HelmetA clear plastic bubble that locks onto the neck ring. The visor fits over it.
VisorIt shields the eyes from bright sunlight. The sun visor has a thin coat of gold.
Helmet lightsSmall lamps at each side of the helmet. They light the work in the dark.
CameraA small TV camera. It sends pictures of the work as the astronaut sees it.
Hard upper torsoA hard fiberglass shell that covers the chest. The arms, helmet and backpack fasten to it.
Display and control moduleA box of switches, valves and a small display. It is fixed to the chest.
ArmsEach arm has joints at the shoulder and elbow. A ring at the wrist holds the glove.
GlovesThe gloves snap onto rings at the wrists. Their fingertips are silicone rubber.
Lower torsoThe pants of the suit, with the boots joined on. It locks to the hard upper torso at the waist.
BootsThe boots are joined to the lower torso.
Safety tetherA line that keeps the astronaut fastened to the spacecraft. It clips to a ring at the waist.
Back, underneath 4
Life support backpackIt holds the oxygen the astronaut breathes. It also removes carbon dioxide and supplies electricity.
SAFERA small jet pack. Its gas jets can fly an astronaut back to the station.
Cooling garmentWater flows through its tubes to keep the astronaut cool. It is worn under the suit.
Communications capA fabric cap with earphones and microphones built in.
How this list was compiled: Every name checked on 2026-10-01, a name kept only where two independent sources use it: NASA's pages for students, What Is a Spacesuit? (grades K-4 and grades 5-8), https://www.nasa.gov/learning-resources/for-kids-and-students/what-is-a-spacesuit-grades-k-4/ and https://www.nasa.gov/learning-resources/for-kids-and-students/what-is-a-spacesuit-grades-5-8/ (helmet, visor, hard upper torso, arm assembly, gloves, lower torso, cooling garment with water tubes, life support backpack, SAFER), and the parts list from its educator guide Suited for Spacewalking, a public-domain government work, read through the web archive, https://web.archive.org/web/2017/http://www.nasa.gov/pdf/188963main_Extravehicular_Mobility_Unit.pdf (helmet, visor assembly with head lamps and a TV camera, hard upper torso, displays and control module, arms, gloves, lower torso with boots and rings for a safety tether, primary life support system, liquid cooling and ventilation garment, communications carrier assembly); Wikipedia, Extravehicular Mobility Unit and Simplified Aid For EVA Rescue, text only, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Extravehicular_Mobility_Unit and https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Simplified_Aid_For_EVA_Rescue (hard upper torso, arm sections, gloves, helmet, visor assembly, lower torso assembly with boots, primary life support system, display and control module, liquid cooling and ventilation garment, communications cap, television camera, SAFER as a jet pack); a suit maker's booklet on its space suits, https://archive.org/details/MRS_PDFbot-spacesuits (lights, TV camera, visor assembly, helmet assembly, hard upper torso, arm assembly, glove assembly, lower torso assembly with boots, display and control module, liquid cooling and ventilation garment, communications carrier or Snoopy cap); a reference book on how products are made, read through archive.org's full-text search, https://archive.org/details/cdssupergluesals0000unse (chest-mounted display and control module, hard upper torso); and the national air and space museum's page on spacesuits, https://airandspace.si.edu/explore/stories/spacesuits (safety tethers). Not an official NASA publication. Licence: own work
The drawing: Drawn for this site on 2026-10-01 from plain geometry; no agency mark or maker's shape, nothing traced. Licence: own work
How it works
These are the parts of a space suit worn on a spacewalk. The first drawing shows the suit from the front. The second shows the life support backpack from behind, and the cooling garment worn underneath.
Read the full guide
A suit that goes on in pieces
A spacewalk suit is put on piece by piece. First comes the cooling garment, with water tubes woven through it. The lower torso, which is the pants with the boots joined on, comes next. The astronaut then rises into the hard upper torso, which carries the backpack behind and the display and control module on the chest, and the two halves lock together at the waist. The communications cap, the gloves and the helmet go on last.
The long official names are accepted too, such as primary life support system for the backpack.
Spacesuit is also written as one word. Both spellings mean the same thing.
Questions and answers
What are the parts of a space suit called?
The helmet and its visor, the hard upper torso, the arms, the gloves, and the lower torso with its boots. A life support backpack is fixed to the back, and a cooling garment is worn underneath.
What is the backpack on a space suit for?
It is the life support system. It holds the oxygen the astronaut breathes, removes the carbon dioxide breathed out and supplies electricity. A fan moves the oxygen through the suit, and a tank holds the cooling water.
What do astronauts wear under a space suit?
A cooling garment that covers the body except the head, hands and feet. Water flows through tubes woven into it to keep the astronaut cool. A fabric cap with earphones and microphones is worn on the head.
What is the box on the front of a space suit?
The display and control module. It is fixed to the chest of the hard upper torso and holds the suit's switches, valves and a small display.