Fascinating Facts About NASA Space Suits

If you’re a longtime Teetot fan, you’re probably already familiar with our fantastic astronaut costume. You’ll also be excited to see that we have a brand-new astronaut dress-up costume, just in time for the 50th anniversary of the first moon landing.

Orange Flight Suits Versus White Spacewalk Suits

Our old astronaut costume was modeled off of the infamous orange “launch & entry” suits, worn to provide basic protection and support during takeoff. For many of us, though, the quintessential astronaut uniform is not the orange flight suit, but rather the bulky white spacewalk suit that we saw Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin wear during their historic moonwalk. These suits act almost like miniature spaceships all by themselves, providing life support and protection as astronauts venture beyond their spacecraft.

We're so excited to roll out this iconic new astronaut spacewalk costume, featuring an authentic-looking helmet and even air hoses attached to a chestpiece.

Fascinating Facts About NASA Spacewalk Suits

In honor of Teetot’s brand new astronaut costume, here are some fascinating facts about real spacewalk suits to share with your little astronaut:

1. A spacewalk suit is incredibly heavy, weighing about 280 lbs. on Earth. That’s without an astronaut inside of it! Fortunately, out in space, the suits are technically weightless.
2. Spacesuits protect astronauts from extreme temperatures in space, which may reach anywhere from -250 degrees F in the shade to +250 degrees F in direct sun.
3. The longest spacewalk (also called EVA for Extravehicular Activity) on record was nearly 9 hours long, and occurred in 2001.
4. Donning a spacesuit is a huge undertaking. Even with numerous helpers guiding and strapping in the astronaut, it takes about 45 minutes to get dressed. Once the spacewalk suit is on, astronauts still have to wait about an hour before going outside of their ship, so that their body can adjust and they can breath extra-oxygenated air in preparation. Can you imagine if it was that difficult to get your little one in and out of their uniform?
5. In order to keep the astronaut’s extremities warm, little heating panels are included in the fingers of the spacesuit’s gloves. This ensures that the astronaut’s hands are still dextrous and that they’re able to handle important tools and instruments no matter the temperature.

You can learn more fun facts on NASA’s website. Is your child ready to don their very own spacewalk suit? Buy one today. Don’t forget to share a photo with us once it arrives! Just post it on Instagram and tag the photo with #DressMeUpTeetot.