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  EB: Mercury missions space helmet shield

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Author Topic:   EB: Mercury missions space helmet shield
jerry13
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posted 03-14-2013 07:33 PM     Click Here to See the Profile for jerry13   Click Here to Email jerry13     Edit/Delete Message   Reply w/Quote
This shield (190810479056) was purchased by my father from a government auction in the mid 60s. We now with the internet found more data which suggest that this shield was the type used in or around the Mercury missions.

Shield is stamped with FAB Feb 25 1965 SER #444.

JasonB
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posted 03-14-2013 09:06 PM     Click Here to See the Profile for JasonB   Click Here to Email JasonB     Edit/Delete Message   Reply w/Quote
I am literally holding my breath in anticipation for the expected responses to this.

Robert Pearlman
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From: Houston, TX
Registered: Nov 1999

posted 03-14-2013 09:07 PM     Click Here to See the Profile for Robert Pearlman   Click Here to Email Robert Pearlman     Edit/Delete Message   Reply w/Quote
Do you have a record (receipt, or otherwise) of the government auction purchase?

jerry13
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posted 03-14-2013 09:21 PM     Click Here to See the Profile for jerry13   Click Here to Email jerry13     Edit/Delete Message   Reply w/Quote
I do not have paperwork. A crate was bought and had a variety of stuff in it. This was one of the items. At the time we did not know what it was. It was stuck away in our family storage.

DG27
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posted 03-16-2013 04:33 AM     Click Here to See the Profile for DG27   Click Here to Email DG27     Edit/Delete Message   Reply w/Quote
The visor you have is actually a visor for a US Navy MK-IV full pressure helmet. The way to tell is that the Mercury visor has a semi-circular cutout in the lower right hand side of the visor (as worn on the head) to provide clearance for the helmet oxygen exhaust hose connection. This visor does not have that cutout.

(Note that the cutout does not show up in the photos you have of Glenn in a mercury helmet since it is on the side of the helmet away from the camera that took the photo).

It should also be pointed out that MK-IV pressure visors were made both with and without the stainless steel bands on the edges of the visor. Your visor is of the type with the stainless bands.

Another way to tell the difference, is that the left hand pivot hole in your visor has a small radial notch which allows the visor to be locked in the "up" position. The MK-IV helmet has a tab on the spring loaded visor latch which fits up into the notch to lock the visor in the "up" position. The Mercury visor pivot hole does not have the notch but a radiused cutout since the Mercury visor does not lock in the "up" position but stays in the "up" position from friction from a spring loaded plunger on the radiused cutout in the visor pivot hole.

This visor is still a desirable item, especially if someone has a MK-IV helmet with a broken visor, but it is not a Mercury space helmet visor.

Joel Katzowitz
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From: Marietta GA USA
Registered: Dec 1999

posted 03-16-2013 07:32 AM     Click Here to See the Profile for Joel Katzowitz   Click Here to Email Joel Katzowitz     Edit/Delete Message   Reply w/Quote
I guess the other obvious clue is the helmet is dated 1965, the Mercury program ended in 1963.

All times are CT (US)

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