Parts of an Astronaut Suit

• An astronaut suit is designed for some measure of comfort, but is largely a practical piece of equipment. Dieter Spears/Photodisc/Getty Images

  Many children have that dream to one day venture into space as an astronaut. Being an Astronaut, however, is much more complex than it is commonly thought to be. The astronaut suit itself is a high tech piece of equipment with many different moving parts to consider.

The Maximum Absorption Garment

• There are many questions to consider regarding astronauts, but how they go to the bathroom is perhaps the most perplexing. The Maximum Absorption Garment solves this problem. This part of the astronaut suit is something of a large diaper that absorbs all of the astronaut's waste, to be disposed of either during a space walk or through a specified "toilet" that is located on the spaceship.

The Liquid Cooling and Ventilation Garment

• Space gets cold. The Liquid Cooling and Ventilation Garment helps prevent the astronaut's body from freezing by regulating the natural body temperature to a temperature that is both comfortable and safe. It is strapped on below the space suit as a sort of long underwear, and is laced with tubes of water which can be heated or cooled at the press of a button. Before the voyage, they are calibrated to keep the body at a certain temperature.

Lower Torso Assembly

• The two largest parts of an astronaut suit are the top and bottom halves. Because the astronauts have to worry about oxygen, the suit is designed to have few crevices that lead to the outside so that only a minimal amount of oxygen is able to leak through. The lower torso assembly is attached to a sort of harness that connects to the spacecraft so the astronaut is at no point in danger of being sucked into the vacuum of space.

Hard Upper Torso

• The hard upper torso assembly, like the lower one, is the second large part of an astronaut suit. It is fashioned like a vest and is specifically designed to keep oxygen in, as well as connect and support all of the other parts of the suit.

Arms and Gloves

• The arms and gloves are actually two separate parts to the astronaut suit, but essentially complete the same function. The gloves are fitted with special grips and are form-fitted to each individual astronaut to best resemble their natural fingertips. Essentially, the arms and gloves are made to keep oxygen and heat in while still being relatively comfortable.

Helmet

• This is the most iconic part of the entire astronaut suit. The helmet is made of a thin, but strong space-age, impact-resistant, polycarbonate plastic visor which is perfectly fitted to a thicker and harder replication of the same plastic. The space helmet keeps an emergency supply of oxygen, as well as an anti-fogging compound on the interior of the visor which prevents any hindrances to vision.

Primary Life Support Subsystem

• The Primary Life Support Subsystem is the large backpack that is often seen on astronauts or pictures of astronauts. It contains all of the fail-safes to the astronaut suit including warning signals, cooling systems, oxygen tanks, carbon dioxide filters and ventilation fans.

In-suit Drink Bag

• The In-suit Drink Bag is the primary feeding system for the astronaut. A resilient plastic pouch holds about 32 ounces of water that can be accessed at any time through a straw that is fed through the helmet and linked to the mouth of the astronaut.

Display and Control Module

• The Display and Control Module is mounted on the chest of the astronaut and contains all of the buttons and switches to regulate most of the workings of the suit. It is something of a primary control panel that makes the space suit function.