Navy Mark V
Encyclopedia
The Navy Mark IV high-altitude pressure suit
was a full-body pressure suit originally developed by the B.F. Goodrich Company and the U.S. Navy for wear in high-altitude fighter aircraft operations. It is best known for its role as the spacesuit worn for all manned Project Mercury
spaceflights.
(who designed and built the high-altitude pressure suit worn by aviator Wiley Post
) as a means of providing an Earth-like atmosphere in the primitive, unpressurized high-altitude fighter jets developed by the U.S. Air Force and U.S. Navy after the Korean War
. The Mark IV suit was first introduced in the late 1950s. Prior to the development of the Mark IV suit, the Navy developed different types of the Mark-series full-pressure suits, but all the suits before the Mark IV had problems with both mobility and weight.
The Mark IV suit solved the mobility problems with the use of elastic cord which arrested the "ballooning" of the suit, and at 22 lb., was the lightest pressure suit developed for military use. The most severe test of the suit occurred during the record-setting balloon flight of Malcolm Ross
and Victor Prather
in the Strato-Lab V unpressurized gondola to 113740 feet (34,668 m) on May 4, 1961. With the advent of pressurized cockpits, and the David Clark Company
's contract with the U.S. Air Force and the National Advisory Committee for Aeronautics
(later NASA
) for a full pressure suit for the X-15 rocket plane, the suit fell out of use.
from a sudden depressurization in the cabin while in the vacuum of space. To solve the problem, NASA tested both the Navy Mark IV and the X-15 high-altitude suit and decided that the Navy Mark IV suit proved satisfactory for the role, mainly because it had less bulk than the David Clark suit, and that it could be easily modified for the new space role.
Unlike the military Mark IV suit, the Mercury suit incorporated several changes:
Each astronaut had three pressure suits; one for training, one for flight, and another as a backup. All three suits cost $20,000 USD total and unlike the military Mark IV suits, had to be individually tailored for each astronaut. No Mercury pressure suit failed during launch, although an uncapped ventilation inlet valve almost led to the drowning of astronaut Gus Grissom
; at the end of the MR-4 mission
the capsule hatch blew off while in the Atlantic Ocean
, forcing Grissom to make an emergency exit from the ship without securing his suit for the recovery operations. Most complaints that arose during the Mercury program was that the astronauts were uncomfortable due to faulty thermostats, raising the suit temperature to uncomfortable levels. Once pressurized the astronaut could not turn his head within the suit. No Mercury capsule ever lost pressure during a mission so the suits never needed to be inflated during a mission.
Derived from: Navy Mark IV
Manufacturer: B.F. Goodrich Company
Missions: MR-3 to MA-9
Function: Intra-vehicular activity (IVA)
Pressure Type: Full
Operating Pressure: 3.7 psi (25.5 kPa)
Suit Weight: 22 lb (10 kg)
Primary Life Support: Vehicle Provided
Backup Life Support: Vehicle Provided
in May, 1961, the Mercury pressure suit underwent several changes to incorporate improvements, mainly for comfort and mobility. These changes included:
In preparation for the final Mercury mission
, flown by Gordon Cooper
, the suit underwent the most modifications, most notably the replacement of the leather boots with ones incorporated directly into the suit. Other changes were made in the shoulder construction, along with the pressure helmet. A new mechanical seal for the faceplate eliminated the need for the small pressure bottle and hose, and incorporated new microphones and an oral thermometer; the latter eliminated the rectal thermometer used on prior flights. Cooper wore neither the convex mirror or the life vest. Shepard, who was Cooper's backup, had an identical flight and backup suit for the mission, and was to wear the modified suit for the cancelled MA-10
flight. MA-9 was the last flight of the Mercury pressure suit.
(EVA) outside of the spacecraft, the Mercury suit was phased out of NASA service and was replaced with the basic G3C
version of the X-15 suit. Since then, NASA has used either the David Clark Company, ILC Dover
, Hamilton Sundstrand
, or Oceaneering International
for all pressure and spacesuit needs. B.F. Goodrich would only be used after Mercury for the production of the landing gear tires for the Space Shuttle
, but this has since been done by Michelin
.
Pressure suit
A pressure suit is a protective suit worn by high-altitude pilots who may fly at altitudes where the air pressure is too low for an unprotected person to survive, even breathing pure oxygen at positive pressure. Such suits may be either full-pressure or partial-pressure...
was a full-body pressure suit originally developed by the B.F. Goodrich Company and the U.S. Navy for wear in high-altitude fighter aircraft operations. It is best known for its role as the spacesuit worn for all manned Project Mercury
Project Mercury
In January 1960 NASA awarded Western Electric Company a contract for the Mercury tracking network. The value of the contract was over $33 million. Also in January, McDonnell delivered the first production-type Mercury spacecraft, less than a year after award of the formal contract. On February 12,...
spaceflights.
