International Orange (aerospace)

Internet Colors - Set of 1035

International Orange (aerospace) Color 451 - #FF4F00

International orange is a color used in the aerospace industry to set objects apart from their surroundings, similar to safety orange, but deeper and with a more reddish tone.

The Advanced Crew Escape Suits pressure suits worn by NASA astronauts and the previous Launch Entry Suit, also use this color, as opposed to the lighter tone of safety orange used by the United States Air Force's high-altitude suits. This is also planned for the new Constellation Space Suit systems that astronauts will wear after 2010.

The ACES was first worn by U.S. Air Force pilots in the mid-1970s[citation needed], replacing a similar suit worn by SR-71 and U-2 pilots, and was identical to the suits worn by X-15 pilots and Gemini astronauts. Unlike the ACES suit, which is a full-pressure suit, the high-altitude suits were partial pressure suits, thus requiring a rubber diaphragm around the wearer's face.

Because of the limitations of protection the LES could offer, NASA and the David Clark Company introduced the current ACES design in 1994, which was the only suit used for Shuttle missions after 1998. Based on the LES, but being a full-pressure suit, the ACES suit now incorporates gloves on disconnecting lock rings on the wrists, liquid cooling and improved ventilation, and an extra layer of insulation. The ACES suit is analogous to the Sokol suits used for Soyuz missions and its functions are virtually the same — the only differences being the ACES suit having a detachable helmet and survival backpack, while the Russian suit has an integrated helmet and no backpack (due to the limitations in space aboard the Soyuz, and that the spacecraft is an entry capsule, not a winged spacecraft or lifting body).

Shown is an astronaut wearing the ACES suit
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