Why wear space suits

With a space suit, though, astronauts can move around in space for several hours. Space suits seal astronauts safely inside. A backpack sends oxygen in to let astronauts breathe normally. At the same time, carbon dioxide that astronauts breathe out gets sucked away.

The suit also protects them from harmful radiation and fast-moving space dust. Under the space suit is another suit that looks like a pair of tight pajamas with little tubes running through them. From freezing temperarures, to extreme radiation, take a peep into the science of space travel! Space is COLD! The coldest place on Earth is Antarctica at about degrees Fahrenheit.

Cold, right? Space is about four times as cold with temperatures at degrees Fahrenheit. Spacesuits keep the astronauts warm while on spacewalks or doing repairs on the spaceship. Taking this off would cause the astronauts to freeze and shrink! Get a round up of our latest activities and ideas delivered straight to your inbox so you don't miss a thing!

We cannot see this force with our eyes, but we constantly experience the results of this effect, especially when driving on steep hills or getting off an airplane. This pressure created by the air and the internal pressure created by the beat of our heart is constantly in balance. As we just explained, there is no air in space. This means that there is no air pressure in space. Therefore, spacesuits are inflated with a certain amount of air, just like a balloon, to apply the necessary external pressure to the astronaut.

Thus, the body fluids of astronauts can remain in liquid form during a spacewalk. There is a special layer of atmosphere in the world that protects us from the harmful rays of the sun. However, since there is no atmosphere layer in space, the sun's harmful rays , also called radiation, can cause great harm to astronauts. Space suits have layers to protect astronauts from radiation and reflect incoming rays. Also included in the spacesuit is a gold-plated visor section to protect the astronauts' eyes.

Meteor dusts are small particles orbiting the earth. You might think; "How could a tiny dust particle hurt an astronaut?

Meteor dusts move in orbit of the Earth at a speed of approximately 24, km per hour. Therefore, when any small particle hits an astronaut, it can cause great damage. For this reason, there is a special protection shield in the upper part of the spacesuit and in the area called the Hard Upper Torso , which is similar to the structure of bulletproof vests. Thanks to this shield, the astronaut is protected from the vital damage that a meteor dust can cause.

Astronauts may have to take long space walks from time to time. The record belongs to two astronauts, Jim Voss and Susan Helms, who took a spacewalk for 8 hours and 56 minutes.

Of course, astronauts can get hungry or thirsty during this long spacewalk. If necessary, you may think that they can go to the space station and have their food. But every minute in space is planned and very important. Taking off a spacesuit, that actually takes 15 minutes to put on with someone's help, can cost the astronaut half an hour, so the astronauts do not prefer to return to the space station and take a lunch break.

NASA has found a solution to this issue as well. Under normal circumstances, menus containing more than types of food are prepared for the International Space Station astronauts. These menus that include snacks can be consumed by astronauts at the station. There is also a high-calorie chocolate bar, fixed in a space suit helmet close to the mouth, so that astronauts can gain energy on challenging spacewalks.

Especially on long spacewalks, astronauts enjoy the meal breaks where they consume these chocolates. Since they cannot use their hands, astronauts consume the chocolate bar by biting on it several times. The next need of the astronaut consuming a high-calorie chocolate bar is of course water.

At this point, a water bag located in the spacesuit helmet and a straw attached to this bag comes to aid. The tip of the straw can be opened and closed using only the mouth. It can be said that this shield is cost-effective considering that a spacesuit is not crafted for every single astronaut and it can be used repeatedly for many years as long as there are no problems with it.

Initially, it may look like the most expensive item on the space suit is the Primary Life Support System. This unit, which is responsible for adjusting the oxygen and the temperature levels, contains several electronic devices. However, in terms of cost, the parts that NASA spends the most are the gloves of the astronauts. Spacesuit gloves are the main limiting factor when it comes to working in space. Astronauts usually handle from 70 to tools, tethers and associated equipment for a typical spacewalk.

Like an inflated balloon, the fingers of the gloves resist the effort to bend them. Astronauts must fight that pressure with every movement of their hand, which is exhausting and sometimes results in injury. Furthermore, the joints of the glove are subject to wear that can lead to life-threatening leaks. For this reason, the gloves are specially designed to aid astronauts' mobility.

In a nutshell, spacesuits are basically wearable spacecrafts and can not only keep astronauts alive, but also feed them, allow them to communicate, and even be used as a toilet. Would you like to be an astronaut?

If you were an astronaut, what kind of spacesuit would you like to wear? You can share your comments with your friends on the following social media channels. My enthusiastic interest in SCT and the scholarship programme resulted in the opportunity to award scholarships to ten deserving teenagers from Athens, Greece and my responsibility for them when we came to SCT in July of My close professional and personal affiliation with SCT has spanned seventeen years.

I remember all of the students who were members of that original team from Athens. They are now 28 years old and are leaders in their chosen professions. Some live and work in Greece, but the vast majority of these young adults have chosen to live and work abroad.

Student participants and their educator coordinators had come from the four corners of the globe; New York, California, Greece, Turkey, Bulgaria, and Israel among others. To this day, those who were members of the Greek delegation talk about that experience. Extensive and meticulous arrangements had been made to make it possible for the students to ask questions to the astronauts who were on a space mission orbiting over Turkey.

The excitement was electric among everyone at SCT as the connection was made and the students asked their carefully written questions and received answers from the astronauts in space.

Filming of the activities of that week resulted in a DVD that we were given and which I still treasure as a visual reminder of that truly amazing world class experience. He is the Senior Software Engineer at a company designing self-driving automobiles that will be the wave of the future in the automotive industry. Another young woman who was a member of our first SCT team found the experience to be life changing and went on to pursue her interest in Physics at an outstanding university in Scotland.

She received a PhD in Robotics with an affiliation with the needs of the international space exploration programmes. In conversing with other SCT chaperones from around the world , I have detected a certain amount of surprise and disbelief when I tell them that I have organized Greek SCT teams and personally brought them to SCT on at least fourteen different occasions.

As an international educator, it is important to learn from young people by communicating with them, observing them in real life learning experiences, and watching them interact with other teenagers from around the world while assuming leadership roles in team based activities.

It is through the SCT experience that we as educators envision the futures of our students who have been chosen to receive SCT scholarships. Most have gone on to realize my dreams for their futures. Several have received PhDs from reputable universities in Europe and the United States in the fields of Astrophysics and Robotics with a focus on space technology and exploration.

Others have won international grants for projects relating to Physics and high power telescopes. I am proud to say that all have gone on to be leaders in their chosen professions and careers. The numerous memories of my SCT experiences have given me considerable pride and joy as an international educator.

Most significantly, I am proud of all the Greek scholarship recipients, but in particular those who, on six different occasions, have been awarded either the Outstanding Camper medal or the Right Stuff medal at graduation ceremonies at the end of their Space Camp Turkey experiences.

Over the course of the past seventeen years, hundreds of deserving Greek teenagers from the Athens metropolitan area have had the opportunity to participate in the 6 day International Space Camp Turkey programme.

Each one of these students has acknowledged that this was a world class learning experience. Some of the teenagers decided to return and participate in the programme more than once.

In fact, one young man took part in four SCT summer experiences and served as a student leader for four consecutive years. He had his own mission.