Pre-Mercury development
The suit was designed by Russell ColleyRussell Colley
Russell Colley created the spacesuits worn by the Project Mercury astronauts, including fitting Alan B. Shepard Jr. for his historic ride as America's first man in space on May 5, 1961.- Early life :Colley was born in Stoneham, Massachusetts in 1899...
(who designed and built the high-altitude pressure suit worn by aviator Wiley Post
Wiley Post
Wiley Hardeman Post was a famed American aviator, the first pilot to fly solo around the world. Also known for his work in high altitude flying, Post helped develop one of the first pressure suits. His Lockheed Vega aircraft, the Winnie Mae, was on display at the National Air and Space Museum's...
) as a means of providing an Earth-like atmosphere in the primitive, unpressurized high-altitude fighter jets developed by the U.S. Air Force and U.S. Navy after the Korean War
Korean War
The Korean War was a conventional war between South Korea, supported by the United Nations, and North Korea, supported by the People's Republic of China , with military material aid from the Soviet Union...
. The Mark IV suit was first introduced in the late 1950s. Prior to the development of the Mark IV suit, the Navy developed different types of the Mark-series full-pressure suits, but all the suits before the Mark IV had problems with both mobility and weight.
The Mark IV suit solved the mobility problems with the use of elastic cord which arrested the "ballooning" of the suit, and at 22 lb., was the lightest pressure suit developed for military use. The most severe test of the suit occurred during the record-setting balloon flight of Malcolm Ross
Malcolm Ross (balloonist)
Malcolm D. Ross was a Captain in the United States Naval Reserve , an atmospheric scientist, and a balloonist who set several records for altitude and scientific inquiry, with more than 100 hours flight time in gas balloons by 1961. Along with Lieutenant Commander Victor A...
and Victor Prather
Victor Prather
Lieutenant Commander Victor A. Prather Jr. was an American flight surgeon famous for taking part in "Project RAM", a government project to develop the space suit.-Life:...
in the Strato-Lab V unpressurized gondola to 113740 feet (34,668 m) on May 4, 1961. With the advent of pressurized cockpits, and the David Clark Company
David Clark Company
David Clark Company, Inc. is an American manufacturer, best known for noise attenuating headsets with boom microphones for use in military aviation, commercial aviation, industry and professional communication in high-noise environments...
's contract with the U.S. Air Force and the National Advisory Committee for Aeronautics
National Advisory Committee for Aeronautics
The National Advisory Committee for Aeronautics was a U.S. federal agency founded on March 3, 1915 to undertake, promote, and institutionalize aeronautical research. On October 1, 1958 the agency was dissolved, and its assets and personnel transferred to the newly created National Aeronautics and...
(later NASA
NASA
The National Aeronautics and Space Administration is the agency of the United States government that is responsible for the nation's civilian space program and for aeronautics and aerospace research...
) for a full pressure suit for the X-15 rocket plane, the suit fell out of use.
Project Mercury
When NASA started the Mercury Project in 1958, one of the first needs the newly formed agency needed was a pressure suit to protect the astronautAstronaut
An astronaut or cosmonaut is a person trained by a human spaceflight program to command, pilot, or serve as a crew member of a spacecraft....
from a sudden depressurization in the cabin while in the vacuum of space. To solve the problem, NASA tested both the Navy Mark IV and the X-15 high-altitude suit and decided that the Navy Mark IV suit proved satisfactory for the role, mainly because it had less bulk than the David Clark suit, and that it could be easily modified for the new space role.
Unlike the military Mark IV suit, the Mercury suit incorporated several changes:
- The "open loop" system was replaced with a "closed loop" system, eliminating the rubber diaphragm around the wearer's face. Oxygen entered the suit through a hose connected at the wearer's waist, circulated through the suit to provide cooling, and exited through a hose on the right side of the helmet, or through the face opening depending on whether the faceplate was closed or open. A small pressure bottle connected by a small hose to a connector next to the astronaut's left jaw was used to pressurize a pneumatic seal when the faceplate was closed.
- The replacement of the dark gray nylon outer shell with one made of aluminum-coated nylon, for thermal control purposes.
- The replacement of the black leather safety boots with ones made first from white coated leather, later aluminum-coated nylon leather. This again was for thermal control.
