space helmet n.

a helmet worn as part of a spacesuit, to provide the wearer with a breathable atmosphere and to protect the head

  • 1931 M. W. Wellman Disc-Men of Jupiter in Wonder Stories Sept. 544/1 page image Manly Wade Wellman bibliography

    He took the glass-fronted space helmet and adjusted it on Thiana’s head.

  • 1946 J. Kennedy Letter in Startling Stories Summer 99/1 page image Joe Kennedy

    Come around sometime in a flimsy space helmet, of the type supposedly worn by women of the future.

  • 1965 ‘H. Clement’ Raindrop in Worlds of If May 12/2 page image Hal Clement bibliography

    Bresnahan frowned thoughtfully, though the facial gesture was not very meaningful inside a space helmet.

  • 1984 D. Brin Practice Effect iv.vi. 74 David Brin bibliography

    The beanie cap had become a space helmet and the whirling blades lifted him into the air.

  • 2005 W. Barton Harvest Moon in Asimov’s Science Fiction Sept. 118 page image William Barton bibliography

    If I start to cry in a space helmet, I won’t be able to clear my vision and run the camera when the time comes.

Research requirements

antedating 1931
Earliest cite

M. W. Wellman 'The Disc-men of Jupiter'
Research History
Fred Galvin submitted a 1946 cite from a letter by Joe Kennedy in Startling Stories. Fred Galvin submitted a 1947 cite from a reprint of Manly Wade Wellman's "The Disc-men of Jupiter"; Alistair Durie verified this in its 1931 magazine publication.

Earliest cite in the OED: 1957

Last modified 2020-12-16 04:08:47
In the compilation of some entries, HDSF has drawn extensively on corresponding entries in OED.