Berkut spacesuit
The first spacewalk suit
On display
The Berkut differed from the SK-1 by an additional sealed layer, multi-layer vacuum insulation and a backpack with 45 minutes of oxygen. A light filter protected the eyes from direct sun — between shade and sunlight the suit surface temperature differed by hundreds of degrees.
During the excursion the suit swelled more than calculated and Leonov could not enter the airlock feet first. He reduced pressure to the emergency level and went in head first — an episode after which joint mobility became the main line of work for every later suit.
On display is the suit with the life-support backpack and tether.
