THE EVOLUTION Ejection Escape Suit

In attaining our ideals,our means should be as pure as the end! 02 Dr Rajendra Prasad BEYOND THE CLASSROOM

Ejection Escape Suit Gordon Cooper in When the first shuttle flight, Project Mercury STS-1, lifted off on April 12, Suit - 1959 1981, astronauts John Young and Robert Crippen wore the The Mercury space suit (or THE EVOLUTION ejection escape suit. Navy Mark IV) was a full- body, high-altitude pressure Both the ejection suits and suit originally developed by ejection seats were attached the BF Goodrich Company to the specially designed suits with life support system. and the US Navy for pilots of high-altitude fighter aircraft. It’s best known for its role as the spacesuit worn for all OF THE manned Project Mercury Apollo 14 command- spaceflights. HERE: Gordon er Alan Shepard Cooper in 1959 Mercury Apollo 14 commander Alan flight suit. Shepard during suit checks Yuri Gagarin’s SK-1 Suit before his trip to the lunar surface in 1971. On April 12, 1961, Soviet cosmonaut Yuri Gagarin ushered SPACESUIT in the era of manned spaceflight aboard Vostok 1. During the flight, he wore an SK-1 Floating Free Spacesuit pressure suit with an auxil- iary life support system. In February 1984, shuttle astro- The spacesuit naut Bruce McCandless became Glenn in Mercury Suit the first astronaut to float may be the in space untethered, Astronaut John Glenn was the first ultimate fashion thanks to a device American to orbit Earth in 1962 in statement. A suit called Manned his Mercury suit. The spacesuit that is both a Manuevering Unit, was developed by the BF Goodrich or MMU which was Company. This Navy MK-IV full personal a part of his pressure suit came with 100% life spaceship and a spacesuit. support systems. life support pod, it allows Project Gemini astronauts to work in harsh Spacesuit conditions. These Moonwalker Neil Armstrong wears images show how his Gemini G-2C training suit. the spacesuit has Russia’s Orlan Unlike the “soft” Mercury suit, the evolved through whole Gemini suit was made to be Spacesuit flexible when pressurised. This is the years Russia’s Orlan spacesuits are supposed to be the “best suit that bulkier than NASA’s EMU versions, has been made”. Buzz Aldrin with cosmonauts donning them wearing the by climbing through an opening in Project Gemini the back. They are used aboard Moonwalk Mission Spacesuits the International Space Station Apollo 11 astronaut for Russian spacewalks. The suit is worn for launch, in- Buzz Aldrin on the flight activities and landing. It surface of the moon was designed on the basis of the – July 20, 1969. MK III Advanced X-15 high-altitude pressure suit. Spacesuit Dr Dean Eppler wears the MK III Which American President felt We know Neil Armstrong and advanced demonstration space- First American Spacewalk the pressure to beat the then Buzz Aldrin. But who was the 1 5 suit during a 2002 field test of Pumpkin Suit Soviet Union in the space race and third crew member who was The Gemini spacesuit was Ed White’s per- futuristic technology in Arizona. sonal spacecraft when he left the Gemini IV The familiar orange announced the dramatic goal of aboard the Apollo 11 spacecraft? capsule for the first American spacewalk on launch-and-entry suit putting an American on the Moon? A. Thomas Stafford, B. Eugene worn by shuttle June 3, 1965. A. Dwight D Eisenhower, B. John F Cernan, C. Michael Collins China in Space crews is nicknamed Kennedy, C. Lyndon B Johnson “pumpkin suit” for Which of the following is China’s Feitian spacesuit was mod- its colour. Gus Grissom, Ed White and 6true about Apollo 10, the elled after the Orlan-M spacesuit 2Roger Chaffee – who are they? predecessor of the Moon craft? developed by Russia. The two A. They could have been the first A. Its lunar module’s docking was kinds of suits are similar in shape and volume and are designed for What is a spacesuit? Americans to get to space, B. They the first colour television trans- were the first Americans to get to mission from space spacewalks of up to seven hours, A spacesuit is much more than a set space, C. They were the crew of B. It took the first crewed flight providing oxygen and allowing for of clothes astronauts wear on space- NASA’s Mercury Missions, the pre- around the Moon the excretion of bodily waste. walks. A fully equipped spacesuit is cursor to the Apollo Missions C. It was the first to carry a lunar really a one-person spacecraft. The module into orbit formal name for the spacesuit used on Which of the following Apollo Chinese spacesuits for launch the space shuttle and International 3Missions was the first When did the US end its lunar China has also developed two Russia’s Sokol Space Station is the Extravehicular American one to get to space? 7flights? spacesuit types, one for Mobility Unit, or EMU. A. Apollo 1, B. Apollo 7, C. Apollo 3 A. 1972, B. 1975, C. 1980 launches and landings aboard Spacesuits “Extravehicular” means outside the the country’s Shenzhou space During launch and landing, vehicle or spacecraft. “Mobility” What does the term By when does the US want to capsules, and another suit, Russian cosmonauts wear means that the astronaut can move 4“Earthrise” refer to? 8go back to the Moon, “this the Feitian, for spacewalks. Sokol spacesuits. The suits around in the suit. The spacesuit pro- time to stay”? date back to early times in A. Photo of Earth taken by Neil HERE: The crew of China’s Russia’s space programme. tects the astronaut from the dangers Armstrong from the Moon A. 2024, B. 2020, C. 2029 fourth human spaceflight Shenzhou 9, which includes The full-pressure space suit, equipped with an auxil- of being outside in space. B. Photo of Earth taken by a crew China’s first woman astronaut liu Yang (left), veteran Jing iary life support system and survival features, pro- member of Apollo 8 spacecraft What is common between the Haipeng, and first-time flyer Liu Wang. vided for cosmonaut safety under all expected envi- What are the parts Chandrayaan 2 mission and ronmental conditions of flight. orbiting the Moon 9 of a spacesuit? C. Photo of Earth taken by the the NASA’s mission to go back to The Hard Upper Torso covers the International Space Station the Moon? The complete Suit Project Apollo astronaut’s chest. The arm assembly A. The Lunar North Pole Astronaut John Young wore the covers the arms and connects to the B. The Lunar South Pole Spacesuit complete ejection escape suit mod- gloves. The helmet and Engineer Bill Peterson fits test eled here. The suits weren’t Extravehicular Visor Assembly are Which was the last Apollo pilot Bob Smyth in an Apollo designed for EVAs in space, but just designed to protect the astronaut’s mission? space suit with a Lunar 10 in case Nasa had to abort a mission head. The lower torso assembly cov- A. Apollo 17, B. Apollo 12, Excursion Module restraint har- on the way to space, and astro-