- Introduction of straps and zippers to provide a snug fit, along with refinements in the shoulder, elbow, and knee retaining cords.
- Special gloves with four curved fingers for grasping the controls, with the middle finger made straight for pushing buttons and flipping toggle switches. (In the book We Seven, the astronauts pointed out that the special design of the gloves allowed them to avoid the use of a so-called "Swizzle Stick" for the button pushing and switch throwing.)
- A "biomed" flap on the right thigh for the connection of biomedical connections to the spacecraft's telemetry systems.
Each astronaut had three pressure suits; one for training, one for flight, and another as a backup. All three suits cost $20,000 USD total and unlike the military Mark IV suits, had to be individually tailored for each astronaut. No Mercury pressure suit failed during launch, although an uncapped ventilation inlet valve almost led to the drowning of astronaut Gus Grissom
Gus Grissom
Virgil Ivan Grissom , , better known as Gus Grissom, was one of the original NASA Project Mercury astronauts and a United States Air Force pilot...
; at the end of the MR-4 mission
Mercury-Redstone 4
Mercury-Redstone 4 was the second United States manned space mission, launched on July 21, 1961. The Mercury program suborbital flight used a Redstone rocket. The spacecraft was named Liberty Bell 7 piloted by astronaut Virgil I. "Gus" Grissom. It reached an altitude of more than 118.26 mi ...
the capsule hatch blew off while in the Atlantic Ocean
Atlantic Ocean
The Atlantic Ocean is the second-largest of the world's oceanic divisions. With a total area of about , it covers approximately 20% of the Earth's surface and about 26% of its water surface area...
, forcing Grissom to make an emergency exit from the ship without securing his suit for the recovery operations. Most complaints that arose during the Mercury program was that the astronauts were uncomfortable due to faulty thermostats, raising the suit temperature to uncomfortable levels. Once pressurized the astronaut could not turn his head within the suit. No Mercury capsule ever lost pressure during a mission so the suits never needed to be inflated during a mission.
Specifications
Name: Mercury SpacesuitDerived from: Navy Mark IV
Manufacturer: B.F. Goodrich Company
Missions: MR-3 to MA-9
Function: Intra-vehicular activity (IVA)
Pressure Type: Full
Operating Pressure: 3.7 psi (25.5 kPa)
Suit Weight: 22 lb (10 kg)
Primary Life Support: Vehicle Provided
Backup Life Support: Vehicle Provided
Later modifications
Since the launching of MR-3Mercury-Redstone 3
Mercury-Redstone 3 was the first manned space mission of the United States. Astronaut Alan Shepard piloted a 15-minute Project Mercury suborbital flight in the Freedom 7 spacecraft on May 5, 1961 to become the first American in space, three weeks after the Soviet cosmonaut Yuri Gagarin had carried...
in May, 1961, the Mercury pressure suit underwent several changes to incorporate improvements, mainly for comfort and mobility. These changes included:
- Incorporation of wrist bearings and ring locks on the sleeves starting with Grissom's MR-4 suit. Alan ShepardAlan ShepardAlan Bartlett Shepard, Jr. was an American naval aviator, test pilot, flag officer, and NASA astronaut who in 1961 became the second person, and the first American, in space. This Mercury flight was designed to enter space, but not to achieve orbit...
's MR-3Mercury-Redstone 3Mercury-Redstone 3 was the first manned space mission of the United States. Astronaut Alan Shepard piloted a 15-minute Project Mercury suborbital flight in the Freedom 7 spacecraft on May 5, 1961 to become the first American in space, three weeks after the Soviet cosmonaut Yuri Gagarin had carried...
suit had gloves that were zippered onto the suit itself, preventing the astronaut from easily rotating his wrists to control the spacecraft's controllers.
- Incorporation of a urine collection device starting with the MR-4 suit. Shepard, going through long countdown delays, had had to urinate into the heavy cotton underwear in his suit; the engineers had felt a UCD was not needed because the flight itself was to last only 15 minutes.
- Incorporation of a convex mirror, dubbed the "Hero Medal," on the chest of the astronauts so that the same onboard camera used to record the astronaut could also cover the instrument panel, eliminating the weight of a separate camera which had been used for this purpose on MR-3. This was eliminated beginning with MA-8Mercury-Atlas 8Mercury-Atlas 8 was an early manned space mission, part of NASA's Mercury program. Astronaut Walter M. Schirra, Jr., orbited the Earth six times in the Sigma 7 spacecraft on October 3, 1962, in a nine-hour flight focused mainly on technical evaluation rather than on scientific experimentation...
