The sign accompanying the Skylab A7LB suit. Note that the sign incorrectly
identifies this suit as a training suit for Apollo 9.
Practice Suit worn by Lunar Module Pilot Russell Schweickart in
preparation for for the March 3, 1969 Flight of Apollo 9
The basic components of a space suit are an inner pressure garment made of
coated nylon covered with insulating layers of aluminum-coated plastic film and
glass-fiber cloth. A space suit becomes very rigid when inflated, and careful
design is needed to allow a space-suited astronaut some mobility.
The Apollo suits were made more flexible by introducing bellows-like joints.
They also had additional layers to withstand the more extreme conditions of
walking and working on the Moon. Next to the astronaut's skin was a liquid cooling garment that
prevented him from overheating. Around this was the pressure garment, a
restraint layer to prevent the suit from ballooning, layers of insulation, and
a micrometeorite-production layer, topped with an abrasion-proof outer
covering. Helmet and gloves were attached by air-tight rings.