posted 04-28-2011 06:35 PM               

Suited for Space

The history of this country is one of perilous voyages and unchartered territory, but few journeys have captured the imagination and hearts of the public as the race into space. It was seemingly unattainable, but American ingenuity, innovation, and determination made the impossible possible. And it is that ingenuity and innovation that is explored and celebrated in the SITES exhibit Suited for Space.

Through rare and original photography, including unique, new x-ray images of the interiors of the spacesuits, the exhibit reveals how the modern technological marvel that is the spacesuit enables astronauts to live and work in space. This exhibit reveals the remarkable creativity and determination of the extraordinary few who ventured into space, but it highlights and showcases the brilliant ingenuity of the hundreds more who worked tirelessly -- and often anonymously -- to get them there.

In May 1961, when President Kennedy made the promise that America would put a man on the moon within a decade, the ability to fulfill that promise existed only in theory. The spacesuit was a critical piece of engineering that allowed Neil Armstrong to step onto another world and survive in the hostile environment of outer space. The Apollo spacesuit he wore evolved from the groundbreaking advances of the Gemini and Mercury mission suits, facilitating movement and dexterity in small spaces, remaining pressurized in zero gravity, and providing essential oxygen, heating, and cooling in as efficient a manner as possible.

Tour Itinerary

Dates		Host Institution	Status
4/6/2011	9/25/2011	Museum of Science and Industry, Chicago, IL	Booked
10/15/2011	1/8/2012	Science Museum of Virginia, Richmond, VA	Booked
1/28/2012	4/22/2012	Intrepid Sea, Air and Space Museum, New York, NY	Reserved
5/12/2012	8/5/2012	Strategic Air and Space Museum, Ashland, NE	Reserved
5/17/2014	8/10/2014	Chemical Heritage Foundation, Philadelphia, PA	Booked
3/28/2015	6/21/2015	California University of Pennsylvania, California, PA	Reserved

posted 04-28-2011 07:14 PM            

The Smithsonian Institution's own traveling exhibit "Suited for Space" is visiting Museum of Science and Industry. The exhibit takes viewers behind the engineering of the first pressurized spacesuit to the advanced technology used today.

"The suit is not just our lifeline -- it's like its own little spaceship," said astronaut Michael Foreman at the recent opening of the exhibit.

"Suited for Space" displays photographs of spacesuits, a replica of a life-size spacesuit on loan from NASA and X-ray photographs to show the inner-workings of the suits. The spacesuits themselves are too delicate to travel.

• WHAT: 'Suited for Space' exhibit
  
• WHEN: 9:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. through Sept. 25
  
• WHERE: Museum of Science and Industry, 57th Street and Lake Shore Drive, Chicago
  
• HOW MUCH: Part of general admission