ers the astronaut’s legs and feet. The C. Apollo 13

ness during suit testing in 1968. nauts needed to survive an ejection flexible parts of the suit are made A 10. B, 9. A, 8. A, 7. A, 6. C, 5.

This suit was designed special- from a supersonic craft. ly for lunar landings. from several layers of material. B, 4. B, 3. A, 2. B, 1. ANSWERS: SHOULD IT BE THE LION QUEEN? Zoologists and lion researchers certainly don’t try to return home once are three to six adult females. Most daugh- MISSES they’ve left the lion pride. Disney took a ters are recruited to stay with their moth- say that ‘The Lion King’ gets lot of creative licence when it comes to lion er’s pride until they die, so there are of- Real lions don’t rule over other crea- real-life lion family dynamics behaviour and family dynamics, zoologists ten several generations of related females, tures. And they certainly don’t try to re- and lion researchers say. making the lion society quite matriar- turn home once they’ve left the lion pride. wrong. For instance, it’s always If the movie were true to big-cat life, chal. Two or three adult males also live Although male lions appear much big- a matriarch which actually leads the rivalry between Simba’s father Mu- with the females. They are usually broth- ger and more aggressive, females are fasa and his uncle Scar would not have ers or pride mates who have formed a more dominant. They do the important a lion pride... existed, and the lion cub would not have coalition to help protect the females. But decision-making. They are in charge of been forced to flee so young. they spend only a few years with the pride the majority of hunting and cub-raising. In fact, Mufasa would not have ruled — long enough to produce more offspring atching Simba and his the pride at all.“It’s always a matriarch — before they go out and seek a new one. pals try to regain their who actually leads a lion pride,” said So if Disney had followed typical big cat HITS rightful place in the king- Craig Saffoe, curator of great cats at behaviour, Scar and Mufasa would have One aspect of lion family life that Dis- dom may have you think- Smithsonian’s National Zoo in Washing- happily co-existed in their pride. ney did get right, however, is the affec- ing that Disney’s “The ton, the US Simba’s mother Sarabi would “It’s possible that Mufasa would tion Mufasa shows to his son. When adult WLion King” is a pretty accurate depiction have been the more likely leader of the have been the more dominant one in the males return from patrolling the pride of what happens in the African savanna. group. And the movie would have been coalition, but one of the females would territory, they seem to enjoy getting to But it’s no nature documentary. Real lions more accurate if it were called “The Lion have been dominant over both of them,” know their cubs, with lots of licking, head don’t rule over other creatures. And they Queen”. In a typical African pride, there said Saffoe. rubbing and purring involved.