Posts: 48865 From: Houston, TX Registered: Nov 1999
posted 08-13-2022 01:32 PM
Adam Savage of Tested had a replica restraint layer of a extra-mobility unit (EMU) glove made for him and to display it, he decided to build a negative pressure chamber.
Maybe this might give an idea for someone looking to display a real glove — though I would recommend against drilling any holes through it to mount it.
While admiring the aesthetic fidelity of his new spacesuit glove replicas, Adam comes up with the idea to test its pressure seal by building a negative pressure chamber! Made from a thick-walled acrylic cylinder and custom-built glove mount, this glove box lets Adam simulate the experience of operating a spacesuit glove in a zero-pressure environment. It also makes for a striking display case!
This is the not first time Adam has built a chamber to test a space glove. Here is his previous build from 2014:
SpaceAholic Member
Posts: 5121 From: Sierra Vista, Arizona Registered: Nov 1999
posted 08-13-2022 02:30 PM
Brilliant - wish I had his machine shop to produce a couple of these. Don't understand why he didn't just go ahead and acquire an actual restraint layer (vice having one replicated) as the cost differential is probably not significant.
By the way, think he intended to say "Phase IV" vice "Mk IV"?
Robert Pearlman Editor
Posts: 48865 From: Houston, TX Registered: Nov 1999
posted 08-13-2022 02:43 PM
Yes, Phase IV.
Adam has said before (I believe in one of his other videos) that the joy he gets out of spacesuits is in their replication, whether or not he is the one fabricating all of the parts.
In this case, it also gave him the freedom to pass bolts through the fabric without the concern of permanently altering an artifact. He does mention, though, at the end of the video, the possibility of him seeking out a higher-fidelity bladder and restraining layer so maybe he will work with ILC Dover or one of the other spacesuit manufacturers.
SpaceAholic Member
Posts: 5121 From: Sierra Vista, Arizona Registered: Nov 1999
posted 08-13-2022 08:27 PM
The actual restraint layer has those holes already engineered into the design to allow fasteners for integration of a sealed restraint/bladder layer interface to the wrist bearing.
Robert Pearlman Editor
Posts: 48865 From: Houston, TX Registered: Nov 1999
posted 08-14-2022 10:16 AM
Ah, yes. It had been a while since I looked at a restraint layer. Using one of your own photos as a reference:
It would still like a good idea to use a mockup for the purposes of designing and testing a display like this before installing an example of the real thing.
posted 08-13-2022 01:32 PM
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