Buried under the U.D.C. flap on the right thigh of the A7L, there are three things of interest. On the flap itself there is a small pocket that held a radiation dosimeter. And on the thigh of the suit covered by the flap is a small medical injection port. And last but not least… U.D.V., or urine disposal valve. This diminutive blue valve was used to drain the small metal container that stored the liquid during E.V.A..
Why did I feel it was important to include this seldom seen detail? I guess just because it is there.
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Here in Ohio we are in the beginnings of what promises to be the worst winter storm this year. So I am looking forward to having lots of time to work on the suit this weekend. Only one small problem could arise; I work for a small city near Columbus. And after 18 or so hours they run out of street department employees to drive the snow plows and start looking to other departments.
Now I am far enough up the food chain that this is not usually a problem. But if the need for snowplowing last for more than say 36 hours, I may have to go to work.
So today I have sewn the zipper flap to the suit and added the abrasion patch. And attached the velcro and snaps. I would hate to have to get out of one of these in a hurry. Two zippers, snaps and all that velcro… no wonder they wear diapers.
After the flap and patch, I moved on to the last part of the ITMG sleeve. The short tapered piece at the glove disconnects. This tapers from around 21 to 14 inches.
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I have heard it said that “God is in the details”, well I doubt if God cares about replica space suits. But I certainly do! So I have been working on the small details I wished I had added the last time around.
Its hard to know how much is enough,
If it where feasible, I’d have every stitch, snap and fitting in exactly the right place.
But this is after all, just a replica.
Here are the close-up pictures of the boots I mentioned last time, the seams are more visible here:
And I changed the shoulder area on the inner suit:
I think this will create a more realistic shape after the ITMG is attached.
With luck it will give that distinct A7L look I strive for.
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After a couple of request for a detailed record of my trials and tribulations while building an Apollo A7l reproduction from the ground up. I was convinced to start this blog.
I hope to maintain a reasonable amount of construction info here. As well as cover my mistakes, and how I overcome them. (assuming I do…)
This first entry will be brief as I collect my thoughts and take some pictures of what I have so far.
My latest suit promises to be the most detailed yet, and I am trying some new construction methods. Starting with the base structure. I hope to build a three part suit mimicking the original, where as the ITMG will be covering a pressure garment shaped base structure. With a liner inside.
The biggest issues with the last suit seemed to be maintaining the proper shape while keeping the detail high. The monolithic construction was the cause many problems, that this time I hope to avoid.
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I am a forty-something year old frustrated wanna-be astronaut. I grew up with the Apollo missions going strong. and I was sure by the time I was 30 we would be living on Mars… or at the very least, the moon.
I believe the Apollo A7L, aside from the mighty Saturn V that carried it, is the biggest advancement in technology of the twentieth century. Its always been a dream to put one on and step of the ladder of a LEM.
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