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European Space Agency

Press Release

Space in your wardrobe ?

28 March 2003
 
Whether you find yourself in the icy wastes of Antarctica or caught
in the midst of a scorching hot fire, you could stay safe and
comfortable in either extreme - provided you are dressed in the right
clothes. 
 
Technologies first developed to protect astronauts and satellites
against the extreme conditions found in space are increasingly of use
in the design and manufacture of everyday clothing. Textile spin-offs
from the space industry will be highlighted by the ESA Technology
Transfer Programme (TTP) at this year's Techtextil international
trade fair to be held in Frankfurt from 8 to 10 April.
 

From minus 50øC to over a 100 km per hour
 
Assisted by ESA, Italian company Corpo Nove has manufactured a
lightweight jacket called 'Absolute Zero' that keeps its wearer
comfortably warm at up to minus 50øC. The jacket has been
successfully tested during Antarctic expeditions; it relies on a
three-mm thick layer of a super-insulating material called Aerogel.

Sometimes called 'frozen smoke' this translucent silica-based
substance is 98% air and was used to insulate the 1997 Mars
Pathfinder lander from the ultra-low temperatures of the Martian
night.

At the other extreme, thermally regulated 'cool suit' overalls, worn
by McLaren racing mechanics, keep the wearer safe against fire as
well as maintaining a comfortable working temperature in extremely
hot conditions.

Constructed by Italian fashion manufacturer Karada Italia with Hugo
Boss designer Mauro Taliani, the overalls are inlaid with 50 metres
of 2 mm-diameter plastic tubing for cooling, a technique originally
developed by Canadian company Med-Eng for ESA spacesuits.

Spacewalking astronauts require complex thermal control systems in
their suits because of the large temperature differential between
light and shadow in the vacuum of space.

Another contributor to ESA's spacesuit design is Spanish company
Zodiac. It has its own battery-powered 'cool suit' undergarment,
currently being considered by the London police force to be worn
beneath heavy bulletproof vests. Other jackets have been designed by
Corpo Nove, aimed at ordinary urban dwellers wishing to keep their
fashionable cool. 
 

Dampening shoes take the strain from running
 
Space-derived technology can guard against more than just temperature
extremes: ESA is working with one shoe manufacturer on a sole which
changes its stiffness depending on the type of ground it encounters,
dampening impacts received by the wearer's foot.

The sole works using a new class of smart material called
magneto-rheological (MR) fluids. Intensively studied in orbit for
their vibration-dampening potential, MR fluids can be switched from
solid to liquid and back again, through the application of a magnetic
field. 

A prototype shoe has been developed which has MR fluids in
compartments inside its sole in conjunction with an adjustable
magnetic field so the stiffness can be manipulated to match the
roughness of the ground underfoot. 
 

Mamagoose keeps sleeping babes safe and sound
 
Other space industry spin-offs featured at Techtextil include
'Mamagoose' pyjamas for sleeping infants. These pyjamas are embedded
with five control-unit-linked sensors that monitor an infant's sleep
for symptoms of Sudden Infant Death Syndrome.

The work of Belgian firm Verhaert Design and the University of
Brussels, the Mamagoose design was inspired by undersuits worn by
astronauts in orbit to observe their vital signs.
 
 
Come to Frankfurt to visit us
 
Techtextil international trade fair is Europe's leading exhibition of
high-tech textiles. ESA, in cooperation with D'Appolonia, will be
presenting the latest spin-offs from 'space' at hall 4, ground floor,
stand F63.

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