1. I always thought that these were of such poor audio quality! I kept thinking to myself, even back when I was very young: they have ultra-sophisticated technology to be able to go to the moon, but can't have better audio quality communications? Cool historic items nonetheless.

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2. Neat-o, Fran. I too scored a couple of the original Plantronics MS50/T30's that are in use on the NASA Mission Control pics you shared. The MS50/T30 needs a DC bias and, thus, decoupling capacitor(s) on the audio line – to work correctly.. There are some schematics floating around the the internet to help. . . . . main point is be careful about assuming Fran's approach will work w/any of these "vintage" headsets. Been using mine for my Zoom WFH sessions.

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3. Suggestion: Do the best possible "dress rehearsal" with all equipment attached to you and whatever. Get animated and bump your head into some things and see if you can knock your glasses off and such. And have a "Plan B" along with you. And perhaps even a "Plan C". For something like the push on tube, consider using a cable tie to hold it even more securely (it's handy to have some cable ties handy anyway. And perhaps a little roll of tape.)

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4. Longframe. I have a whole patchbay of those. Bought some NOS plugs from a studio supply place in LA and made my own patch cables. Heavy brass construction. They will accept 1/4 phone, but it will mess up the jack if you do it too much.

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5. I really wanted a mission control headset when I was a 911 dispatcher. They are so versatile. The old ones can also be worn around the neck if you have the head bit. In any of the configurations, the nice thing is that there is no pressure directly on the ear, which becomes a very painful issue after 12-18 hours of use per day. Another old headset I did have also wanted some pre-amp.

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6. Love the sound! Hope you find a way to amplify the signal that is compact enough for flight. Don’t forget that you might want to strap your glasses on so that they don’t get bumped off your face and broken. Wish i was going with you but bad backs and negative gravity don’t mix. Have fun and God speed!

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7. Sounds great Fran and a real draw back to the times of space exploration with its very unique sound. May I suggest you make two up just so you have a spare and also have a second high quality microphone so that you can mix and match post-production of this one off event. I wonder if you could get to see the firmament layer on your trip 😉

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8. I remember in the 60,s that they had a AD in the back of comic books that said you could listen to the Astronauts if you had this product they were selling . I ordered it for 99 cents and they sent me a small square box with an ear phone and a ground wire . It turned out to just be a AM crystal diode radio . Yup I'm that old !

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9. Fran I'm broke as a joke since covid destroyed my business that I suffered 8 plus years building from scratch. But with that said… Besides the animal rescues I've typically donated to over the years I would support you dear if it was within my ability to do so. I'll tell you like everyone else. If I can win the lottery there's a place for you in my plans. Strictly business but you'll never want again.

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10. Fran, the Fashion Scientist (soon to be Astronaut), has done it again with that provocative headset – mounted to her glasses, no less. What if you switch to CONTACTS? Is the mount a bit clearer then? No matter your "gear" it's the experience that will be the highlight – not the contact lens's. Oops, I may have gotten that out of "context" but I know what I was thinking. Hey, can you "float a loan" in Zero G ? Just asking. I am the (only) one who thinks I'm funny.

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11. Fran, have you got your white vest picked out, just for maximum Flight Director authenticity?
    For the little sintered metal pieces in the mic audio boom, I got a piece of material from which a replacement part was made, when converting one of these headsets to connect to a 2 metre rig – about 1989?
    The piece to replace the microphone screen was made from a sintered disc , which was a replaceable part of a SCUBA air system regulator filter. (Dia. over 1/2", less than 5/8", about 1/8" thick). The material may have been sintered nickel, or a nickel alloy. I'm not a diver; this came from a fellow research lab worker.
    Hope this info may be of some use. I'm looking forward (with envy) to your forthcoming flight. Have fun!

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