Creating a wardrobe of comfort for space
Print Edition
THE Long March-2F rocket carrying China’s Shenzhou-11 manned spacecraft blasted off last month from a launch pad at the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center in Jiuquan, northwestern China’s Gansu Province. Songjiang sewed its own contribution to the historic event.
One day ahead of the launch, astronauts Jing Haipeng and Chen Dong met the press. Sitting beneath a national flag, they wore uniforms designed by Donghua University, based in Songjiang.
The space wardrobe features Chinese elements and the dream of space in the textiles, patterns, colors and even the sewing lines.
“The basic color was blue, but we used different shades of blue, from light to deep, to symbolize traveling from earth into space,” said Associate Professor Zhou Honglei, chief designer of the uniform. “Clean-cut lines were used. The S-shaped arc on the shoulders echoed the ‘V’ pattern on the chest, signifying ‘victory’ of the launch.”
Did they wear those uniforms after the Shenzhou-11 entered space? The media was told that different clothing is used according to the demands of different space missions and conditions.
The design team produced work uniforms, sports suits, casual suits, training jackets, pajamas and weightlessness protection clothing.
“The clothing had to comfortably complement the movements of the astronauts in a weightless environment,” said Associate Professor Liu Canming, who designed the sports clothes.
Specially knitted fabrics that are easy to clean and quickly transfer heat and moisture were used.
“As for the color blue, it is considered soothing to the eyes in a tiny, weightless space,” Liu said.
To guarantee that every detail was perfect, the clothes went through almost 1,000 tests under different simulated conditions. All those on the design team even did the stitching and ironing work themselves, just to ensure perfection.
“Making clothes for such special uses requires the expertise of a wide range of industries,” said Professor Li Jun of the Institute of Fashion Design at Donghua. “Our team involved experts from engineering technology, natural sciences, art and design.”
The university has been involved in providing clothing to other space projects, including the Shenzhou series spacecraft and the space stations Tiangong-1 and Tiangong-2.
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