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Author
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Topic: Gemini/Apollo blue helmet covers
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nbay
New Member Posts: 2
From: United States
Registered: Dec 2004
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posted 12-17-2004 06:07 PM
  
I have two Gemini helmet visor covers - EC30047 dated Sept. 1965 and AHVC-1C-28 dated August 1966. There are also other codes on the NASA labels. Both are blue nylon with black interior linings although the earlier one is of a stiff material and the later more like cloth. Anyone know whose helmets these were for? Were they flown? |
Matt T
Member Posts: 1371
From: Chester, Cheshire, UK
Registered: May 2001
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posted 12-18-2004 07:11 PM
Absolutely no idea but I would hazard a guess that the AHVC-1C-28 might be for an early Apollo suit. My reasoning - AHVC could well be an acronym for Apollo Helmet Visor Cover; the -1C- could refer to the A1C suit made by David Clark as the Block I Apollo suit. This was the suit used by the Apollo 1, 2 and 3 crews during training in 1966, which ties in with your timeline. I know that the serial numbers for an A1C glove take the form of AG-1C-xx with xx being a number, and similarly the helmets themselves are AH-1C-xx. Seems to tie in. Maybe take a look at the Apollo 1 section in the Apollo Archive; you never know, you might spot it. Hope this helps. To answer your final question - if it is an A1C it never flew, the suit was abandoned after the Apollo 1 fire. |
carmelo
Member Posts: 1082
From: Messina, Sicilia, Italia
Registered: Jun 2004
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posted 12-19-2004 08:45 AM
But A1C helmets had the (ugly) plastic visor assembly. The cloth visor cover are not necessary. |
nasamad
Member Posts: 2181
From: Essex, UK
Registered: Jul 2001
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posted 12-19-2004 10:49 AM
I know the Gemini helmets did have blue covers for the visors. They can be seen in some of the pre-launch shots. |
Matt T
Member Posts: 1371
From: Chester, Cheshire, UK
Registered: May 2001
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posted 12-19-2004 03:03 PM
Like I said, I'm just guessing. However the "hard" visor covers were amongst the last elements of the suit to be finalized; some early A1Cs were already in production before this point. It's not inconceivable that David Clark would have continued producing their usual soft covers in the interim. |
carmelo
Member Posts: 1082
From: Messina, Sicilia, Italia
Registered: Jun 2004
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posted 12-19-2004 08:16 PM
Yes,but the hard visor cover was developed mid 1965, and the AHVC-1C-28 is dated August 1966. |
Captain Apollo
Member Posts: 322
From: UK
Registered: Jun 2004
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posted 06-18-2022 05:44 AM
Someone on another forum posted this image. I've never seen this helmet cover on any previous or subsequent Apollo flights. Any information about it? Editor's note: Threads merged. |
MartinAir
Member Posts: 190
From:
Registered: Oct 2020
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posted 06-18-2022 06:38 AM
In the archival Apollo 8 footage you can see Bill Anders wearing a similar helmet cover.
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Captain Apollo
Member Posts: 322
From: UK
Registered: Jun 2004
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posted 06-18-2022 09:46 AM
Reading the posts in this merged thread (thanks) I remain curious. As people note, it seems odd to put a visor cover on a bubble helmet plus the suit McDivitt is wearing is not an early version Apollo suit anyway, that's an A7L isn't it? This is training for Apollo 9? The blue cover looks form-fitted to the helmet, almost like a LEVA. |
Rolf
Member Posts: 79
From: Netherlands
Registered: May 2007
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posted 06-18-2022 07:31 PM
The photo was taken on July 15, 1968 at North American Rockwell in Downey. It was a test of Command Module 103 intended for the Apollo 8 mission, a flight into Earth orbit along with a Lunar Module. The crew consisted of McDivitt, Scott and Schweickart. The blue helmet cover was only a protection for the helmet during this test. |
Captain Apollo
Member Posts: 322
From: UK
Registered: Jun 2004
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posted 06-20-2022 04:28 AM
Thank you. So it wasn't a protection for the "red visor" just the bubble helmet? Any views on why blue covers don't seem to have been used more generally on Apollo bubble helmets? This is the only photo of one I've ever seen. |
oly
Member Posts: 1393
From: Perth, Western Australia
Registered: Apr 2015
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posted 06-20-2022 05:42 AM
Because later versions of the "bubble helmet" cover were made of clear polycarbonate. There is a topic here that covers the clear cover.The "red visor" is the LEVA without the white Beta cloth cover. Adding a cover to a cover would just increase the bulk, making it more difficult to move about inside the command module. Another example of an Apollo "bubble helmet" cover can be found here. |
Captain Apollo
Member Posts: 322
From: UK
Registered: Jun 2004
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posted 06-21-2022 06:59 AM
Ok. Just to be clear: - Bubble Helmet - standard
- Bubble Helmet with Blue or White Cover, used only for training in 1968 as per photos.
- Bubble Helmet with Clear Clip On Cover ("double bubble") used afterwards instead
- Bubble Helmet with Red Visor minus LEVA (EEVA) used on Apollo 9
- Bubble Helmet with LEVA used on Apollo 11 and after.
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