Hugo Gernsback had a particular interest in spacesuits and over the years published a lot on his ideas of how they should be constructed.   This little number* from the June 1939 issue of Amazing Stories has all the optional extras and shows that a lot of sci-fi types were serious when they called science fiction a "rehearsal of the future."

Items include:

1. Unbreakable double glass helmet with insulating gas between to keep out absolute zero of space.

2. Two-way radio and audio microphones to permit communications in the void and on other worlds.

3. Compressed oxygen tanks to provide controlled air supply.  Equipped with purifier to permit removal of carbon dioxide from used air.

4. Durable inner lining to provide protection against both cold and heat.  Gas-impregnated cellular material and asbestos.

5. Joint regions of flexible metal which bend and allow free movement without any leakage of air.

6. Asbestos insulated boots with magnetic soles which may be used to facilitate walking about on the inner or outer hull.

7. Oxygen ducts to provide wearer with constant supply of air.
8. Pressure gauges and meters to register air pressure and purity.
9. Inner suit composed of rubber, air-tight canvas, and silk.
10. Ducts to remove carbon dioxide and accumulated body wastes.
11. Helium and other gases to ensure safety from bends and blood clots.
12. Outer suit composed of metal strong enough to withstand vacuum of space.
13. Three-fingered gloves to provide clumsy handling of objects in utter cold of space.
14. Projectile guns to provide reaction and permit moving about, otherwise wearer would float helplessly.

*If this bit of tailoring looks familiar, maybe you saw it here.

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