Credit: Zvezda. 22,976 bytes. 263 x 285 pixels.
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| Sokol-K1 Suit - Credit: Zvezda. 22,976 bytes. 263 x 285 pixels. |
After the Soyuz 11 tragedy, in which all three unsuited cosmonauts died in a decompression accident, the Soviets scrambled to produce new IVA suits. To abbreviate design time, the new drawings were based on the Sokol suit used on the Vostok missions. A prototype of the new suit, known as Sokol K1, was produced in 1971, with workshop drawings going through further revisions and refinements from August 1971 through March 1972. The suit was tested on the ground in 1972 and in space onboard Soyuz 12 in September 1973. From that point onward, the Sokol-K1 and its subsequent generations were used on all Soyuz flights for the launch, docking, and descent phases.
In an emergency the 10 kg suit could protect the wearer in open space. The suit included the 2AC-9000-0 pressure suit without the integral helmet, 2AC-9001-00 inner pressurized bladder, and 2AC-9009-00 soft helmet
 | Salyut Jumper Credit: (c) Mark Wade. 6,399 bytes. 115 x 323 pixels. |