How Do Spacesuits Keep Astronauts Safe From the Vacuum of Space?

There were many iterations of the spacesuit before astronauts started wearing what they do today, but how do they work?

Read More:
Space Educator’s Handbook: The Spacesuit
“Earth's atmosphere is 20 percent oxygen and 80 percent nitrogen from sea level to about 75 miles up, where space begins. At 18,000 feet, the atmosphere is half as dense as it is on the ground, and at altitudes above 40/000 feet, air is so thin and the amount of oxygen so small that pressure oxygen masks no longer do the job. Above the 63,000-foot threshold, humans must wear spacesuits that supply oxygen for breathing and that maintain a pressure around the body to keep body fluids in the liquid state. At this altitude the total air pressure is no longer sufficient to keep body fluids from boiling.”

Apollo Lunar Suit
“This space suit was worn on the Moon by an Apollo 15 astronaut in 1971. Moon dust is still visible on the legs and boots.The space suits had to meet all the astronauts' life-support needs. Backpacks (left on the Moon) provided oxygen, temperature and humidity control, suit pressure, and power for their communications and data display systems. This suit, made of 22 layers of several different materials plus a 3-layer undergarment, also protected them against extreme lunar temperatures and micrometeoroids.”
____________________

DNews is dedicated to satisfying your curiosity and to bringing you mind-bending stories & perspectives you won't find anywhere else! New videos twice daily.

[lesegomabe]

"there is a problem that without gravity feces don't necessarily separate from the buttocks"...oooh boy

[johnehogan]

Interesting dialog... Pressure is generally measured in Torrs. Earth pressure for example is around 760 torrs while lower pressure is well - Less (a lower number). Nasa tells us the vacuum of space is one level less than absolute lack of pressure. Such a vacuum is more than enough to CRUSH (implode) a 1/4" thick steel tankard (think fuel truck used to fill the tanks at your local gas station).

I would like to know just WHAT materials the space station and space suits are made of which can withstand such external forces which would easily CRUSH a heavy gauge STEEL tank?

[rejectstudios]

Why do we feel safe under our blankets

[JLDJR]

So let me get this straight🤔
At 1.3 Billion feet above the Earth these suits pressurized for a vacuum environment, oxygenated, dehumidified, exhausted, they were filled with electronic communication devices, had portable water system to hydrate, had cold water electric pumping system to circulate cold water to cool bodies for daytime temperatures on the moon of 225°F and electric heating coil systems to heat bodies for extreme cold temperatures of -280°F at night.
All this running on small 1969 DC batteries in a backpack for a 20 hour walk on the Moon and a 8 days mission in the LM.
Yet in 2019 my Dewalt 18V lithium battery screw gun won’t last a afternoon on a 98° day building a deck in my backyard.
And somehow the lunar module also stayed cool with daytime temperatures of 225° and hot with nighttime temperatures of -280°F with a small AC and heating systems running on 1969 batteries when my 5 ton 2019 home AC unit can’t maintain my house at 75° when’s it i’m 98° outside.
And let’s not forget all the technology was running on 32 kilobytes
😆😆😆🐑🐑🐑🐑🐑

[markholm]

Lack of oxygen becomes a serious problem well below 40, 000 feet. 25, 000 is easily enough to render a person functionally unconscious. The FAA requires supplemental oxygen use for pilots in unpressurized planes above 12, 500 feet because experience shows that pilots mental function becomes seriously degraded at that altitude. Experts recommend oxygen as low as 10, 000 feet for pilots, specially at night, because night vision is one of the first things to go.

[xmen]

thank you for finally answering the question how astronauts scratch their nose while on EVA

[TheNotSoGoodGamer]

Can anyone tell me how these suites or the Apollo suites protected the Astronaut from the solar radiation, charged particles, gamma rays, Ultra-high-energy cosmic ray, C.M.E, and the like while on the moon and on the trip to the moon? I am really wanting to know how that all worked.

[rickzumi]

Can you explain how it works, Cooling, water and power, explain all that pack that they have

[dansv]

The picture at the 2:00 mark answers the question about the boot prints on the moon not matching the space suite in the museum.

[davidsoom]

At 1:20 it's very interesting that you cut the shot right here because in the full original version from NASA it continues to show the astronaut turn his head to the left along with the full helmet 90 degrees. With these particular helmets that was impossible as the helmet was attached directly to a non movable ring and therefore could not swivel. Because of the strange appearance of this space walk and the total error of the helmet swiveling many think it was not authentic. Judge for yourself when you can find the complete video. Just search for the first American space walk and also investigate the helmets used for that flight.. ... if this video wasn't cut at that exact moment you could have seen the anomaly.

[MeskosPaslauga]

and how do space suits protect astronauts from radiation? Why don't they use the same thing for building sarcophagus around chernobyl and in other applications?

[frankbarry]

Spacesuits keep ASTRONOTS safe because they never leave the EARTH simple

[mtalhakhalid]

some say Apollo mission was fake and was made in an studio

[quaidoralious]

Gemini walk at 1:18 if u watch the entire clip of that walk from the original vid, the astronaut turns his head.. the helmet swivels on it's latches. Someone explain that one...

[kellykizer]

Space suits is 33 in Pythagorean numerology. And Space helmet is 44 in Pythagorean numerology.

[TheWorldgonecrazy]

How on earth can it protect them in a vacuum...

[ehh]

Thank you so much for not answering my question at all. Have a nice day!

[codifrancisco]

If you watched the episode of mythbuster when they tested a myth that an old fashion diving suit lost all pressure and the body person inside the suit was forced into the brass helmet if you saw that episode you have an idea of what would happen if a space suit lost pressure

[BenGreenwaldo]

Before this video I'd never mentally 'fleshed out' the challenges of taking a dump in orbit. Fascinating. I'd want a super sized wide-mouth two liter in case I had 'sloppies' one morning. Hell, maybe it would just be easier to shot in a diaper. I wonder if their diets are conducive to poops with cohesive properties. Huh.

[Marcelo-swot]

You can pee and poo in them?! That's it. I'm sold