What do you have in your wardrobe to wear in space?

Let’s assume you just received a call and the person on the other end of the support line says “Get ready, we are going to space on the first flight tomorrow!” How exciting and pleasant it sounds, right?

One of the main things to do when preparing for a trip is probably to pack our bag or suitcase. We start by checking the weather forecast for our destination and selecting suitable clothes from our wardrobe accordingly. In this case, we are traveling to space, and the only thing we need to pay attention to is not just the weather forecast. Other nuances such as pressure, vacuum, radiation, and weightlessness that we don’t usually think about when traveling somewhere on Earth also need to be considered when planning a trip to space. And if your attire has already taken all of this into account, there’s no need to worry. But if not, and you are wondering why you need it, then you are in the right place.

Other nuances such as pressure, vacuum, radiation, and weightlessness that we don’t usually think about when traveling somewhere on Earth also need to be considered when planning a trip to space.

Let me mention that the special suit designed for the space or activities outside a spacecraft is a unique garment that is specifically designed to protect the astronaut from the harsh conditions of space during a spaceflight or when operating in outer space, enabling them to move.

With the planning of human flights to space, the question of what we should wear during space flights and in space began to emerge. This had to be a suit that could protect the astronaut in the harsh conditions of space during the flight and in instances where they have to exit the spacecraft.

Yuri Gagarin and Aleksey Leonov were the astronauts who wore the first suits designed for this purpose by the Soviet Union.

The famous orange space suit worn by Yuri Gagarin was called SK-1 and the main purpose of the suit was to protect Gagarin from any adverse effects that might occur inside the spacecraft during the flight.

Yuri Gagarin in the SK-1 space suit

Later, based on the SK-1 suit, the suit called Berkut designed for spacewalks was created for Aleksey Leonov. The main feature that distinguished Berkut from SK-1 was its integrated backpack (oxygen tank) attached to the suit, which provided oxygen outside the spacecraft, as well as a more robust protection layer.

Aleksey Leonov in the Berkut space suit

While the Soviet Union was trying to achieve firsts in the field of space and advance in the Space Race, the USA (United States) was working on a space suit of the same name that would be used in the Mercury Project designed to send the first American into space after many years of testing. With Mercury or “Navy Mark IV” space suits, John Glenn became the first American to go to space on February 20, 1962.

John Glenn in the Mercury or “Navy Mark IV” space suit

However, undoubtedly, one of the USA's greatest achievements in this area was the space suit developed during the Apollo Program , which was named after the program. Apollo was a special suit designed to protect astronauts not only in outer space but also from the effects on the surface of the Moon. As we see in the following image, the first person to step on the Moon Neil Armstrong was also caught on camera by Buzz Aldrin in this suit.

Neil Armstrong in the Apollo space suit

One of the main things we need to know about space suits is that the clothing worn during ascent and descent differs from that worn outside the spacecraft, in outer space. While the primary purpose of suits worn during ascent and descent is to protect the astronaut from potential pressure differences, the suits designed to be worn outside the spacecraft aim not only to protect them from pressure differences but also from high temperature differences, vacuum, radiation, weightlessness, and to continuously remove carbon dioxide from the suit while providing oxygen. It should also be noted that to fulfill all these requirements, suits for outer space consist of about 18,000 components and 14 different layers.

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Now that you know what to look for first in your wardrobe if you are going to space, what about the timing of your journey? With hopes of meeting in space in the near future, for now!

Yuri Gagarin - the first human to fly to space, April 12, 1961

Aleksey Leonov - the first human to conduct a spacewalk, March 18, 1965

Mercury Project (Project Mercury) - the project through which the USA prepared to send its first astronaut to space between 1958 and 1963

Apollo Program (The Apollo Program) - the program the USA developed to conduct manned flights to the Moon between 1961 and 1972

Neil Armstrong (Neil Armstrong) - the astronaut who first set foot on the Moon on July 20, 1969, during the Apollo 11 mission conducted within the Apollo Program

Buzz Aldrin (Buzz Aldrin) - the second astronaut to step on the Moon on July 20, 1969, alongside Neil Armstrong during the Apollo 11 mission conducted within the Apollo Program