Vacc suits and clothing...

[Reynard]

We are an adaptable species. Even today, with such low tech suits, our astronauts handle those situations well without getting themselves killed in the process. Somehow "Why didn't you think of that before we suited up?!" isn't common. If it's that serious, I'm sure you can go back inside.

 

[alex_greene]

One constant is you can't unzip your fly to take a leak, you can't flip open your face plate to scratch your nose, not if you are in space. Imagine the inconvenience if you get a speck of dust in your eye or a loose eye lash. If you got a cold and a runny nose, the inside of a spacesuit is not the place to be!

Your bodily wastes are collected and processed inside the suit. And as for bad things happening in a suit - on one ISS EVA to repair a satellite, a water coolant system developed a leak inside the helmet. The water clung to the astronaut's head like a film slowly crawling over his face, blinding him. If it had got to his mouth and nose, he would have drowned.

water leak article 1

water leak article 2 [video]

Scary stuff.

 

[sideranautae]

I don't see there being a whole lot to talk about here. There is only so much one can say about vacc suits

That's because you lack enough knowledge to even ponder what there is to talk about. Like, what happens if the PC's only have access to TL7/8 soft-suits and they need to eva from a modern ship? :wink:

 

[sideranautae]

We are an adaptable species. Even today, with such low tech suits, our astronauts handle those situations well without getting themselves killed in the process.

1) They are HIGHLY trained in use if they are going to be an EVA person especially.
2) It takes them HOURS to prep and execute a VERY simple EVA.
3) That is because they are using TL 7 suits.

 

[alex_greene]

I don't see there being a whole lot to talk about here. There is only so much one can say about vacc suits

That's because you lack enough knowledge to even ponder what there is to talk about. Like, what happens if the PC's only have access to TL7/8 soft-suits and they need to eva from a modern ship? :wink:

Why would TL 7/8 EVA suits be stocked in a TL 12/13 ship? Museum pieces in cargo, being taken to a more primitive world?

 

[sideranautae]

Why would TL 7/8 EVA suits be stocked in a TL 12/13 ship? Museum pieces in cargo, being taken to a more primitive world?

Ship missiles (for TL 15 ships) are produced on TL 7 worlds. TL 8 worlds abound in the Trav universe. A tramp the PC's are paid passengers on may only have cheap lower TL, but new emergency equip for passengers because margins are so damn thin in the OTU when it comes to free trader activity.

You are operating under the incorrect assumption that lower than TL 9 worlds are not part and parcel to the OTU econ.

 

[Reynard]

As Traveller PCs well know, they buy what they can find and what they can afford. Start off low and cheap and upgrade when the money is good. My character right now is hoping for a big scores on their latest adventure to hopefully find a world selling those wonderful tailored vaccs which may takes weeks, months or never. Many Traveller universes are commercial ventures not prototype first encounters.

 

[alex_greene]

As Traveller PCs well know, they buy what they can find and what they can afford. Start off low and cheap and upgrade when the money is good. My character right now is hoping for a big scores on their latest adventure to hopefully find a world selling those wonderful tailored vaccs which may takes weeks, months or never. Many Traveller universes are commercial ventures not prototype first encounters.

Or they can stipulate that they get the latest TL vacc suit available as part of their employment contracts when they take a job from a Patron.

It might be easier for a Patron to get them a shiny TL 13 vacc suit than a shiny TL 13 Battle Dress.

 

[sideranautae]

Or they can stipulate that they get the latest TL vacc suit available as part of their employment contracts when they take a job from a Patron.

Of course. However, that has NOTHING to do with the subject of OTU econ and items in use per canon. A patron could also just get them a AHL to help them too. But, this drifts from the topic at hand... :idea:

 

[Reynard]

Yeah, our patron told us to go earn it. Gives us more incentive to do our job.

Thankfully I haven't had to EVA yet though I might be throwing on the TL 8 Vacc for joining the boarding party. THAT should be interesting!

