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The space helmet is an iconic symbol of space exploration and is necessary for survival in space. It fulfills three main purposes: maintaining pressure, supplying oxygen, and providing protection. Most helmets are hard-shelled and bubble-shaped with a visor system that protects against harmful rays. Communication devices are also built into the helmet or worn separately.
The space helmet has been one of the most recognizable symbols of space exploration for decades. The iconic piece of equipment has appeared in numerous facets of both popular culture and scientific reality, including early 1930s motion picture serials such as Flash Gordon, B-Movies such as Robot Monster in the 1950s, photographs of astronauts wearing the helmet on the moon from the 1960s and 1970s and videos of astronauts repairing the International Space Station (ISS). The space helmet is one of the most important parts of a space suit and is required to survive in the harsh conditions of space.
The space helmet fulfills three main purposes and several smaller ones. First, it allows pressure to be maintained around the wearer’s head while in the vacuum of space. Second, the space helmet supplies breathable oxygen to the person wearing it. Thirdly, the helmet allows the wearer to see, while providing protection against extreme light, radiation and other harmful rays. The helmet can also accommodate other important items including communication devices, water, food, padding and thermal covers.
Most space helmets look similar: They tend to be both hard-shelled and bubble-shaped. The hard shell helps maintain pressure in the vacuum of space. The bubble shape is needed in most cases because the helmet is attached to the spacesuit and doesn’t twist or move. The person wearing the attached helmet must be able to turn their head within it, resulting in the large bulbous shape of the helmet.
Another common feature of the space helmet is the visor system. There have been many types of models and names for the system, including Lunar Extravehicular Visor Assembly (LEVA), Skylab Extravehicular Visor Assembly (SEVA), and Extravehicular Visor Assembly (EVA or EVVA). The most prominent part of the visor system is easily recognizable by its golden colour, and is, in fact, coated with a thin layer of gold. This visor protects the wearer from the sun’s harmful rays which are normally filtered by the earth’s atmosphere. An additional shaded but clear visor may be included for protection. The opaque shades on the sides and top of the visor system can be turned down to block out light when needed.
Communication is another important aspect of the helmet. In some space suits, microphones and earphones that connect to a radio system are built into the helmet so explorers can communicate while in space. Other spacesuits have a separate headpiece that is worn under the helmet. This additional piece is called the Communications Carrier Assembly in NASA suits and has been dubbed the “Snoopy Cap” in popular culture.
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