17. Are there lights and other safety accessories on the spacesuits? (A K2S Question)

From The Space Library

There are a number of accessories on the spacesuit. There are lights attached to the helmet so that the astronauts can see in the darkness as they work. Remember that during a six hour EVA, the astronauts can possibly go through four nights and four days while making four revolutions of the Earth. There is a video camera attached to the helmet so that flight controllers in Mission Control can see exactly what the astronauts are seeing. The suit has tethers attached so that the astronauts can secure themselves to some structure and not float away from the orbiter. Astronauts have a tool caddy attached to the spacesuit to carry the many tools needed for the assembly of the International Space Station (ISS). There is also a checklist attached to the forearm of the suit that the astronaut can look at to see what he or she needs to do. A parachute is attached to the back of each suit, and the suits have all kinds of pockets that contain items that astronauts may need if they had to parachute out of the Shuttle and land in the water or on the ground. The suit also contains a device that will automatically keep the astronauts' heads above water. It also contains an inflatable raft that will keep them afloat until help arrives. There is a beacon in the suit that sends signals to rescue teams that will allow them to locate the astronauts. As you can see, this suit is very important to the safety of the astronauts.

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Answer provided by Lonnie Moffitt

Question and Answer extracted from the book Kids to Space - by Lonnie Schorer

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