Strizh (Стриж meaning

swift Swift or SWIFT most commonly refers to: * SWIFT, an international organization facilitating transactions between banks ** SWIFT code * Swift (programming language) * Swift (bird), a family of birds It may also refer to: Organizations * SWIFT, ...

) is a

space suit A space suit or spacesuit is a garment worn to keep a human alive in the harsh environment of outer space, vacuum and temperature extremes. Space suits are often worn inside spacecraft as a safety precaution in case of loss of cabin pressure, ...

that was originally developed for the crew of the Soviet/Russian '' Buran''-class orbiters. It resembled the

Sokol space suit The Sokol space suit, also known as the Sokol IVA suit or simply the Sokol (russian: Cокол, , Falcon), is a type of Soviet/Russian space suit, worn by all who fly on the Soyuz spacecraft. It was introduced in 1973 and is still used . The Sokol ...

worn by

Soyuz Soyuz is a transliteration of the Cyrillic text Союз ( Russian and Ukrainian, 'Union'). It can refer to any union, such as a trade union (''profsoyuz'') or the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics (Сою́з Сове́тских Социалис ...

crew members. It was designed to protect

cosmonauts An astronaut (from the Ancient Greek (), meaning 'star', and (), meaning 'sailor') is a person trained, equipped, and deployed by a human spaceflight program to serve as a commander or crew member aboard a spacecraft. Although generally r ...

during a possible ejection from the spacecraft at altitudes of up to 30 km and speeds of up to Mach 3; the ''Buran''-class orbiters were designed to incorporate ejection seats similar to those found on the and '' Columbia'' (the latter later having the seats removed after the

STS-4 STS-4 was the fourth NASA Space Shuttle mission, and also the fourth for Space Shuttle ''Columbia''. Crewed by Ken Mattingly and Henry Hartsfield, the mission launched on June 27, 1982, and landed a week later on July 4, 1982. Due to parachute ...

mission). The Strizh suits were constructed from olive drab colored nylon canvas with silver trim and lined with rubberized fabric and fitted with connectors for electrical, air and coolant umbilicals. They had an attached pressurized hood with a hinged visor fastened to an anodized aluminum flange. The sleeves had adjustable articulating cables fitted in the upper arms, while a support sling wrapped from chest to back by means of webbing belts and a metal harness. The gloves were detachable and fitted with rubber fingers and leather palms. The suit also had pleated knee sections. Utility pockets on the suit's thighs were intended to hold survival gear, such as a folding knife, a pistol and other items. A pressure gauge was fitted on the left sleeve and a pressure equalisation valve on the chest. The Strizh spacesuit and the ''Buran'' ejection seat were tested during the ascent of a Soyuz booster in a series of five

Progress Progress is the movement towards a refined, improved, or otherwise desired state. In the context of progressivism, it refers to the proposition that advancements in technology, science, and social organization have resulted, and by extension wi ...

launches (Progress 38 through 42) during 1988-1990. The Strizh pressure suit, like its

United States Air Force The United States Air Force (USAF) is the air service branch of the United States Armed Forces, and is one of the eight uniformed services of the United States. Originally created on 1 August 1907, as a part of the United States Army Signal ...

counterpart (itself based on the

X-15 The North American X-15 is a hypersonic rocket-powered aircraft. It was operated by the United States Air Force and the National Aeronautics and Space Administration as part of the X-plane series of experimental aircraft. The X-15 set speed ...

and

Gemini space suit The Gemini space suit is a space suit worn by American astronauts for launch, in-flight activities (including EVAs) and landing. It was designed by NASA based on the X-15 high-altitude pressure suit. All Gemini spacesuits were developed and man ...

and now used as part of NASA's

Advanced Crew Escape Suit The Advanced Crew Escape Suit (ACES), or "pumpkin suit", is a full pressure suit that Space Shuttle crews began wearing after STS-65, for the ascent and entry portions of flight. The suit is a direct descendant of the U.S. Air Force high-altitu ...

), is still in use for all Russian high-altitude aircraft that lack pressurized cabins.

Specifications

Allowed ejections up to an altitude of and speeds up to Mach 3. Name: Strizh Rescue Spacesuit Derived from: Baklan full pressure suit Manufacturer:

NPP Zvezda JSC Research & Development Production Enterprise Zvezda, or R&D PE Zvezda (russian: Научно-производственное предприятие "Звезда", НПП Звезда, Nauchno-Proizvodstvennoye Predpriyatiye "Zvezda", NPP ...

Missions: Used on mannequins on the unmanned space shuttle Buran flight 1k1 Function: Intra-vehicular activity (IVA) and Ejection Operating Pressure: Suit Weight:

References

External links

Photo of Strizh space suit
{{Buran program Soviet and Russian spacesuits Buran program Environmental suits