Editing Lockheed SR-71 Blackbird (section)

===Life support===
[[File:Brian Shul in the cockpit of the SR-71 Blackbird.jpg|thumb|right|SR-71 pilot [[Brian Shul]] in full flight suit]]
[[File:SR71 crew.jpg|thumb|The crew of a NASA Lockheed SR-71 Blackbird standing by the aircraft in their pressurized flight suits, 1991]]

Flying at {{convert|80000|ft|m|abbr=on|sigfig=2}} meant that crews could not use standard masks, which could not provide enough oxygen above {{convert|43000|ft|m|abbr=on|sigfig=2}}. Specialized protective [[pressurized suit]]s were produced for crew members by the [[David Clark Company]] for the A-12, YF-12, M-21 and SR-71. Furthermore, an emergency [[Ejection seat|ejection]] at Mach&nbsp;3.2 would subject crews to temperatures of about {{convert|450|°F|°C|-1}}; thus, during a high-altitude ejection scenario, an onboard oxygen supply would keep the suit pressurized during the descent.<ref name=weaver/>

The cockpit could be pressurized to an altitude of {{convert|10000|or|26000|ft|m|abbr=on|sigfig=1}} during flight.<ref>Donald 2003, p. 172.</ref> The cabin needed a heavy-duty cooling system, as cruising at Mach&nbsp;3.2 would heat the aircraft's external surface well beyond {{convert|500|°F|°C|-1}}<ref name="PM06/91">''[[Popular Mechanics]]'', June 1991, p.&nbsp;28.</ref> and the inside of the windshield to {{convert|250|°F|°C|-1}}. An air conditioner used a [[heat exchanger]] to dump heat from the cockpit into the fuel prior to combustion.<ref>{{Cite book|title=Stratonauts: Pioneers Venturing into the Stratosphere|last=Ehrenfried|first=Manfred|year=2013|publisher=Springer |isbn=978-3-319-02901-6}}</ref> The same air-conditioning system was also used to keep the front (nose) landing gear bay cool, thereby eliminating the need for the special aluminum-impregnated tires similar to those used on the main landing gear.<ref name="SR-71 Maintenance (July 1984 - December 1989)">{{cite web|url=http://www.blackbirds.net/u2/c_bennett/bbird-03.html |title=SR-71 Maintenance |website=Blackbirds.net |access-date=29 October 2015}}</ref>

Blackbird pilots and RSOs were provided with food and drink for the long reconnaissance flights. Water bottles had long straws which crewmembers guided into an opening in the helmet by looking in a mirror. Food was contained in sealed containers similar to toothpaste tubes which delivered food to the crewmember's mouth through the helmet opening.<ref>{{Cite book|title=Sled Driver|last=Shul|first=Brian|publisher=Midland Publishing Limited|year=1992|isbn=978-1857800029|location=Earl Shilton, Leicester, England|pages=38–40}}</ref><ref name="Dowling">{{cite web |last=Dowling |first=Stephen |title=SR-71 Blackbird: The Cold War's ultimate spy plane |url=https://www.bbc.com/future/article/20130701-tales-from-the-blackbird-cockpit |website=[[BBC Future]] |date=2 July 2013 |access-date=30 November 2024 |archive-date=15 October 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20241015211701/https://www.bbc.com/future/article/20130701-tales-from-the-blackbird-cockpit |url-status=live}}</ref>