The clothing we wear may at some level be devised for pragmatic and functional purposes although we have come a long way from outfitting ourselves purely based on necessity. Even clothing designed for specialized activities, such as skiing or mountain climbing, for example, are produced in variations of color, style, and cut because such allowances can be made while still providing effective protection.. One particular design of clothing, if it can be called that, that has very distinct specifications that are not readily altered is the space suit as worn by astronauts on voyages into outerspace.

The space suit is a familiar image to us but remains somewhat unique in how we categorize it. It is worn by the astronaut but in many ways is something more than an outfit and closer to a contraption or container for the human being to be inside of while exploring space. It is by necessity a self-enclosed system that allows the astronaut to move in an environment that otherwise would be fatal. In outer space humans are unable to survive due to lack of oxygen, extreme temperatures, and lack of air pressure.

The space suit today, the Apollo space suit as devised for the Apollo missions, is a pressure suit composed of several layers of nylon, mylar, and teflon that simultaneously insulate the wearer, moderating the body’s temperature, and provide a sufficiently pressurized atmosphere while protecting the body from cosmic radiation and other potentially harmful particles. It is a suit that is both an environment in and of itself and a means to traverse another, external, environment. Apart from its protective features, the space suit also must allow a certain amount of agility for the astronaut to be able to move and act in space. It is also a communication device, as the astronaut must be able to communicate with the space station from within the space suit’s closed environment. The space suit is a remarkable achievement in technology and though it is hardly a form of attire that we would classify as a ‘fashion’, we can assume that it will inform the way fashion may develop on earth as we become more technologically oriented and the possibility of traveling to and living in outer space becomes more plausible for the average human being.

image: astronauts in the Mercury space suits
image: astronaut in the Apollo 16 space suit, NASA image

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