posted 12-02-2019 11:11 AM            

It shows MOL pilots Dick Truly, Jack Finley and Mike Adams posing in front of the USAF KC-135 "Weightless Wonder" aircraft (SN 60-53129) in David Clark NASA G4C spacesuits. (Truly told me it was March 24-25, 1966.)

Adams is shown holding a Gemini-style helmet but Truly is holding what seems to be the helmet used by Hamilton Standard in their MH-7/MH-8 suits.

posted 12-11-2019 04:02 AM               

However, I can identify Truly's suit. While Finley and Adams are wearing G4C suits, Truly is not wearing a G4C suit, he is wearing the MOL MD-1 suit which was the David Clark competition suit for the MOL program. DCCI made 4 prototype suits, MD-1 thru MD-4. Hamilton Standard won the suit competition so the MD series suits went no further. The MD-1 and MD-2 suit torsos, while looking similar to a G4C, had significant differences to improve mobility and long term comfort.

The helmet Truly is holding is shown without the EVA visor assembly. The helmet features a fiberglass rear section with a fixed visor, and has a feeding port at the lower right front, and a pressure relief valve at the lower right rear of the helmet. The helmet was not interchangeable with the G4C suit as the neck rings were significantly different in design and operation. There is a vent pad at the inside rear of the helmet.

The helmet also has a unique removable anti-buffeting pad that prevents head contact with the inside of he helmet shell in the event of severe high dynamic environments as experienced during launch. The helmet features USAF wings on the brow of the helmet, and the EVA visor assembly shell has USAF wings at the rear of the helmet just above the neck ring.