Spacesuits are basically personal, wearable
spacecraft that not only keep you alive, but
feed you, let you communicate and yes, you
can pee and poo in them.
If it weren’t for the pressure of our atmosphere
we’d be dead.
Atmospheric pressure compresses our bodies,
keeping fluids in a liquid state and the concentration
of oxygen high enough that there’s plenty
for us to breathe.
As you go higher into the atmosphere and the
pressure drops off, you run the risk of not
having enough oxygen and having fluids boiling
out of your body; this starts happening around
the 40,000 foot mark.
Enter the pressure suit.
Pilots and balloonists started wearing what
are called partial pressure suits in the 1940s.
These were, in essence, tight fitting suits
that physically compressed a pilot’s body
mimicking atmospheric pressure.
These became the basis of NASA’s first spacesuits
worn by the Mercury astronauts in the early
1960s.
These were were relatively simple Earth orbital
missions during which the pilot didn’t leave
the safety of his pressurized spacecraft,
so the suit was there to protect him from
a sudden loss of pressure: the suits contained
a small amount of trapped gas that would expand
to inflate the suit if the cabin depressurized,
saving the astronaut.
But NASA soon had bigger plans and wanted
to send their astronauts on spacewalks.
So, the spacesuit needed to change.
The Gemini suits were full pressure suits
with airflow and communications coming in
through an umbilical connecting it to the
spacecraft, but otherwise gave the astronauts
portable, wearable little atmospheres.
Because, they were walking in space where
there is no atmosphere.But these suits only
allowed astronauts to go on short spacewalks.
When they got to the Moon, Apollo astronauts
needed suits that would keep them alive for
hours at a time.
They also had to protect astronauts from the
Moon’s extreme environment — like the
obvious lack of atmosphere, but also the 400
degrees difference between light and shadow,
micrometeoroids, and the rocky terrain — while
still allowing them to walk, pick up rocks,
carry instruments, and sit in a lunar rover.
It was a fully functioning suit that kind
of acted as a personal spacecraft.
. And it was basically made up of three parts.
First, a diaper which is self explanatory.
Next, a three-layer liquid cooled garment
that circulated cold water to keep their body
temperature down.
And over those two the astronauts wore the
one-piece, 22-layered, bulky and cumbersome
suit with built in boots, a drink pouch in
the helmet so they wouldn’t get dehydrated,
and a full communications system.
So, basically a personal spacecraft.
And as the space program grew, spacesuits
evolved.
They were no longer custom made.
Which would have been a problem for me.
Instead, they were assembled from interchangeable
parts: the upper and lower torsos arms, gloves,
boots, and helmets.
Extravehicular Mobility Units were designed
to keep astronauts safe during spacewalks,
and let them go out for 8.5 hours at a time.
They’re pressurized with 100 percent oxygen
to about 1/3 of atmospheric pressure so there’s
plenty of oxygen to breathe, and sometimes
a little piece of velcro on the inside of
the helmet to facilite a little nose scratch.
And unlike the Apollo lunar suits that are
largely in museums now, these suits were returned
and reused after a mission.
Looking ahead at missions to Mars, NASA is
going with an entirely new design that focuses
on mobility and ease, and takes advantage
of Mars having an atmosphere, even though
it’s an extremely rare one.
One prototype called the Z-2 suit uses new
composites to make a suit that is lightweight
but still durable enough to stand up to Mars’
environment.
And other suits ditch the bulky look for something
more streamlined.
the “space activity suit” is basically
a skin-tight leotard that could provide enough
pressure on Mars to make big bulky hard spacesuits
a thing of the past.
But there will probably always be diapers
involved.
And speaking of diapers, how exactly do astronauts
poo in space?
It’s actually more complicated than you’d
think!
I chronicled the awkward history of fecal
containment over on my own channel, Vintage
Space, where I look into all kinds of space
history questions!
I have a soft spot for the iconic Apollo suits,
but what do you think is the most interesting
space suit that’s ever flown?
Let us know in the comments below, don’t
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