assembly of the
A7L Apollo Extravehicular Mobility Unit (EMU) was in many ways not so
much a "spacesuit" as a small spacecraft in its own right. Custom
manufactured for each astronaut and only used once, the PGA acted as a
multi-layered shield against the harshness of space -- providing the
astronaut with his own self-contained atmosphere while at the same
time allowing access to fresh oxygen, water, power and communications.
The Torso Limb Suit Assembly (TLSA)
portion of the PGA contained a series of color-coded connectors for
various life-support and electronics umbilical lines. The BLUE
umbilical connectors brought something TO the suit; the RED connectors
took something OUT. The six-point connector on the A7L represented
(from perspective of wearer):
Upper Right : Communications IN
Middle Right : Oxygen IN (from Oxygen Purge System)
Lower Right : Pressure Relief Valve
Upper Left : Oxygen IN (from
Portable Life Support System)
Middle Left : Water IN/OUT (from Portable Life Support System)
Lower Left : CO2 OUT (to Portable Life Support System)
In addition to providing protection
and environmental necessities, the PGA afforded the astronaut maximum
freedom of movement under the unusual conditions of lunar
extravehicular activity. The rear teflon abrasion patch was added to
decrease friction between the PGA's exterior and the heavy Portable
Life Support System (PLSS).
|

Due to the multi-layered protection
necessary for work in space, manual dexterity has always been a
problem for astronauts and NASA designers alike. The Apollo EV gloves
were a marvel of engineering for their time, but still hampered the
astronaut's ability to perform delicate tasks during extravehicular
activity. Each glove was custom-cast to fit an individual astronaut's
hand, and fitted with layers of protection and special rubber tips to
allow the astronaut maximum dexterity in consideration of the
conditions.
For footwear, the Apollo astronaut
had two varieties -- a Velcro-soled Pressure Boot for in-flight wear
inside the LEM and Command Module spacecraft, and a larger EV Boot
with heavier protection for extravehicular activity on the lunar
surface. The EV Boot was worn over the Pressure Boot, which was itself
part of the Pressure Garment Assembly.
Because astronaut mobility was by normal standards
severely limited in the full EMU rig, a Remote Control Unit or RCU was
designed for easy access to necessary life support, communications,
and power systems. The RCU was seated in the center of the EMU suit
chest, and allowed the astronaut to regulate his suit systems and
subsystems as needed -- without having to reach around to the PLSS and
OPS mounted on his back
|
 |
 |
|
Back to Pilots Pg 1

|
|
|
|
|
|