Cooling-garment technology invented to improve NASA space suits is used by private industry to eliminate heat stress and increase heat tolerance by almost 300 percent. The self-contained portable system keeps the body cool by using a small battery-powered pump to circulate chilled water through a special lining. The system pays for itself quickly by increasing productivity and safety for hot-area workers through unrestrained mobility and greater comfort.
The first liquid cooling garments were developed by the British Royal Air Force for pilots sweltering in hot cockpits. Worn under the uniform, they consisted of tubes threaded through long underwear with water pumped through them and cooled by a heat exchanger. The U.S. Air Force, which managed the planning for the Mercury missions until NASA was formed, soon began modifying the design for spacesuits. Since then, NASA has used cooling suits to help regulate astronauts' temperatures in the extremes of space.
Learn more about how NASA helped develop technology that impacts protective cool suits within your city's manufacturing environment!