LIGHT SUITS FOR WALKS IN SPACE

Press, Volume CIV, Issue 30802, 14 July 1965, Page 15

LIGHT SUITS FOR WALKS IN SPACE

(from Our Own Reporter)

HOUSTON, July 13.

The Federal Space Agency said yesterday it was “studying the possibility” of permitting some of its Gemini astronauts to make flights into orbit with a very light spacesuit—or possibly no suit at all.

"There will be nothing before Gemini VII,” a spokesman said.

Gemini VII is the planned 14-day orbital flight of the astronauts. Frank Borman and James Lovell, now set for ea/ly 1966. The spokesman said the idea of cutting down on the bulky business of wearing spacesuits was being studied at the request of the Federal Space Agency’s astronaut office at the manned spacecraft centre.

One possibility, was to use a light-weight one-layer garment. The other is to do without suits at all. The first men to fly into space without the traditional spacesuits were the three cosmonauts aboard Russia's Voskhod-I launched last October.

The pilot, Vladimir Komarov. the scientist, Konstantin Feoktistov, and doctor, Boris Yegorov—were clad in light woollen garments.

United States officials em-

phasised that this type of space clothing could not be worn on “walks in space.”