Apollo A7L Jim Lovell's Moon Suit, Pro Shots Added July 16, 2014!

[real_ronin677]

Great photo that really does help. Once the helmet is attached, does the added weight cause the ring to tilt forward (and also the helmet), I can imagine the helmet tilting forward and my face level with the top of the helmet. Kinda like how the helmet is sitting in the photo, or is this negligible once the suit is on?
So many dumb question, sorry

Good question. If you had a shirt collar, like a Priest, it would stick up about 1.5 inches. There is velcro inside of the 'shirt collar' on the suit....... it attaches to velcro on the outside of the aluminium ring (which slips inside of the shirt collar). Now the Aluminum ring is solid on the suit and the base of the helmet ring fits into the aluminum ring.

Ill try to post a pic later tonight. A picture is worth a thousand words.

Here ya go. This is a shot from the side of the helmet. I pulled down the suit collar so you could see how its velcroed in place. The helmet is three basic pieces: 1) base ring that sits inside of the aluminum suit ring 2) main dome 3) face shield.

[url]http://i265.photobucket.com/albums/ii203/lear60man/Helmut_zps0ebe3eb4.jpg[/URL]

 

[Lear60man]

The suit is on a hangar and thus tilting forward. When the suit is being worn, the neck ring is only tilting forward slightly. The weight of the helmet doesnt make the ring wobble at all. But just enough to make a good seal.

 

[DarkJedi1500]

My neck ring is attached to the suit with velcro. I would have done this reguardless but on my suit it is critical to take the ring off since the suit has the zipper in the front. The real A7L has the zipper in the back, but I wanted to be able to get in and out a little easier at least on this first attempt.

The helmet is held onto the neck ring with rare earth magnets. There are 5 in the ring itself and 5 in the helmet. It is strong enough to keep the helmet on as I move but I can pull the bucket off with a quick twist and lift motion. My next one would have a few more magnets in it as well.

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And the helmet dosent wobble. It leans forward on mine due to an error when the the collor was pinned, but once the neck ring is on the helmet stays locked in one position (i.e. I can freely move my head inside without the helmet moving as a result.

 

[DarkJedi1500]

Hi, after watching Gravity I am considering making a costume similar to yours. One question. How do you attach your inner 'sleeping bag' suit to the main cotton outer suit? Is it attached or worn separately? Do you have any photos of putting the costume on piece by piece so we can see how it goes together?

thanks

One of these days I'll make a video showing how the suit goes on.

The "sleeping bag" does not have any direct attachment to the outer garment. To get it in the outer garment I shove it in like I am dressing a manaquin. Once it is in, I put the whole suit on as a single garment. I have not had any issues where the two have tried to seperate from eachother.

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And the outer suit is not cotton. I used rip stop nylon for all the white parts of my suit. The real ones are coated in a Teflon cloth, hence the desire to use a synthetic material.

 

[MarxNutz]

Wow, nice build! Having lived in Huntsville myself since the mid-60s, I can appreciate the Apollo program interest and craftsmanship you've lovingly demonstrated on this project. I would love a tour of your facilities and get some inspiration for future projects. For Halloween this year I am working on a Spaceballs theme, but anything I make would pale in comparison to a "real" astronauts gear! Well done, my friend!

 

[real_ronin677]

Thanks for all the advice guys, it really has answered my queries

 

[Cosmodrome]

Great job on your suit build! I am in the very early stages of scratch building a replica LEVA helmet and see that you were successful in doing so for your Jim Lovell suit.
I don't personally have access to a NASA pressure helmet on which to base my proportions. I saw that 2storyprops got access to some A7Ls to take measurements and reference photos. I just wanted to reach out and see if you would be willing to assist me with some measurements from the visor assembly in particular.
All I've been able to find are some rough overall dimensions of 12"x14.5"x14". Any help would be majorly appreciated, even if it's just a link to some good resources.

