Sled Driver

straw to my mouth through a small opening, designed in the helmet for this
purpose. Most crews took at least a water bottle. I normally carried a bottle of half
water, half Gatorade. I tried the food once and decided I could do without it.
The suit was designed for sitting and could be comfortable once everything was
on and adjusted properly. Most problems with comfort were best handled through
prevention, and this meant attention to detail during suiting up. Techniques,
discovered or passed on by others, helped make life more bearable in the suit. I
learned I didn't have to adjust the rubber face seal, located in the helmet, as tight as
the PSD folks insisted. I could also raise my face plate if needed, as long as I held my
breath to prevent introducing nitrogen into my body. This was rarely done because
of the potential danger of going unconscious from the lack of oxygen. The face plate
was heated similar to rear window defoggers installed on many cars. This heat
cleared the fog that formed from heavy breathing or the vapor left by an
unexpected sneeze.
Often PSD allowed various groups of people to tour the facility and observe our
routine. Walt and I have suited up in front of generals, military wives, and fourth
graders, just to name a few. We got used to it and didn't allow the visitors to keep
us from insuring everything was fitting just right. Sometimes we'd let the kids touch
the space suit and they especially enjoyed seeing it inflate. Most people wanted
their picture taken with this enigma of fasteners and hoses sitting in front of them.
Once I put my helmet on and sat in the van that would take us to the airplane,
another phase of concentration began. I thought about the departure, the
weather, and the rendezvous with the tanker.
THE LAUNCH
About an hour before takeoff, we would climb into the jet. The mobile crew had
already set up the cockpits for us, and PSD technicians helped us through everything
from climbing out of the van, to strapping us into the cockpit. They carried our water
bottles, checklists, and flight manuals. After we climbed into the cockpit, we sat in
our seats with our arms extended so the PSD technicians could reach all the
connections in the cockpit. Two to three PSD folks expertly snapped, hooked,
tugged, pushed and inserted parts of our suits to the life support systems. I often felt
like the queen bee with devoted worker bees scurrying about me.
The cockpit environment was familiar; the sim had been a realistic representation
of the aircraft. I expected the instrument panel to look worn from age, similar to other