RE: Rotating Helmets Reason for the shoulder apron on alien spacesuits?

Although it is mechanically possible to build a space suit with a rotating
helmet I am not aware of it ever being done and it has never been very
practical to try. The helmet would have to be effectively clamped to the
wearer's head in order to be rotated usefully (and uncomfortably) and that
contact would most certainly chafe very uncomfortably. However the
required interface to make one rotatable would increase the weight by
around 5 pounds and would probably be identical to the rotating wrist
cuffs, just scaled up to the helmet flange diameter.

It has proven far more useful and comfortable for the wearer to provide
ample internal space both for ventilation space as well as the space to
turn the head inside. To provide the desired increased visibility, large
visors have been used on EVA helmets and on pressure suits an extreme
example would be these older pressure suits
http://www.astronautix.com/graphics/t/tomatost.jpg which simply had a
transparent bubble and completely free head movement. The current Shuttle
Suit and the new I-Suit have similar bubble helmets for within the vehicle
activities and tough helmets for EVA as did Apollo. EVA helmets are big
hard helmets with large visors instead for several reasons, all of them are
a compromise between visibility and protection from the environment. EVA
suits have to provide protection from not just pressure but also solar
radiation, micrometeoroids, thermal variations of -250 to +270F (-170 to
+120C) and they also have to carry multiple visors that can be pulled down
and back up depending upon lighting conditions.

On the alien space suit helmets,
http://ufoseries.com/character/rooftop2.jpg as you can see they are very
close fitting and have a very narrow visor. It would be not too illogical
to expect that these should rotate with the head despite the above
mentioned issues, (although they do not in the show). It could be done but
again would be terribly uncomfortable and would chafe the wearer. The
alien suits also have the additional issue of being liquid filled. The
liquid, near-equal in density to the alien body tissues would also be
incompressible, there so that the alien's body is suspended in the liquid
and can withstand the forces of acceleration to and from FTL speeds. The
liquid's incompressibility also either limits mobility because the suit has
to have a constant volume or increases complexity with an accumulator to
compensate for volume changes in the rest of the suit. Most of these
issues of course weren't addressed on the show.

Now nodding the head up and down in a real suit would be complicated by a
helmet that grasps the head to turn so that motion probably would be a
function of the suit below the rotating collar. For that motion, the
helmet and rotating collar would move probably by flexing a reinforced
accordion joint in front and behind (but not all the way around). It would
be restrained and pivot on points at the shoulder line on either side. One
of the big issues with a space suit is that in a vacuum it wants to inflate
like a balloon so it has numerous structures and mechanisms to hold it in
shape and yet still permit flexibility. Those mechanisms make the suits
nearly as cumbersome with equalized pressure as they are in a vacuum not to
mention the weight.

I know, TMI, sorry, just trying to be complete. The short answer is "no."
S



Date: Wed, 15 Sep 2004 16:20:56 -0000
From: "Anthony Appleyard" <[hidden email]>
Subject: Reason for the shoulder apron on alien spacesuits?

>Has anyone designed a real spacesuit or full
>sealed pressure suit where the helmet could rotate?

A fixed liquid-filled helmet big enough for the head to rotate freely
inside, would contain an unwieldy weight of the liquid. The helmet
would have to fit the head, and rotate. Alien technology would be
advanced enough to make a rotating helmet without much extra weight
of mechanism.

Fixed helmets where the head cannot rotate, are known in the real
world :: USA astronauts call this nuisance "alligator head".

Yes, there have been numerous examples of tight fitting helmets on pressure
and space suits, a good example is the Project Mercury helmet
http://grin.hq.nasa.gov/IMAGES/SMALL/GPN-2000-001000.jpg which were big
helmets but full of stuff and fitted snugly to the astronaut's head. I
don't remember the term "alligator head" though, seems suitable. I'd
imagine they would be rather uncomfortable to have to wear for any length
of time. The guys in the Mercury suits could nod up and down freely when
their suits were unpressurized and even turn side to side just a little due
to the flexibility of the suit-cloth in the neck but even that motion was
restricted when the suit was under pressure. It was one of the limitations
of the suits that led to the development of the Apollo suits. When
pressurized, the helmet and ring would exert force under the skull and chin
as these suits did not have real solid retention of the helmet and ring to
the rest of the suit, the helmet and ring wanted to pop off. To minimize
this, the inner pressure bladder was fairly close fitting too, it helped
but the suits were clearly not suitable for longer duration missions like
Apollo.

For the alien suit, I agree completely. A fluid filled big helmet would
have to be tight fitting in order to not weigh 20 pounds itself. If UFO
had a mind to be very thoroughly technically accurate I am sure that they
would indeed have made the helmet rotate. As it is the apron permitted
head and helmet rotation as well as nodding without the great concern for
technical accuracy. That extremely real level of technical detail is
something we have repeatedly applied to UFO items and vehicles. We usually
don't seem to try to criticize the show, its more like just trying to
figure out how the stuff could have really been done; sort of an
engineering exercise.

