machzeropoint2
New Member
It started as a really cool gift idea, and begged the question how hard could it be to find a space helmet that doesn't look like a fishbowl turned upside down. Oh how quickly and deeply the rabbit hole went.
In the process of fleshing out this idea it seems the only way to make this come to life was to create it myself. I started out by scouring the internet for pieces of information so that I could make the most accurate replica possible. It was there that the job became noticeably more difficult. While there are lots of pictures of astronauts grinning ear to ear while wearing the helmet there are almost no technical drawings/ diagrams/ in depth photos/ exploded views that would be helpful in a faithful recreation. I scoured NASAs technical report server and found a crew training workbook and an anthology of spacesuits "dressing for altitude". I reached out to David Clark and was sent a few generic photos. It seems the lack of information is on purpose. ITAR or International Traffic in Arms Regulations means that the U.S. wants to restrict certain technologies from easily leaving the country (all things spaceflight being a big one). I assume this mostly applies to life support systems that would make it an actual space helmet. While I have no desire to have men in blue suits show up at my door for attempting to skirt rules that are there for a reason. I'm hoping that in creating a display piece that is a shell of the functional helmet I might have better luck. I am aware of the one Adam Savage did (it's absolutely beautiful) which will be helpful come assembly time but is of little help in terms of creating/sourcing parts
My question to the group is has anyone had any better luck finding information or creating a piece with such limited info. My goal here is to create a display piece for a mentor and friend (who has seen the actual helmet). It certainly does not need to be ready for space travel.
In the process of fleshing out this idea it seems the only way to make this come to life was to create it myself. I started out by scouring the internet for pieces of information so that I could make the most accurate replica possible. It was there that the job became noticeably more difficult. While there are lots of pictures of astronauts grinning ear to ear while wearing the helmet there are almost no technical drawings/ diagrams/ in depth photos/ exploded views that would be helpful in a faithful recreation. I scoured NASAs technical report server and found a crew training workbook and an anthology of spacesuits "dressing for altitude". I reached out to David Clark and was sent a few generic photos. It seems the lack of information is on purpose. ITAR or International Traffic in Arms Regulations means that the U.S. wants to restrict certain technologies from easily leaving the country (all things spaceflight being a big one). I assume this mostly applies to life support systems that would make it an actual space helmet. While I have no desire to have men in blue suits show up at my door for attempting to skirt rules that are there for a reason. I'm hoping that in creating a display piece that is a shell of the functional helmet I might have better luck. I am aware of the one Adam Savage did (it's absolutely beautiful) which will be helpful come assembly time but is of little help in terms of creating/sourcing parts
My question to the group is has anyone had any better luck finding information or creating a piece with such limited info. My goal here is to create a display piece for a mentor and friend (who has seen the actual helmet). It certainly does not need to be ready for space travel.
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