 

[duncanr]

Re: Apollo A7L Jim Lovell's Moon Suit, base helmet done 5/29/13



As much as I would like to have the liquid cooling garment in here, I am using the cold vest on my torso and a fan in the helmet. It can be a little warm but it is manageable with the fan on. The reason is supporting the weight of the water comfortably was causing too many issues. Maybe a revisit in the future.

Some more progress pictures!

I spent the better part of the 4th of July weekend with my sewing machine and Netflix. First I covered the PLSS and OPS boxes with cloth. This turns out to be much easier than making the jump suit.

View attachment 972466
IMG_0681 by 2StoryProps, on Flickr
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IMG_0680 by 2StoryProps, on Flickr
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IMG_0682 by 2StoryProps, on Flickr

The control box was a bit more of a headache. It is a ply wood box with knobs carved from MDF.

View attachment 972469
IMG_0673 by 2StoryProps, on Flickr
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IMG_0677 by 2StoryProps, on Flickr
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IMG_0678 by 2StoryProps, on Flickr

I also added the patches, Velcro, and connectors to the suit:

View attachment 972472
IMG_0689 by 2StoryProps, on Flickr
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IMG_0687 by 2StoryProps, on Flickr

And here is one with me in it

View attachment 972474
1044496_10102674138586650_882112554_n by 2StoryProps, on Flickr

Before Dragon con I still need to cover the hoses, make the gloves and boots, and modify a flag for the masquerade. After the con I’ll work on the over-visor, the commander stripes, and a camera. My friend David is also working on a wrist check list. Stay tuned.

Hi,

Amazing!!!! If i may ask. What are the dimensions of the PLSS? I see that it slopes off slightly. I have looked around on the net and see different measurements.

 

[Lear60man]

Hi,

Amazing!!!! If i may ask. What are the dimensions of the PLSS? I see that it slopes off slightly. I have looked around on the net and see different measurements.

The dimensions of the PLSS are out there on the net. I dont have a specific link but thats where I got mine. As far as the PLSS RCU, do a search here as a fellow member had a NASA prototype that he posted pics of with a tape measure. I used those pics to remake my RCU this last Halloween.

 

[duncanr]

The dimensions of the PLSS are out there on the net. I dont have a specific link but thats where I got mine. As far as the PLSS RCU, do a search here as a fellow member had a NASA prototype that he posted pics of with a tape measure. I used those pics to remake my RCU this last Halloween.

I have had a good look around the net and found some blue prints. I will start a page on here, as soon as i get my project under way. I though i would start with the PLSS and the RCU first. Then i will source the fabric to cover them with. Thanks

 

[Lear60man]

You are welcome. A fellow member here posted pics of his NASA prototype with a tape measure.

 

[DarkJedi1500]

Hi,

Amazing!!!! If i may ask. What are the dimensions of the PLSS? I see that it slopes off slightly. I have looked around on the net and see different measurements.

I will have to go through some old files to see if I can find the reference I used.

 

[real_ronin677]

Good question. If you had a shirt collar, like a Priest, it would stick up about 1.5 inches. There is velcro inside of the 'shirt collar' on the suit....... it attaches to velcro on the outside of the aluminium ring (which slips inside of the shirt collar). Now the Aluminum ring is solid on the suit and the base of the helmet ring fits into the aluminum ring.

Ill try to post a pic later tonight. A picture is worth a thousand words.

Here ya go. This is a shot from the side of the helmet. I pulled down the suit collar so you could see how its velcroed in place. The helmet is three basic pieces: 1) base ring that sits inside of the aluminum suit ring 2) main dome 3) face shield.

Hi. Sorry to drag up an old post but do you still have a link to that photo? The link is no longer working and I need to see the photo as I'm working on this project again

 

[Lear60man]

Hi. Sorry to drag up an old post but do you still have a link to that photo? The link is no longer working and I need to see the photo as I'm working on this project again

Argh....Its in storage at the moment. Here are few I have on the computer: