This is a United States Navy Mark IV pressure suit like the ones that Navy pilots used in the 1950s and 1960s. B. F. Goodrich manufactured the suit and supplied copies to NASA when the space agency was preparing to launch humans into space. NASA used modified Mark IVs as spacesuits for the first Mercury astronauts. It is unclear whether NASA performed tests on this particular suit or used it only for evaluation. We do not know if the suit came with its own helmet, or if NASA used other helmets interchangeably with this suit. This suit came with a matching pair of gloves.
NASA transferred the suit to the museum after there was no longer a use for the suit in the program.
Display Status
This object is not on display at the National Air and Space Museum. It is either on loan or in storage.
Object Details
Country of Origin
United States of America
Type
PERSONAL EQUIPMENT-Pressure Suits
Manufacturer
B. F. Goodrich Co.
Dimensions
Overall: 22.86 x 88.9 x 167.64cm (9in. x 2ft 11in. x 5ft 6in.)
Materials
Neck ring - aluminum
Overall - brass, ht-1 nomex, Steel, phenolic resin, aluminum, neoprene-coated nylon, rubber (silicone)
Inventory Number
A19710782000
Credit Line
Transferred from the National Aeronautics and Space Administration
Data Source
National Air and Space Museum
Restrictions & Rights
Usage conditions apply
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