 

[sideranautae]

Yeah, our patron told us to go earn it. Gives us more incentive to do our job.

Thankfully I haven't had to EVA yet though I might be throwing on the TL 8 Vacc for joining the boarding party. THAT should be interesting!

Go pure O2 @4 PSI and you'll be fine. No heavy ballooning in vacuum.

 

[Jacqual]

I don't see there being a whole lot to talk about here. There is only so much one can say about vacc suits. One constant is you can't unzip your fly to take a leak, you can't flip open your face plate to scratch your nose, not if you are in space. Imagine the inconvenience if you get a speck of dust in your eye or a loose eye lash. If you got a cold and a runny nose, the inside of a spacesuit is not the place to be!

You can pop open that fly to take a leak, just will be the last one you ever take, but your bladder will be empty.

 

[Anonymous]

On a (kind of) related note...

Zozer's Orbital book (it's also included in the freebie Vacc suit supplement taken from Orbital) details options for pre breathing and the bends.

Does anyone include decompression rules for vacc suits in their TU?

 

[sideranautae]

On a (kind of) related note...

Zozer's Orbital book (it's also included in the freebie Vacc suit supplement taken from Orbital) details options for pre breathing and the bends.

Does anyone include decompression rules for vacc suits in their TU?

If using a low TL suit that requires low pressure, yes. Then one must pre-breath pure O2 to purge nitrogen from the blood stream. Otherwise, you are using normal pressure nitrogen/oxygen and there is no need.

 

[Anonymous]

At what TL do you introduce suits that don't require low pressure and are still relatively dextrous or do you go with the MgT rules for penalties incurred wearing a vacc suit and call it good?

 

[Reynard]

"You can pop open that fly to take a leak, just will be the last one you ever take, but your bladder will be empty."

Try any of that stuff while in a cold weather environment such as the Antarctic or even the Arctic. You do all that stuff before you go out and you come back before you need to go again. For Vacc suits, you're usually back well before that 6 hours air supply runs out. Die rolls and things of that nature are for emergency and unusual circumstances. Otherwise vaccs in Traveller is just another work suit.

 

[sideranautae]

At what TL do you introduce suits that don't require low pressure and are still relatively dextrous or do you go with the MgT rules for penalties incurred wearing a vacc suit and call it good?

As a standard design, TL 9. Dex penalties until TL 11

 

[Annatar Giftbringer]

While I have some difficulties getting hold of the older books mentioned earlier in the thread, I did google the cover of grand survey and I must say wow! Is that a vacc suit? I want one!

On a related note, I saw Interstellar yesterday. While it was an excellent movie, discussing it is beyond the scope of this thread, except for the vacc suits they used. I know interstellar isn't traveller, but it was interesting to get a look at near-future plausible vacc suit.

I don't know which TL traveller suit it closest resembles, but it didn't seem too "unwieldy and uncomfortable" (as the TL 8 is described). They could use it as field uniform and for protection when planetside, even on a 1.3 G planet, after all.

Sadly, we never got to see the suit being put on or off, but here is one scene, immediately after returning to the ship, where they wear only the pants, and the main character is seen wearing what looks like a regular t-shirt underneath - so no undersuit on this version.

For myself and IMTU I think I'm gonna go with climate regulation integrated into the suit, and less clothing is better (less to interfere) but some clothes could fit underneath if necessary.

And I still don't know what the environment suit is supposed to look like, but it sounds like it could replace foul weather, arctic survival and heat protection suits all in one, so I'll definitely make sure to pack one for my characters!

 

[dragoner]

Iconic trav vacc suit:

New design from MIT:

Looks similar, and that is the TL8 one, imo.

 

[Jame Rowe]

I could see most governments requiring its space crews, whether Navy, Marines, Scouts OR Merchants (especially the civilian and corporate) know how to use and wear a vacsuit. They may not be especially proficient in it but better than untrained.