I think its one of the reasons I like the show still, what was shown wasn't
too far out, (like S1999 aliens and hardware were). UFO was always on the
ragged edge of possibility and indeed some of the things in UFO now exist.
SST and tilt-wing aircraft, aircraft-launched spacecraft, mobile phones,
even turbine powered cars (thought they didn't pan out too well).
Admittedly a lot of those things were at least on the drawing board in
concept when UFO was done but the fact that these show ideas were founded
on facts and expected-real-future things just added to the realism and
helps the show hold up as well as it does all these years later. So I can
forgive the helmet apron.

S


>Date: Fri, 17 Sep 2004 17:35:25 -0000
>From: "Anthony Appleyard" <[hidden email]>
>Subject: Re: Rotating Helmets Reason for the shoulder apron on alien
spacesuits?
>
>A fixed liquid-filled helmet big enough for the head to rotate freely
>inside, would contain an unwieldy weight of the liquid. The helmet
>would have to fit the head, and rotate. Alien technology would be
>advanced enough to make a rotating helmet without much extra weight
>of mechanism.
>
>Fixed helmets where the head cannot rotate, are known in the real
>world :: USA astronauts call this nuisance "alligator head".

--- "Shawn Kelly" <sdkelly@s...> wrote:
> ... For the alien suit, I agree completely. A fluid filled big
> helmet would have to be tight fitting in order to not weigh 20
> pounds itself. If UFO had a mind to be very thoroughly technically
> accurate I am sure that they would indeed have made the helmet
> rotate.

I have seen frames in UFO series comics (in Countdown and TV Action)
where aliens are drawn with their helmets rotated.

> As it is the apron permitted head and helmet rotation as well as
> nodding without the great concern for technical accuracy.

That is, the _actor_ could nod and rotate his head. The real studio
prop dummy spacesuit is one thing; the fictional working spacesuit
made by advanced aliens who have had centuries or more to get
spacesuit design the best and the most efficient, that the studio
prop tries to represent, is another thing.

I have been notified that Monsters in Motion
[www.monstersinmotion.com] are taking pre-orders for the following:

GERRY ANDERSON PRODUCTS: Product updates for September 18 2004
(subject to change Again?)
UFO Interceptor with U.F.O. 10/24/2004
UFO Skydiver Diecast 10/24/2004
Eagle Freighter 02/24/2005
Laboratory Eagle 02/24/2005
Shadow Mobile Control May 2005
Shadow Mobile 1 laser Cannon May 2005
Shadow Mobile 2 May 2005
Stingray May 2005
Supercar May 2005
Supercar Spcl Ed May 2005
Fireball Aug 2005
Spectrum Pursuit Vehicle Aug 2005

GERRY ANDERSON PROP REPLICAS
Fab 1 October 24 2004
Thunderbird 2 June 2005
Eagle Transporter July 2005
RED DWARF
Starbug Electronic Playset October 24 2004
HAMMER FILMS DRACULA 12" FIGURE 11/15/2004

The Shado Mobile Control and studio sized Eagle sound neat.

The Lunadude...........

> I have been notified that Monsters
> in Motion [www.monstersinmotion.com]
> are taking pre-orders for the following:

Interesting. There is a Mobile called "UFO Spectrum Pursuit Diecast
Vehicle":

http://www.monstersinmotion.com/catalog/product_info.php/products_id/6
084

(click on the small image to enlarge).

Christian

http://fabgearusa.com will be taking pre-orders on all the new Anderson
items as well - just as soon as the manufacturer confirms pricing and makes
images available. Plus, we'll add some exclusive premiums for pre-order
customers.
Keep watching the website!
Thanks

Original Message:
-----------------
From: lunadude2001 [hidden email]
Date: Sat, 18 Sep 2004 07:28:46 -0000
To: [hidden email]
Subject: [SHADO] More Product Enterprise UFO Diecasts


I have been notified that Monsters in Motion
[www.monstersinmotion.com] are taking pre-orders for the following:

GERRY ANDERSON PRODUCTS: Product updates for September 18 2004
(subject to change Again?)
UFO Interceptor with U.F.O. 10/24/2004  
UFO Skydiver Diecast 10/24/2004
Eagle Freighter 02/24/2005
Laboratory Eagle 02/24/2005
Shadow Mobile Control May 2005
Shadow Mobile 1 laser Cannon May 2005
Shadow Mobile 2 May 2005
Stingray May 2005
Supercar May 2005
Supercar Spcl Ed May 2005
Fireball Aug 2005
Spectrum Pursuit Vehicle Aug 2005

GERRY ANDERSON PROP REPLICAS
Fab 1 October 24 2004
Thunderbird 2 June 2005
Eagle Transporter July 2005
RED DWARF
Starbug Electronic Playset October 24 2004
HAMMER FILMS DRACULA 12" FIGURE 11/15/2004

The Shado Mobile Control and studio sized Eagle sound neat.

The Lunadude...........





 
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