Yuri's Night at Pearson Air Museum

We'll be exhibiting the pressure suit and some of its associated technologies on 18 April at the Pearson Air Museum in Vancouver, Washington (right next to Fort Vancouver).

Drop by, try out a space suit glove and watch the star party!

Astonishing Progress!

I am astonished that we have come so far! Last weekend's test had us at well over 3psi, a relatively high suit pressure, and even there we had the best arm mobility (seen in this video in my right arm) of all models of the suit so far. Small adjustments to make, but I consider the mobility problem--the chief problem of all pressure suits--to be solved in principle and in one working prototype so far, as solved. I can't believe it! Great work by W. Magruder on the radio and A. Knapton running the control cabinet!

Taking this week largely off this project to complete my Atlas of Human Prehistory.

2015 Test Flight Balloon Schematic

Essential diagram of balloon for late 2015 test flights. I've just acquired the balloon, so I now own two aircraft, both made of nylon -- a paraglider and a balloon! Looking at flight training in either California or Kansas...I've always always wanted to see the great plains of the MidWest, so Kansas would be a lot of fun!

Talk Tonight at the Tex Rankin Theatre

I was honored to speak tonight about Pacific Spaceflight's aviation project at the Tex Rankin theatre at the Pearson Air Museum (also along were Pacific Spaceflight members Washoe Magruder and Alexander Knapton, who demonstrated the suit and answered questions from the audience). Who was Tex Rankin? I wondered and looked around: Early aviator; in 1928 he ran the largest private aviation school in the US, based in Portland, Oregon,a nd the Rankin Method of flight instruction was widely adopted and some of its principles remain in fixed-wing flying schools today. Photo below is Tex, with a black cat. In addition to carrying black cats on his flights, he often numbered his aircraft '13'. These were his demonstration that safe flying was not about luck but proficiency, and as he was proficient he could carry a black cat in a plane numbered 13 and even a broken mirror aboard; and fly and land safely. Wild!

Pacific Spaceflight Pressure Garments Mark I and II Sketches

A low-res sketch, high-res, labeled schetches coming later this year.

Excellent Pressure Test

Excellent test last night: internal email to my crew pasted below:

"Hi all, thanks to a lot of checklist development, suit modifications, repairs and basic labors, last night we had one of our best-ever tests. I am writing up a brief to record it, but basically we had good pressure, minimal leaks, good arm mobility with no glove-creep due to new and completely functional longitudinal expansion prevention cables, good comms, excellent function of helmet hold-down cable clamp, and AK got his C02 numbers again so that after three more tests w/out C02 scrubbers we will start using C02 scrubbing medium and knock down those levels. With the new flexibility allowed by the arms I was able to manage all gas settings etc myself, with no help from outside: that includes operating the helmet hold-down assembly, which is a big step ahead. Excellent work, guys!"