The Spartas never actually ejects the armored cover

[Rabid Southern Cross Fan]

Courtesy of Teddy Gorospe uploading a copy of the Pioneer Southern Cross DVD (which apparently is taken from the earlier LaserDisc version) of Episode #17 Bio-Psycher (aka Episode #54 Mind Games), its clearly seen that the Dana's Spartas only ejects the vernier thrusters and not the armored cover. This is helped by the fact that, even though its standard definition, you can see much clearer due to not being oversaturated with various colors (namely blue with the ADV/Funimation releases).

Spartas Space Sequence

I think, in all honesty, it was animator laziness that caused this, like the animation not showing what is obvious with the missing parts on the Cyclone (the arm actuators, the undersuit the operator has to put on before donning CVR-3). The Spartas should be able to retain the armored cover once its affixed. The redesign of the Spartas should have allowed for it.

[ShadowLogan]

I can confirm the side/lower-leg modules can be seen being jettisoned with the transformation to the sides of the mecha in Robotech Ep. e54 @15:37 (approx) on the Legacy DVD (TV broadcast version).

However given the angle(s) depicted in the transformation it is possible the module was still jettisoned in a direction that would not be visible. If the module was jettisoned in a rearward direction, instead of to the top, you wouldn't be able to see it.

Further evidence that the cockpit module was jettisoned comes later in the same episode when Sterling and Dante both go from B to G mode in the hopes of flushing out Zor (Ep54 @20:17-20:42, approx on Legacy DVD), the G-mode appears to be the classical open cockpit which would beg the question where the module would go in G-mode. If the module retains its position in G mode as V mode, then it should be visible in the cockpit area in G mode, but there is nothing there, so if it is not positioned here then where?

[Rabid Southern Cross Fan]

I'm not saying it wasn't. I'm saying that its likely the animators got lazy because the whole purpose of redesigning them was for them to be operable in space. If the armored cover is ditched, the driver will be exposed to vacuum for the time it takes to switch modes. But its clearly not ejected in the animation.

:shrugs:

[ShadowLogan]

There is still one major flaw in your reasoning, you are assuming the ATAC Body Armor being worn at the time was not rated as a spacesuit (in the show, the RPG well...). In point of fact it would be very negligent of the ASC if it was to rely purely on the armored canopy to sustain a habitable environment (Soyuz 11 lost its 3 person crew because they did not have spacesuits available to them, which resulted in a policy change by the Soviet/Russian program that AFAIK has stood to this day, and the US based program has never faced, I suspect China and other entities developing manned space flight also will emulate).

While I know we differ in our opinions on the altitude displayed in "Danger Zone" for the Master Cityship, above a certain altitude (20k ft) the VHT operators won't be able to breathe (lack of O2) without assistance. And in that episode we do see the VHT in vehicle mode air dropped on to the hull of the city ship without the canopy. Which means that if the suits aren't capable of delivering 02 to the wearer (heat management is another factor) that would put an upper limit on the altitude that the VHTs could be considered to operate from.

While I will agree there is ample evidence the VHT's in battloid mode offer a pressurized environment for space operations (seen a few episodes later as the 15th w/Musica wasn't wearing the BA), the only other time we see the VHT operate in space was "Volunteers", but the VHT's where stored in B-mode, but we don't know if the bay was re-pressurized between the launch of the Logan and Dana's VHT (where she is in body armor during operation).

The 2E PB RPG states the canopy provides a pressurized environment and the ATAC body armor is not EBA (unlike in 1E). From an 2E PB RPG POV changing the ATAC BA to EBA (via add-on or standard) is a lot easier to do than trying to justify the retention of the canopy given the transformation if we are trying to make the RPG and show fit better.