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If you ever wondered how Neil
Armstrong took that one small step in his bulky ‘mummy box’
outfit, you must read on.
You must have seen astronauts wearing suits that look puffed up
and a special kind of helmet on their heads, besides having all
kinds of paraphernalia attached to their bodies. Have you ever
wondered about the special outfit that these special people
wear? Have you wanted to know what kind of clothes they pack for
their special journey? For they have to take their “environment”
with them. They are going to need the atmospheric pressure and
oxygen, for in the void of space these life savers are not
there. |
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An astronaut’s outfit consists of
pressurized space suits, which also provides a steady supply of
oxygen and protects him from any micrometeoroid attack when they get
out of their craft into space. Besides, the suit insulates him from
the varying temperature changes that he exposes himself to.
Astronauts zooming in Space Shuttles have a lot of packing to do.
Depending on the task they are to perform, they decide what is to be
worn during a mission. For the take off and landing, rather launch
and re-entry as they call it, it’s a partially pressurized suit
including a helmet, gloves and special boots, and a parachute pack
that they don.
Since it is likely that the astronaut may suffer a black out when
the pressure is low in the cabin (caused by blood pooling in the
lower part of the body), the suits are provided with special
bladders that automatically fills with air when the cabin pressure
drops. These bladders maintain the pressure on the lower body. |
Picture of a space suit |
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Inside the Shuttle, it’s like ordinary air travel, the dress code
that is. They work wearing clothes that they are comfortable in,
such as pants, knitwear or flight suits. Like you and me, the
astronauts carry with them sleep shorts and slippers, jackets and
regular undergarments.
The most interesting outfit is the one that the astronauts wear
during the mission outside the Shuttle. The main outfit is called
extravehicular mobility unit or EMU in short. Its design
consists of
a one-piece suit made of spandex, which keeps the astronaut cool.
Besides, it contains support systems such as oxygen and a device
like the catheter for collecting fluid waste from the body.
Of course, there is water being provided from a drink bag. Other
paraphernalia are headphones, microphones, gloves, helmet and a
visor. The entire outfit has been designed to protect the astronaut
from lack of oxygen, radiation from the sun, infrared radiation,
extreme changes in temperature and pressure and micrometeoroids.
Such a space suit is naturally very expensive to make and therefore
the manufacturers have designed it in such a way that the parts are
interchangeable and it can be reassembled to fit all astronauts.
There is one more secret. What’s in the backpack that they carry
around? This is a manned maneuvering unit, also referred to as
the MMU. It is a specially designed nitrogen propelled backpack,
which is attached to the EMU. It has been designed to allow the
astronaut to fly with precision and perform his space walk
comfortably. The MMU also has a thirty five-mm camera tucked in it,
so that when the astronaut wants a picture for posterity or for
documentation, there it is -- ready, focus, and zoom.
These heavy suits are for the celestial ramps and are man’s most
compact, total survival kit. |
