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 * SWIF ...

) is a

space suit A space suit (or spacesuit) is an environmental suit used for protection from the harsh environment of outer space, mainly from its vacuum as a highly specialized pressure suit, but also its temperature extremes, as well as radiation and ...

that was originally developed for the crew of the Soviet/Russian '' Buran''-class orbiters. It resembled the Sokol space suit worn by

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

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 of a spacecraft. Although generally reserve ...

during a possible ejection from the spacecraft at altitudes of up to 30 km and speeds of up to

Mach The Mach number (M or Ma), often only Mach, (; ) is a dimensionless quantity in fluid dynamics representing the ratio of flow velocity past a Boundary (thermodynamic), boundary to the local speed of sound. It is named after the Austrian physi ...

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 parachut ...

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 movement towards a perceived refined, improved, or otherwise desired state. It is central to the philosophy of progressivism, which interprets progress as the set of advancements in technology, science, and social organization effic ...

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 force, air service branch of the United States Department of Defense. It is one of the six United States Armed Forces and one of the eight uniformed services of the United States. Tracing its ori ...

counterpart (itself based on the

X-15 The North American X-15 is a Hypersonic speed, hypersonic rocket-powered aircraft which was operated by the United States Air Force and the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) as part of the List of X-planes, X-plane series of ...

and

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

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-64, for the ascent and entry portions of flight. The suit is a direct descendant of the U.S. Air Force high-alti ...

), was produced in a modified variant (Baklan full pressure suit) for application on 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 (, lit. "Star"), is a Russian manufacturer of life-support systems for high-altitude flight and human spaceflight. Its products include space suits, ejector seats, ai ...

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