A space suit is an environmental suit engineered to protect a human from the hostile conditions of outer space, keeping its wearer pressurized against vacuum, supplying breathable oxygen while removing carbon dioxide, regulating temperature across extremes that can range from about minus 156 to 121 degrees Celsius, and shielding against radiation and micrometeoroid impacts. Individual inventors began designing early full-pressure suit prototypes for high-altitude flight in the 1930s, and the Soviet Union fitted cosmonaut Yuri Gagarin with the SK-1 suit for the first crewed spaceflight in 1961. Modern space suits fall into three categories: intravehicular suits worn inside a spacecraft as a safety precaution against loss of cabin pressure, extravehicular suits that add a portable life support system for working outside the spacecraft, and hybrid designs built for both roles.
Facts
YearFull-pressure suit prototypes existed from the 1930s; 1961 is the year the first space suit was actually worn in space. SignificanceThe SK-1 suit worn by Yuri Gagarin in 1961 was the first space suit actually worn during human spaceflight, marking the point at which decades of experimental full-pressure suit design became practical spaceflight equipment. 1 Connections
Associated With
Aerogel, Materials Silica aerogel is used as thermal insulation in NASA spacesuit gloves and spacecraft insulation.
In Field
Source Space suit - Wikipedia
Sources
1. Space suit - Wikipedia
Lede/History section
The first space suit worn by a human in space was the Soviet SK-1 suit worn by Yuri Gagarin in 1961.
Lede/History section, on 1930s prototypes
The first full-pressure suits for use at extreme altitudes were designed by individual inventors as early as the 1930s.
- In Group: Aircraft and Spacecraft Life Support and Pressurization Systems, lead: environmental suit used for protection from the harsh vacuum and temperature extremes of outer space
In Field: Aerospace Engineering, Categories
Spacecraft components
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