Schweickart's Skylab Training Suit

Inside the Wallops Flight Facility Visitor Center building is a curious space suit display.

First of all, the suit doesn't stand erect in its display case; it leans forward almost like a cartoon character.

The sign identifies this suit as Rusty Schweickart's Apollo 9 training suit; this sign is incorrect. Apollo 9 used the earlier A7L suit; this is clearly a later A7LB suit.

Schweickart can be seen wearing his A7L suit in the Apollo 9 crew photo; note that there are two nearly-vertical rows of chest connectors.

Schweickart was the backup commander of SL-2, the first manned Skylab mission. In this capacity, he was issued a Skylab A7LB suit, which as two triangular sets of chest connectors. Presumably, this is that suit.

See my info page on the Skylab A7LB spacesuit for additional information.

Comparing this front torso of this suit to an Apollo 15 suit shows that the upper bracket is indeed different and the lower bracket is missing. Although harder to say for certain, the wrap-around zipper on this suit does seem to be lower than on the Apollo 15 suit.

Adding to the curious nature of this suit is the fact that cuff of the left glove has what appears to be a lunar surface checklist sewn to it.