Samantha Cristoforetti demonstrating Valsalva device

The Valsalva device is a device used in

spacesuit A space suit (or spacesuit) is an environmental suit used for protection from the harsh Space environment, environment of outer space, mainly from its Vacuum (outer space), vacuum as a highly specialized pressure suit, but also its temperatu ...

s, some

full face diving mask A full-face diving mask is a type of diving mask that seals the whole of the diver's face from the water and contains a mouthpiece, demand valve or constant flow gas supply that provides the diver with breathing gas. The full face mask ...

s, and

diving helmet A diving helmet is a rigid head enclosure with a breathing gas supply used in underwater diving. They are worn mainly by professional divers engaged in surface-supplied diving, though some models can be used with scuba equipment. The upper par ...

s to allow

astronaut An astronaut (from the Ancient Greek (), meaning 'star', and (), meaning 'sailor') is a person trained, equipped, and deployed by a List of human spaceflight programs, human spaceflight program to serve as a commander or crew member of a spa ...

s and commercial divers to equalize the pressure in their ears by performing the

Valsalva maneuver The Valsalva maneuver is performed by a forceful attempt of exhalation against a closed airway, usually done by closing one's mouth and pinching one's nose shut while expelling air, as if blowing up a balloon. Variations of the maneuver can be ...

inside the suit without using their hands to block their nose. Astronaut Drew Feustel has described it as "a spongy device called a Valsalva that is typically used to block the nose in case a pressure readjustment is needed." In November 2011 ESA astronaut

Samantha Cristoforetti Samantha Cristoforetti (; born 26 April 1977) is an Italian European Astronaut Corps, European Space Agency (ESA) astronaut, former Italian Air Force pilot and engineer. She is the second of two Women in space, women sent into space by ESA and ...

posted on Twitter a picture of her demonstrating the use of the Valsalva device in the Sokol space suit during suit pressurization. The Valsalva device has also been used for other purposes. On 25 May 2011,

NASA The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA ) is an independent agencies of the United States government, independent agency of the federal government of the United States, US federal government responsible for the United States ...

reported that during the second spacewalk of

Space Shuttle The Space Shuttle is a retired, partially reusable launch system, reusable low Earth orbital spacecraft system operated from 1981 to 2011 by the U.S. National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) as part of the Space Shuttle program. ...

mission

STS-134 STS-134 (ISS assembly sequence, ISS assembly flight ULF6) was the penultimate mission of NASA's Space Shuttle program and the 25th and last spaceflight of . This flight delivered the Alpha Magnetic Spectrometer and an ExPRESS Logistics Carrier ...

, Feustel was able to clear tears from his eye by wiggling down far enough in his

Extravehicular Mobility Unit The Extravehicular Mobility Unit (EMU) is an independent spacesuit that provides environmental protection, mobility, life support, and communications for astronauts performing extravehicular activity (EVA) in Geocentric orbit, Earth orbit. Introd ...

to use the Valsalva device in his suit as a sponge to clear up

tears Tears are a clear liquid secreted by the lacrimal glands (tear gland) found in the eyes of all land mammals. Tears are made up of water, electrolytes, proteins, lipids, and mucins that form layers on the surface of eyes. The different types of ...

caused because anti-fogging agent (liquid soap) came free from the inside of the helmet and floated into his eye. On 3 April 2001, due to a missing Valsalva device in his suit, astronaut Leland D. Melvin suffered an ear injury while training in the Neutral Buoyancy Laboratory at

Johnson Space Center The Lyndon B. Johnson Space Center (JSC) is NASA's center for human spaceflight in Houston, Texas (originally named the Manned Spacecraft Center), where human spaceflight training, research, and flight controller, flight control are conducted. ...

. On 16 July 2013, EVA-23 was cut short as the helmet of

Luca Parmitano Luca Parmitano (born 27 September 1976 in Paternò, Sicily) is an Italian astronaut in the European Astronaut Corps for the European Space Agency (ESA). He was selected as an ESA astronaut in May 2009. Parmitano is also a colonel and test pilot ...

suit started filling with water. After the spacewalk, during rapid repressurization of the airlock, the Valsalva device on Parmitano's helmet failed and came apart while he tried to use it as it was not water proof.

References

External links

Samantha Cristoforetti demonstrating the Valsalva device
{{space-stub Space technology Space medicine Underwater breathing apparatus components Space suit components