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Whenever I saw a clip about making spacesuits they always emphasized that space suits, since day one, were sewn by-hand at some particular company in Delaware.

How can handsewn anything maintain 5 psi?

(5 psi from https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Space_suit#Operating_pressure)

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  • $\begingroup$ Some description of the equipment that was used. gizmodo.com/5788241/how-to-sew-a-spacesuit $\endgroup$
    – BowlOfRed
    Commented Jun 15, 2018 at 17:59
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    $\begingroup$ Fire hoses made from fabric and rubber operate with pressures between 8 and 20 bar (116 and 290 psi). Where is the problem holding 5 psi? Spacesuits are made from many layers, an inner layer made from rubber is airtight and the outer layers made from fabric resist the mechanical forces. $\endgroup$
    – Uwe
    Commented Jun 16, 2018 at 16:36
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    $\begingroup$ I was always under the impression that The outer fabric and inner layers were sealed by hand sewing but it’s only just the outer skin which does not have to hold any air pressure. $\endgroup$
    – Randy Zeitman
    Commented Jun 16, 2018 at 18:23
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    $\begingroup$ So you may answer your own question now. $\endgroup$
    – Uwe
    Commented Jun 16, 2018 at 18:53
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    $\begingroup$ @RandyZeitman it's good practice; if you are interested, take a few minutes to post an answer to your own question. Other people may post answers as well. $\endgroup$
    – uhoh
    Commented Jun 16, 2018 at 22:08

1 Answer 1

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The space suits consisted of many layers. There was a liquid cooled undergarment, above that an airtight rubber coated nylon layer holding the pressure.

There are many outer layer made from fabric and foils for micro meteroite protection and to resist the mechanical forces.

The outer layer are not sewn by hand, of course a sewing machine was used whenever possible. No need for airtight stiches through the rubber layer.

See this NASA paper on page 2-34 for a layer description.

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  • $\begingroup$ why are you speaking in past tence? spacesuits still exist! $\endgroup$
    – user47287
    Commented Aug 10, 2022 at 16:06
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    $\begingroup$ @DekoRevinio The NASA information about suits I used is over 50 years old. Of course space suits still exist but some details may have changed. $\endgroup$
    – Uwe
    Commented Aug 10, 2022 at 17:08
  • $\begingroup$ ok, that makes sense. sorry if I caused any inconvinience. also sorry if I misspell anything, because my thing is areospace, not spelling. $\endgroup$
    – user47287
    Commented Aug 11, 2022 at 16:12

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