Part Two: Wardrobe for the space shuttle era

During ascent and entry, each crewmember wears special equipment consisting of a partialpressure suit, a parachute harness assembly, and a parachute pack. The suit, consisting of helmet, communication assembly, torso, gloves and boots, provides counterpressure and anti-exposure functions in an emergency situation in which the crew must parachute from the orbiter, The suit has inflatable bladders that fill it with oxygen from the orbiter. These bladders inflate automatically at reduced cabin pressure. They also can be manually inflated during entry to prevent the crewmember from blacking out. Without the suit pressing on the abdomen and the legs, the blood would pool in the lower part of the body and cause a person to black out as the spacecraft returns from microgravity to Earth's gravity. The partial-pressure suit and equipment will support a crewmember for a 24-hour period in a liferaft in case of an egress over water.

Crewmembers of mission STS 61 -A perform experiments in the spacelab module in the space shuttle orbiter cargo bay. Astronauts work in a controlled environment of moderate temperatures and unpolluted air at sea-level atmosphere.

Working Inside the Space Shuttle
During orbit, astronauts work inside the space shuttle in shirtsleeve comfort. Prior to a mission, crewmembers are outfitted from a selection of clothing including flight suits, trousers, lined zipper jackets, knit shirts, sleep shorts, soft slippers, and underwear.

STS-26 crewmembers leave the Operations and Checkout Building at Kennedy Space Center, Florida, heading for the launch pad and lift-off. They are wearing partial pressure suits developed for the launch and entry phases of space flight.

The materials of every component of the clothing are flame retardant. Covering the exterior of the garments are closable pockets for storing such items as pens, pencils, data books, sunglasses, a multipurpose Swiss army pocketknife, and scissors.

Working Outside the Space Shuttle
To work in the open cargo bay of the space shuttle or in space, astronauts wear the shuttle extravehicular mobility unit (EMU) spacesuit, which was developed to be More durable and more flexible than previous spacesuits were. The suit is modular in design, with many interchangeable parts. The upper torso, lower torso, arms, and gloves are manufactured in different sizes and can be assembled for each mission in combinations needed to fit men and women astronauts. This design is cost-effective because the suits are reusable and not custom fitted as were spacesuits used in previous NASA manned space flight programs.