How has the space suit changed over the years?

Answer 1

The space suits used by the Mercury astronauts were simple pressure suits used to keep the astronaut alive in case of cabin depressurization. After 6 Mercury flights came the Gemini flights. NASA needed suits with extra layers to protect astronauts against extreme thermal changes and the harsh solar radiation. For Apollo, the suits were designed to withstand not only temperature extremes and radiation, but also the rigors of the moon itself. They were also designed to be fire proof after 3 astronauts died in the Apollo 1 fire. The first 6 men to land on the moon (Apollo 11, 12 & 14) all used the same basic suit. It took a lot of effort for those men to bend at the waist. For the last 3 Apollo flights, the suit had to be more flexible than previous lunar space suits in order for the astronauts to sit on a Lunar Rover and drive around on the moon. They also added cables in the arms to help with flexibility in the elbows. Without those cables, the suit made the arms stick almost straight out in front of the astronaut. That wasn't a problem on short moonwalks, but it could have been a huge problem during the longer missions. The last 3 Apollo moon landing crews also had to have bigger backpacks to hold all the extra water needed to cool their spacesuits.

The Shuttle astronauts take off and land in basically the same suit that the Mercury astronauts used, only made with newer and lighter materials. When they go out on EVA, they use a special suit to protect the astronaut against the harsh outer space environment. The suits don't look anything like the suits used on the moon but the Apollo astronauts, but they're based on that technology, with improvements in flexibility, especially in the hands and fingers for the delicate work required to put the International Space Station together.

Answer 2

The space suits used by the Mercury astronauts were simple pressure suits used to keep the astronaut alive in case of cabin depressurization. After 6 Mercury flights came the Gemini flights. NASA needed suits with extra layers to protect astronauts against extreme thermal changes and the harsh solar radiation. For Apollo, the suits were designed to withstand not only temperature extremes and radiation, but also the rigors of the moon itself. They were also designed to be fire proof after 3 astronauts died in the Apollo 1 fire. The first 6 men to land on the moon (Apollo 11, 12 & 14) all used the same basic suit. It took a lot of effort for those men to bend at the waist. For the last 3 Apollo flights, the suit had to be more flexible than previous lunar space suits in order for the astronauts to sit on a Lunar Rover and drive around on the moon. They also added cables in the arms to help with flexibility in the elbows. Without those cables, the suit made the arms stick almost straight out in front of the astronaut. That wasn't a problem on short moonwalks, but it could have been a huge problem during the longer missions. The last 3 Apollo moon landing crews also had to have bigger backpacks to hold all the extra water needed to cool their spacesuits.

The Shuttle astronauts take off and land in basically the same suit that the Mercury astronauts used, only made with newer and lighter materials. When they go out on EVA, they use a special suit to protect the astronaut against the harsh outer space environment. The suits don't look anything like the suits used on the moon but the Apollo astronauts, but they're based on that technology, with improvements in flexibility, especially in the hands and fingers for the delicate work required to put the International Space Station together.