Science: Comfort in a Vacuum

Familiar characters in science-fiction are the handsome men and pretty girls in light, becoming space suits who romp joyfully on the airless moon. The truth is that a space suit capable of keeping a man alive and working efficiently in a vacuum is a tough and so far unsolved problem. One recent attempt, made by the Air Force's Wright Air Development Center, looks like an embryo elephant with a misplaced trunk. It is designed to provide a pilot (of airplane or spaceship) with a personal atmosphere if his pressurized cabin loses its air. The man may be in relative comfort, but he is far from fancy-free. One of his arms is inside the suit to work inside controls. The outside arm makes a stab at working outside controls with the stiff fingers of a pressurized glove.