Posted by Shawn Kelly on
URL: https://www.shado-forum.com/RE-Rotating-Helmets-Reason-for-the-shoulder-apron-on-alien-spacesuits-tp1504316p1504320.html


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".