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Mercury Program, 1961, USN Mk IV, Mod 2, Type 1 Full Pr

Currency:USD Category:Collectibles / Historical Memorabilia Start Price:1.00 USD Estimated At:7,500.00 - 10,000.00 USD
Mercury Program, 1961, USN Mk IV, Mod 2, Type 1 Full Pr
Mercury Program, 1961, USN Mk IV, Mod 2, Type 1 Full Pressure Suit, Survival Vest and Helmet. This green USN Mk IV high altitude, full pressure suit was made by B. F. Goodrich. It includes the full neck ring, cables, hoses, detachable gloves and a pressure guage on the thigh, in addition to a gold USN patch on the chest and right shoulder. The integrated cloth shoes are included, but the seperate boots are omitted. Some zipper and rubber faults as would be expected, but the suit is in overall excellent condition. ALSO included is a seperate "Mk IV Vest-Type Life Preserver Full Pressure Suit" with Specification No. MIL-L-22208A (WEP) / Serial No. 9184 / Date Mfg July 1965 / Bureau of Naval Weapons". The vest looks to be in new condition and includes all webbing, orange inflation vest and a signal flashlight.

By the early 1960s, the US Navy had progressed through a series of developmental models of the full pressure suit that would ultimately take final form in the Mark IV, Model 3, Type 1, a production suit which US Navy aircrew wore on high altitude flights during its cold weather operations.

Regardless of the success of the A/P22S-2 suit and its modifications in Air Force use, it remained to the US Navy's cooperative program with the B. F. Goodrich Company and pioneer suit designer Russell Colley to solve some important problems concerning mobility and full pressurization. One of the most important developments was an aneroid suit controller that maintained suit internal pressurization at precisely 0.24 bar. The Mark series of US Navy full pressure suits which followed culminated in three models of the final Mark IV suit, which went into production in 1958 as standard high altitude issue for US Navy squadrons. The Mark IV, Model 3, Type 1 suit featured various enhancements in fit and ease of donning, as well as substantially improved pressurization control. It would go on to be selected as the basic foundation for modification into NASA's early earth-orbital suit (the original Mercury prototype suits were specially reworked Mark IV suits).

Included with the suit is its matching gold helmet, complete with clear and sun visors, US Navy decal, communication and oxygen hoses, external oxygen regulator, earphones and throat microphone. There is a soft pad at the top, inside the helmet, that reads: "3579 / Headpiece, Mk IV, MOD 2 / Full Pressure Suit / Type 1 / Stock No. RG8475-736-4394-LF 50 / Mfg by the B. F. Goodrich Co. / Date Mfg'd 9-61 / Contract No. N. 383-70891 A / U. S. Navy". There is a NASA meatball decal (original ?) on the back of the helmet alongside the white "Rescue" label and over where the B. F. Goodrich and USN decals would have been. Other than that, the helmet appears to be in pristine condition and even includes its original plastic carry/storage container.

This is an opportunity for the astute collector to acquire one of the iconic space suits of the US space program.
Estimated Value $7,500 - 10,000.

Our item number 149945