Launch-entry suit

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The launch-entry suit

The Launch-Entry Suit (LES) was a space suit that NASA used after the Challenger disaster from 1988 to 1996. The suit could protect the astronauts up to an altitude of about 30 km in an emergency and also offered protection in the water up to a temperature of 5 ° C. The weight was about 11 kg.

Background to the development of the suit

After special rescue suits ( Shuttle Ejection Escape Suits ) were worn on the first test flights of the space shuttle ( STS-1 to STS-4 ) and the shuttle was equipped with an ejector seat , NASA started with STS-5, the astronauts only with one Easy to wear suit that could not offer any special protection in an emergency. After the Challenger disaster, more emphasis was placed on the safety of the astronauts at higher altitudes; the compromise was a light suit that was suitable for the first take-off and late landing phase.

The suit was a modification of the US Air Force model S1031 and weighed 13.6 kg. He got the designation S1032. It was equipped with a buoyancy aid for ditching, a life support system and a parachute, which together weighed another 29 kg. Normally, the suit was connected to the shuttles' life support systems and could work autonomously for 10 minutes in an emergency. A total of 49 suits were made.

Use in the space shuttle program

The LES was used from the STS-26 mission and gradually replaced by the Advanced Crew Escape Suit from 1994 . There was no emergency while the LES was in use.

Individual evidence

  1. Shuttle LES in the Encyclopedia Astronautica (English)
  2. Kenneth S. Thomas & Harold J. McMann: US Spacesuits . 1st edition. Springer Praxis, Chichester, UK 2005, ISBN 0-387-27919-9 , pp. 372 .