In 1965 the space race was still hot. The USSR had performed the first manned EVA. NASA was working on a space suit and life support system to allow a U.S. EVA as quickly as possible. This test at 'hard' vacuum and -300 degree F was intended as a visor fogging evaluation. Details to follow.
We were young then; in our 20's and 30's. Most were recent graduates of universities from the hills of Arkansas to the bayous of Louisiana and from the prairies of Texas to the mountains of the Virginias and Pennsylvania.
The Test
During the previous space flights the space suit served as a backup to the spacecraft; that is, if the spacecraft lost pressure, the suit would be able to hold pressure until re-entry. The spacecraft provided protection from the cold of space and the heat of the sun. The suits would have to provide thermal protection for a crewman to be able to leave the spacecraft.
Test Objective
The overall objective was to show that the Gemini suit would maintain an acceptable temperature when exposed to about -300 degress F. A specific objective was to show that the inside of the helmet visor would not get so cold that it would fog enough from the crewman's breath that vision would be reduced. Two visors were to be evaluated.
Check this site for Chuck Maddox's article about the first U.S. EVA performed by Ed White and about the special watches used in space: First U.S. EVA
Foam pads and the communications system earphones are visible inside the helmet. The visor can be rotated open. The inside of the visor was coated with a special anti-fog solution. When the visor is in place and the helmet system is pressurized, a pressurized rubber seal seals the area between the visor and helmet to eliminate leakage. The helmets also had a sun shield which could be rotated down to protect the eyes, but the sun shield wasn't needed in this test. The test was not for exposure to the sun (we weren’t ready to do that yet), but for the cold shaded areas where the sunshade might be up.
PAGE TWO - NASA photos of the thermal compartment that sat inside a large vacuum chamber. A full view of the suit with a description of various suit components. A close-up view of the upper suit and helmet showing the thermal sensors on my nose and on the helmet.
PAGE THREE - A scan of the NASA photo of me that appeared in the April 19, 1965 issue of Missiles and Rockets. My photo of the closed-circuit television view of Ed White during his vacuum chamber training for GTS-4. The test results are summarized and I describe what being in a spacesuit at thermal-vacuum conditions was like for me.
My photos of the 56-day vacuum test with Bob Crippen, Karol Bobko, and Dr. Bill Thornton. Features Jessica Savitch on the news team that reported the chamber entry and presidential candidate George McGovern who visited during the test.