posted 08-18-2003 10:58 PM               

• No picture of the actual suit; I don't know anyone who would bid $125K (or more) sight unseen

• The seller doesn't understand how U.S. space artifacts are handled. He says "...many important artifacts (Especially Space Suits) that were not placed on display in reputable civilian museums, or NSAS and U.S. Government museums were automatically placed in the Smithsonian Institutions". This is backwards. The Smithsonian has first right of refusal.

• Misspellings do not convey confidence that the seller is intelligent and knows of what he writes.

• He is wrong that this is the only A6L in existence. In October 2000, Superior Galleries sold John Young's A6L pressure suit, used in training and spacesuit cover layer. Christie's sold a complete A6L suit in their 1999 sale as well.

• His estimate of how much its worth is also heavily inflated. Christie's complete suit, used in training, sold for $18,000. Remember, this was the 1999 sale when all prices were higher than elsewhere.

Its a shame this guy, if he owns what he says he owns, hasn't done his homework. Though I cannot find record of it online, I'd be willing to bet that the Smithsonian has an example of this suit as well.

posted 08-19-2003 03:46 AM               

Officially the A6L was a prototype and nothing more, but elements of the final A7L integrated aspects of the A6L unchanged. Thus you will find A6L serial numbers for some elements of the A7L suits, most notably the Liquid Cooled Garment.

I believe that complete A6L suits were actually used in training by Jim Irwin and Grumann test pilot Gerald Gibbons during their LTA-8 vacuum chamber test of the LM. However this is only a theory at present, I'm still trying to back up the photographic evidence with some hard facts.

So if you're colosally rich and want an Apollo 1 suit - don't buy it.

If you're colossally rich and want a really desirable piece of Apollo space suit history (but are willing to pay about ten times it's worth) - buy it!

posted 08-19-2003 11:16 AM               

quote:

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Originally posted by sce2aux:
The seller obviously has no idea what he has, certainly not an A6L for the following reasons: The A6L is not a two piece configuration.

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Now this is interesting, because the A6L suit sold at Christie's East 1999 is a two-piece. Here are some excerpts from the lot description:

quote:

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The Apollo A6L spacesuit was the final suit configuration destined for use on the lunar surface until the tragic Apollo 1 fire in January 1967. Recommendations by the Apollo 204 Review Board resulted in changes to the spacesuit. Modifications to the TMG changed its outer surface to fire resistant Teflon and Beta glass cloth and incorporated the TMG as a non-removable one-piece covering of the spacesuit PGA. Following the spacesuit redesign, A6L spacesuits were only used for crew training.

The A6L TMG consists of a separate pair of trousers and a jacket, which the astronaut was to don prior to going out onto the lunar surface. The trousers were designed to be put on by a fully suited astronaut and thus feature a zippered opening extending down the entire length of the left leg, with parallel zippered opening down the right leg... Velcro patches and metal rings are attached to the top of the trousers, for attaching the jacket.

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So clearly, the A6L was two-piece. There is a picture as well, which I can scan and add to this post if interested.

Perhaps yours is one of the later redesigned A6L suits?

posted 08-20-2003 11:38 AM               

Please refer to the book "U.S. Space Gear" by Lillian Kozloski. (She was the former museum specialist in the department of space history at the National Air and Space Museum.)On page 101 of her book (Figure 5.16) there is a photo of a two-piece thermal overgarmet that is associated with the A2H pressure suit. On page 105 (Figure 5.23)there are three photos illustrating the two-piece lunar cover layer that is associated with the A5L suit,also refered to as the AX5L suit.

Now look at the photo on page 106 (Figure 5.24). The A6L suit is depicted here showing the one-piece configuration with the telltale Chromel-R elbow and knee reinforcements.

I'm not so sure the suit sold at the Christie's auction in 1999 was an A6L, unless, of course, there was a TMG outer cover associated with the A6L, which given the Beta/Chromel-R exterior of the A6L seems a bit of overkill. (If Robert Pearlman could post the photo he refered to, it would be a big help.)

If there is someone, perhaps an ILC suit tech, out there that could weigh in on this discussion and shed some light it would be greatly appreciated. I looked at the photo posted by barnstormer, particularly the manufacturer's label, and it has an Ident No. AX-4H-036 which would indicate this thermal overgarmet may have been associated with the A4H pressure suit. Again, a higher authority is needed here to sort out the somewhat confusing nomenclature.

posted 08-20-2003 05:02 PM               

Here are a few paragraphs that once appeared on The Space Store's website, but now removed (it was sold). Note the mention of a two-piece development suit and a one-piece final. This may be our answer:

quote:

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The A6L was the prototype spacesuit that preceded the A7L used in the Apollo program. This is a two-piece spacesuit and the final version was one-piece. Click on the suit to see a larger image.

The jacket has an ID label that reads: Item Jacket Assy TMG, A6L204000 -01; Model 1003; Size, Large Regular; Control 005; Date 11/66, Contract No. NAS 9-6100; NASA 74897. The jacket is a thickly padded micrometeoroid garment filled with layers of Mylar and other materials designed to prevent a micrometeoroid from penetrating and puncturing the inner pressure suit. The jacket has a covered zipper down the front (with secondary velcro closure), one pocket and two covered tube/connector ports. There are several rectangular narrow, uncovered ports along the bottom on the reverse. The exterior is white Beta cloth and the jacket is completely lined with gray Chromel - R cloth. The arms have one pocket each and velcro wrist adjustments. The jacket is in excellent overall condition with only minor age faults.

The padded trousers have an intact ID label that reads: Spec, CP 1003, Trouser Assy TMG, A6L-205050-01; Model No. 1003A; Size Large Regular; Serial 008; Date 3/67; Contract No. NAS 9-6100, NASA 74897. These micrometeoroid trousers are made with white Beta cloth exteriors and gray Chromel-R linings. Each leg has a covered zipper extending down the front to aid in putting them on. An elastic waist and several metal snaps/ring loops and velcro patches help in keeping the pants attached to the jacket. Pants are in excellent overall condition. This suit is an important addition to any collection having to do with the Apollo Program. The Space Store is offering this item in partnership with Aurora Galleries. A similar suit realized $18,000 at a major space auction in 1999.

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Further, here are a few photos from the web of the later, one-piece suit:
http://www.io.com/~o_m/images/NASA_2000/EVA_Exhibit/A6L_suit.jpg
http://images.jsc.nasa.gov/iams/images/pao/APOLL_OV/10074692.jpg
http://images.jsc.nasa.gov/iams/images/pao/APOLL_OV/10074695.jpg

posted 08-24-2003 07:21 AM               

re research into your John Joung A6L/A7L suit. Can I suggest you contact the company historian at ILC Dover, Delaware. A particulary fine chap who, as you may have guessed by now, knows quite a bit suits. Indeed ILC has a small in-house museum that documents the evolution of the suit. I cannot think of any one better suited (sorry!!!) to answer your queries. Drop him a line; he doesn't bite.

Regards,