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Apollo Spacesuit OPS dust cover
Apollo Spacesuit OPS dust cover
Acquired from Lunar legacies
Acquired from Lunar legacies
Acquired 27th September 2024
Acquired 27th September 2024
Collection Number TSM-232
Collection Number TSM-232
A dust cover made from BETA cloth. It is marked Dust Cover OPS.
A dust cover made from BETA cloth. It is marked Dust Cover OPS.
The dust cover was sold as an Apollo CM Gas Connector Dust Cover. Initially i thought it was to shroud the top of a gas bottle located in the Command Module. After some digging around the only reference I could find related to OPS was from the Apollo spacesuit systems. This was the Oxygen Purge System. This led me to suspect that the cover was a part of an Apollo Spacesuit
The dust cover was sold as an Apollo CM Gas Connector Dust Cover. Initially i thought it was to shroud the top of a gas bottle located in the Command Module. After some digging around the only reference I could find related to OPS was from the Apollo spacesuit systems. This was the Oxygen Purge System. This led me to suspect that the cover was a part of an Apollo Spacesuit
I contacted Ryan Ngata who creates replica Apollo, Gemini & Mercury spacesuits. and what he doesn't know about them is not worth knowing
I contacted Ryan Ngata who creates replica Apollo, Gemini & Mercury spacesuits. and what he doesn't know about them is not worth knowing
Here is his reply
Here is his reply
I know exactly what that is! On the J-missions, they started putting these little beta cloth covers over the aluminum hose heads that plugged into the suit from the PLSS to reduce thermal load and protect from dust. On Apollo 11-14 the hose heads were just exposed to the elements. I attached a picture of Gene Cernan and you can see the beta cloth cover over the OPS port on the suit. The arrow is pointing to the exact port where that thermal cover is. The OPS is the Oxygen Purge system, the emergency oxygen supply in case the PLSS failed.
I know exactly what that is! On the J-missions, they started putting these little beta cloth covers over the aluminum hose heads that plugged into the suit from the PLSS to reduce thermal load and protect from dust. On Apollo 11-14 the hose heads were just exposed to the elements. I attached a picture of Gene Cernan and you can see the beta cloth cover over the OPS port on the suit. The arrow is pointing to the exact port where that thermal cover is. The OPS is the Oxygen Purge system, the emergency oxygen supply in case the PLSS failed.
Ryan also kindly provided an image of Apollo 17's Gene Cernan on the Moon that shows of where the piece fitted to the suit.
Ryan also kindly provided an image of Apollo 17's Gene Cernan on the Moon that shows of where the piece fitted to the suit.
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