Professor Anu Ojha from the National Space Academy guided us through the day of an astronaut, explaining how the pressure works and what are the pressure difference effects on the body. With him, our team experienced the Sokol space suit, a type of Russian spacesuit, worn by all who fly on the Soyuz spacecraft! We were trying to understand the effect of a mechanical pressure suit on a body of astronauts and think how we can integrate different sensors to measure physiological parameters alongside augmented reality glasses. The suit consists of an inner pressure layer of rubberised polycaprolactam and an outer layer of green nylon canvas. Boots are integrated with the suit but gloves are removable and attach by means of blue anodised aluminium wrist couplings. We must say the full suit is quite heavy to wear, especially when you think about it being on your body for more than 10 hours per day, but it’s a unique feeling when your body is squeezed by the air.
