Why isn't Neil Armstrong blind?

Question

The gold visor on the Apollo helmets were supposedly to protect against the very deadly otherwise unfiltered (no atmosphere on moon) rays from the sun. Why wasn't Neil blinded or at least return home with a tan that would make George Hamilton jealous?

http://www.hq.nasa.gov/office/pao/History/alsj/a11/ap11fr06.jpg

an official NASA photo supposedly taken on the moon

Answer 1

The gold visors were to protect from direct sunlight - mostly UV.  If you were facing away from the Sun, you could open it up.  If you didn't need to look near the Sun, you could open it up.  I don't see a problem here. It's much like sun glasses.  And to have better light while working with something, you'd naturally go to the up-sun side and work on it.  So they could have their visors open much of the time.

It wasn't for cosmic rays.

Answer 2

blind?

hey, here's an idea.

I am going to put YOU in charge of making a visor that will protect astronauts eyes from the dangers of the Sun while on the Moon.

Can you do it?  Smart as you are, I bet you could... come on... admit it...

But no NASA engineers could do it?

reality check, table 4

Answer 3

All the photos I have ever seen of the astronauts on the moon show only reflections from the helmet face, never the face of the astronaut inside. What you see in the photograph cannot be a face. It is a reflection of something from where the photographer was standing, probably the exit hatch of the lunar landing module, judging from the apparent height the picture was taken.

Well, it's either the rational explanation above, or it's a studio shot from the moon landing set and someone forgot to put the visor down. You pick 'em.

Answer 4

they used another method on neil's flight

Answer 5

It is just the theories were unfounded, that is why

Answer 6

Cosmic Rays did affect their vision when they are up there, tiny particles hit their retinas and creates flashes of light, I suppose if you stay up there unprotected for too long it would make you blind

Answer 7

why would he be? they landed on the side of the moon facing earth so they could still communicate. http://www.lpi.usra.edu/publications/sli...

these sites could be in the sun or shadow. if they are in the sun, put down the visor. you just said he had protection. an what am i suppose to see in that picture except the reflection of the camera in his visor?

Answer 8

because he can see :O

Answer 9

he did use it OR he didn't need it. you're not one of those conspiracy theorists, are you?

Answer 10

Because, as you say, he was well-protected.

The visor assembly fit over the astronauts' pressure helmets.  There was a clear inner visor as well as the gold-coated outer visor.  The helmet and the two visors were both made of a polycarbonate trade-named Lexan, which is naturally opaque to ultraviolet.  Lexan is used today in sunglasses and in lightweight eyeglasses.

Answer 11

youre a crazy idiot.

Answer 12

Why should he be?  Have you gone blind from spending time outdoors?  Or did you foolishly look directly at the sun?

Neil Armstrong and the other lunar explorers were:

1) protected by the natural absorptive characteristics of the materials used in the construction of the suits,

2) able to see through the visors because they allow the transmission of light in the VISIBLE frequencies, but block the harmful radiations, and

3) smart enough NOT to stare at the sun without a very strong filter Ithe gold drop-down visor).

Here's an experiment for you to be able to prove to yourself how this works -- during the daytime in the summer, whenever you are in your car, drive around with your left arm hanging out the driver's side window (if you're driving), or your right arm out the passenger side window.  At the end of the summer, which arm has the better tan?  The one outside the car, or the one inside the car, but exposed to light through the glass?

The answer is the arm that was _outside_ the car, because glass reflects/absorbs light in the UV region (re-emitting the absorbed energies as infra-red [heat]), rather than transmitting it.

Answer 13

idk.

Answer 14

You need to get your facts straight.  No gold shield you could see through would protect against cosmic rays.  If the Apollo astronauts  should have gone blind in the time they spent on the moon then everyone who has spent that same amount of time or more in space would be blind.  Since the shuttle, Mir, and space station guys all seem to be seeing well, the basis of your question is wrong (the vessels themselves don't stop cosmic rays).

Answer 15

Here's some excellent footage of Harrison Schmitt of Apollo 17 with his visor up. I don't think he's blind, either.

http://www.hq.nasa.gov/alsj/a17/a17v.165...

Answer 16

Joker

Answer 17

Only ultraviolet radiation gives you a tan, as most survivors of Hiroshima and Nagasaki will attest to.

That is a filtered helmet.

Answer 18

Anybody can tell that photo wasn't shot on the moon.  It was taken on the grassy knoll.