Advanced Crew Escape Suit

Advanced Crew Escape Suit
An astronaut wearing the ACES suit prior to the launch of STS-130
TypeFull pressure IVA suit
ManufacturerDavid Clark Company[1]
Operating pressure3.5 psi (24 kPa)[1]
Mass92 lb (42 kg)[1]
Life support10 minutes[1]
Derived fromUSAF Model S1034[1]
DerivativesConstellation Space Suit
Orion Crew Survival System
Used forSpace Shuttle

The Advanced Crew Escape Suit (ACES), or "pumpkin suit",[2] is a full pressure suit that Space Shuttle crews began wearing after STS-65, for the ascent and entry portions of flight. The suit is a direct descendant of the U.S. Air Force high-altitude pressure suits worn by the two-man crews of the SR-71 Blackbird, pilots of the U-2 and X-15, and Gemini pilot-astronauts, and the Launch Entry Suits (LES) worn by NASA astronauts starting on the STS-26 flight, the first flight after the Challenger disaster. The suit is manufactured by the David Clark Company of Worcester, Massachusetts. Cosmetically the suit is very similar to the LES. ACES was first used in 1994 on STS-64.

  1. ^ a b c d e Cite error: The named reference US was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  2. ^ "Astronaut Candidates 2004 - Training Journals". NASA. March 2005. Archived from the original on September 10, 2005.