TechMemo:Vacuum Suits
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Star Fleet Engineering
Bureau of Starship and Starcraft Technology
Star Fleet Engineering
Technical Memorandum
Stardate: 90928 (28 September 1997)
RE: Vacuum Suits
During combat operations it is normal for all members of a starship's complement to wear light duty vacuum suits in case of decompression and atmosphere loss. While forcefields and emergency doors can usually seal off sections of a ship and prevent the loss of large ammounts of atmosphere, failures in these systems can result in substantial depressurization that would kill unprotected personnel. Since such failures are not uncommon when a ship has been substantially damaged in combat, all personnel on starships, military and civilian alike, are expected to wear vacuum suits whenever combat is likely. Suits are normally kept with a crew member at their duty station.
Vacuum suits are custom fited to an individual. This allows them to fit precisely and to have sensors imbedded in the suit which conveys sensation through the suit to allow the wearer the tactical sensation necessary to perform any task needed while still wearing the suit. The tactical sensation is so accute that a medical officer can perform surgery on an injured crewman in a bubble-pack operating pod in zero atmosphere while wearing a vaccum suit.
Vacuum suits consist of a ruberized fabric suit with a built in oxygen scrubber which allows the user to survive for 36 hours without other life support. The suit has a large, clear helmet. Naval issue light duty suits are black. Naval issue heavy duty suits have a 72 hour life-support capacity and are more resistant to damage. However, they have reduced tactal senation. They are used in operations where a more resistant suit is needed and the reduced tactal sensation is acceptable. Either type of suit can be patched with special quick seal patches that are always stored in pockets on the suit.
