FLOWN SPACE SUIT FROM ISS EXPEDITION 6

SPACE SUIT WORN BY FLIGHT ENGINEER DON PETTIT ON HIS DRAMATIC RETURN TO EARTH ABOARD THE SOYUZ TMA-1, FOLLOWING THE COLUMBIA DISASTER

SPACE SUIT WORN BY FLIGHT ENGINEER DON PETTIT ON HIS DRAMATIC RETURN TO EARTH ABOARD THE SOYUZ TMA-1, FOLLOWING THE COLUMBIA DISASTER
"Sokol KV-2" ("Falcon" in Russian) pressure suit, manufactured by Zvedza, and tailor-made for Pettit. White nylon canvas with royal blue trim, approximately 68 inches tall, consisting of an outer restraint layer of white nylon canvas with royal blue trim and an internal pressure bladder of rubber and rubberized material. Integral helmet with soft hood and hinged polycarbonate visor with blue anodized aluminum visor flange. Integrated pressure regulator with anodized aluminum inlet valve at center of body below helmet. Front opened with two zippers. Anodized aluminum umbilical inlets for electrical, air and coolant lines resting on torso, and pressure equalization valve on chest. Research & Development Production Enterprise Zvezda patch attached to chest, between zippers. Support sling running from chest to back using webbed belts and metal clips. Arms with trussed sleeves with adjustable articulating cables, webbed belt lashings, pressure gauge on left sleeve covered by protective gasket; detachable gloves. American flag patch affixed to upper left arm. Adjustable webbed straps, marked in mm, attached to metal rings on side seams and along crotch. Lace-up crotch covered with triangular placket. Legs with pleated knees, each with two utility pockets and integral soled shoes. Gloves marked "ДП" and "ГП-7Д-11Б-0530809" at cuff. Doles of the boots marked "52-4-44." Name tag in Roman and Cyrillic reads: "D. Pettit" and "Д. ПЕТТИТ." Pressure valve marked "ОТВЕРНУТЬ ДО СРЕДНЕГО УПОРА ПЕРЕД ПОЛЕТОМ РДСП 3М 01" [unscrew fully to medium before flight RDSP 3M 01]. Supported on external frame.
With: 21 page inventory and inspection manual for the Sokol KV-2 entitled "ИЗДЕЛИЕ СОКОЛ - КВ2. ПАСПОРТ 2AP-9001-1000-01ПС. На ИЗДелие No 0370212. Размер 54-3-2-4." [Product Sokol – KV2. Passport 2AP-9001-1000-01PS. Product No. 0370212. Size 54-3-3-4]. Manual filled out, with numerous signatures and stamps.

Flight Engineer Donald R. Pettit, Ph.D. (b. 1955) was a staff scientist at Los Alamos National Laboratory before being selected by NASA. A veteran of three spaceflights, he logged more than 370 days in space and over 13 EVA hours. He lived aboard the ISS (International Space Station) for 5 1/2 months during Expedition 6, again for 6 1/2 months as part of the Expedition 30/31 Crew, and was a member of the STS-126 crew. Following the Space Shuttle Columbia disaster of February 1, 2003, Pettit was one of the first Americans to return to Earth aboard the Soyuz TMA-1 spacecraft after NASA grounded the shuttle program pending numerous safety changes. Pettit, along with commander Ken Bowersox and flight engineer Nikolai Budarin, crash-landed in Kazakhstan with a malfunction-caused ballistic entry, resulting in the crew being lost for hours before being found by ground rescue teams.

The Sokol space suit was, and still is, worn by all who fly on the Soyuz spacecraft. The suit was developed in 1973-1979 with the goal of supporting a suited astronaut for up to 30 hours in a pressurized cabin and two hours in an unpressurized one. Described by manufacturers NPP Zvezda as a rescue suit, the KV-2 is designed to keep the wearer alive in the event of an accidental depressurization rather than being used outside the spacecraft in a spacewalk or EVA. The suit was developed following the disastrous loss of the Soyuz 11 crew in 1971 through sudden depressurization and was first used on the Soyuz T-2 mission, launched on June 5, 1980. By 2003, 220 flight models and 63 test and training suits had been manufactured.

The wearer climbed into the suit through the zippered front opening, sealing the suit by gathering folds of the space suit cloth and wrapping rubber bands around them. The suit was one-piece, including the helmet, but excluding the detachable gloves. Internal wiring and lack of ventilation (the wearers had to carry their own ventilator to avoid overheating) made the suit uncomfortable to move around in. Ventilating air is provided at 150 l/minute and oxygen at 20 l/minute in pressurized operation. Each suit was individually fitted to the Kazbek-U seats of the Soyuz spacecraft, which had custom-fitted molded liners. The helmet's soft cover could only fit over the head when lying in the seat and was otherwise folded back.