The main breathing gas supply regulator has arrived; though assembled in 1953-1954, it arrived in-the-case, brand new, with a shelf life indicated "INDEFINITE." Glider pilots often purchase these surplus items for high-altitude sailplane flights, and the units check out to be very robust and reliable. These regulators admit breathing gas to the pilot on inhalation. In principle much like a SCUBA regulator, this device, rated to 48,000 feet pressure altitude, will be installed in-line between my breathing gas supply tanks and my pressure helmet. A second, identical unit will serve as a backup, and a third (used) is in the mail to me as a study model which I'll take apart and inspect in order to learn precisely how it functions, what components are most likely to malfunction, and the results of such malfunctions. Three images: first, opening the sealed container, and two images of the regulator itself.
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