Images: NASA's new spacesuit designs--and old ones, too

Gordon Cooper, one of the original seven Mercury astronauts, shows off a converted U.S. Navy high-altitude jet aircraft pressure suit, which had an outer layer of aluminized nylon.

Alan Shepard had a problem with the suit before his first suborbital flight in 1961. After sitting in the rocket on the launch pad for hours, Shepard informed launch control that he needed to urinate. Since this had never been considered due to the length of the flight, he was given the only option available, go in your suit.

Photo by NASA

Caption by Andy Smith