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Author
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Topic: Apollo A7L/B spacesuit helmet feed port
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keith.wilson
Member Posts: 92
From: Isle of Gigha, Argyll, Scotland
Registered: Jun 2002
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posted 07-19-2007 04:26 PM
  
The Apollo helmet had a built-in feed port which allowed astronauts to take a drink/liquid food from a water dispenser/gun when wearing a fully pressurized spacesuit. Dave Scott comments in the ALSJ that he doubts that the port was ever used as it would break the pressure integrity of the seal and even though it would probably reseal okay, there would be no need to use the port in other than an emergency. Is anyone aware if the feed port was ever used during an Apollo mission? |
mark plas
Member Posts: 385
From: the Netherlands
Registered: Aug 2000
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posted 07-20-2007 04:23 PM
If it ever`was used it would probably have been on Apollo 15 with Jim Irwin badly dehydrated. |
MCroft04
Member Posts: 1647
From: Smithfield, Me, USA
Registered: Mar 2005
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posted 07-20-2007 09:59 PM
Didn't one of the Apollo 16 astronauts have a problem with a leaking drink dispenser in his suit and get all gummed up with orange juice? I think it was Apollo 16, but could be wrong. I thought the orange juice was added after the Apollo 15 flight when Jim Irwin had some heart irregularities and the OJ (potassium) was added to help avoid this problem. I don't have the reference right now to support this but I'll take a look to see if I can find it. Or maybe I'm dreaming up stories. |
RichieB16
Member Posts: 582
From: Oregon
Registered: Feb 2003
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posted 07-20-2007 10:25 PM
I don't know about the suit dispensers... but I know there was some kind of potassium fortified OJ on Apollo 16 as there is a great audio quote from John Young out there somewhere about it. I can't find it at the moment, but it has to do with John colorfully stating something like he'll never eat another orange again (because of how much of it they were encouraged to consume on the mission). |
keith.wilson
Member Posts: 92
From: Isle of Gigha, Argyll, Scotland
Registered: Jun 2002
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posted 07-21-2007 09:17 AM
The moonwalkers from Apollo 13 onwards had a drink bag installed inside the suit which allowed them to drink when wearing the pressure suit on the Moon. Shepard and Mitchell were the first to use this device on the Moon. From Apollo 15 onwards the moonwalkers also had a high energy foodstick which was located in a little bag velcroed to the suit inside the neck rim. Apollo 16's Charlie Duke had problems with a leaking drink bag in lunar orbit before the landing resulting in him being covered with sticky orange juice. John Young was troubled by the effects of potassium in the orange juice he drank during the moonwalks The feedport was a valve built into the helmet which allowed an astronaut to drink from the CM/LM water dispenser when wearing a fully pressured suit. It was only possible to use this when the astronaut was aboard the CM/LM. |
Whizzospace
Member Posts: 110
From: San Antonio, TX
Registered: Jan 2006
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posted 07-21-2007 12:28 PM
I have a page on John Young's orange drink concerns, including the sound bite. |
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