.
- After the near drowning of astronaut Gus GrissomGus GrissomVirgil Ivan Grissom , , better known as Gus Grissom, was one of the original NASA Project Mercury astronauts and a United States Air Force pilot...
during recovery operations after the MR-4Mercury-Redstone 4Mercury-Redstone 4 was the second United States manned space mission, launched on July 21, 1961. The Mercury program suborbital flight used a Redstone rocket. The spacecraft was named Liberty Bell 7 piloted by astronaut Virgil I. "Gus" Grissom. It reached an altitude of more than 118.26 mi ...
a small inflatable life vest was worn on the astronaut's chest.
In preparation for the final Mercury mission
Mercury-Atlas 9
Mercury-Atlas 9 was the final manned space mission of the U.S. Mercury program, launched on May 15, 1963 from Launch Complex 14 at Cape Canaveral, Florida. The spacecraft, named Faith 7, completed 22 Earth orbits before splashing down in the Pacific Ocean, piloted by astronaut Gordon Cooper, then...
, flown by Gordon Cooper
Gordon Cooper
Leroy Gordon Cooper, Jr. , also known as Gordon Cooper, was an American aeronautical engineer, test pilot and NASA astronaut. Cooper was one of the seven original astronauts in Project Mercury, the first manned space effort by the United States...
, the suit underwent the most modifications, most notably the replacement of the leather boots with ones incorporated directly into the suit. Other changes were made in the shoulder construction, along with the pressure helmet. A new mechanical seal for the faceplate eliminated the need for the small pressure bottle and hose, and incorporated new microphones and an oral thermometer; the latter eliminated the rectal thermometer used on prior flights. Cooper wore neither the convex mirror or the life vest. Shepard, who was Cooper's backup, had an identical flight and backup suit for the mission, and was to wear the modified suit for the cancelled MA-10
Mercury-Atlas 10
Mercury-Atlas 10 was a cancelled early manned space mission, which would have been the last flight in NASA's Mercury program. It was planned as a three-day extended mission, to launch in late 1963; the spacecraft, Freedom 7-II, would have been flown by Alan Shepard, a veteran of the suborbital...
flight. MA-9 was the last flight of the Mercury pressure suit.
Later use
After Mercury, the pressure suit was used for the early development phases for the Gemini program, but because of the success of the X-15 high altitude pressure suit, the bigger room on the Gemini spacecraft, and the need to develop a suit for Extra-vehicular activityExtra-vehicular activity
Extra-vehicular activity is work done by an astronaut away from the Earth, and outside of a spacecraft. The term most commonly applies to an EVA made outside a craft orbiting Earth , but also applies to an EVA made on the surface of the Moon...
(EVA) outside of the spacecraft, the Mercury suit was phased out of NASA service and was replaced with the basic G3C
Gemini Space suit
The Gemini space suit is a space suit worn by astronauts for launch, in-flight activities and landing. It was designed by NASA based on the X-15 high-altitude pressure suit...
version of the X-15 suit. Since then, NASA has used either the David Clark Company, ILC Dover
ILC Dover
ILC Dover, LP is an engineering development and manufacturing company based in Frederica, Delaware. ILC specializes in the use of high-performance flexible materials, serving the aerospace, personal protection, and pharmaceutical industries.Best known for making space suits for NASA, ILC...
, Hamilton Sundstrand
Hamilton Sundstrand
Hamilton Sundstrand, is a global corporation that manufactures and supports aerospace and industrial products for worldwide markets. It was formed from the merger of Hamilton Standard and Sundstrand Corporation in 1999. A subsidiary of United Technologies Corporation, HS is headquartered in Windsor...
, or Oceaneering International
Oceaneering International
Oceaneering International Inc. is an applied technology company based in Houston, Texas, U.S.A. that provides engineered services and hardware to customers who operate in marine, space, and other environments...
for all pressure and spacesuit needs. B.F. Goodrich would only be used after Mercury for the production of the landing gear tires for the Space Shuttle
Space Shuttle
The Space Shuttle was a manned orbital rocket and spacecraft system operated by NASA on 135 missions from 1981 to 2011. The system combined rocket launch, orbital spacecraft, and re-entry spaceplane with modular add-ons...
, but this has since been done by Michelin
Michelin
Michelin is a tyre manufacturer based in Clermont-Ferrand in the Auvergne région of France. It is one of the two largest tyre manufacturers in the world along with Bridgestone. In addition to the Michelin brand, it also owns the BFGoodrich, Kleber, Riken, Kormoran and Uniroyal tyre brands...
.