What do astronauts wear during a spacewalk?
When leaving the pressurized, air-filled environment of a spacecraft, astronauts must don protective suits to keep their bodies safe from the harshness of space. NASA astronauts wear what’s called an EMU (extravehicular mobility unit), which includes a protective white suit and a strap-on pack that provides oxygen and other life support necessities. While wearing an EMU, astronauts breathe 100 percent pure oxygen, and are pressurized to about 1/3 atmospheric pressure. The EMU suits also contain a drink bag so spacewalkers can sip water during spacewalks, which usually last between five and eight hours.
