Under the waves, above the clouds: A history of the pressure suit

• Main Author: Lünen, Alexander von
• Format: Others
• Language: English; en
• Published: 2010
• Online Access: https://tuprints.ulb.tu-darmstadt.de/2103/1/lunen_diss.pdf; Lünen, Alexander von <http://tuprints.ulb.tu-darmstadt.de/view/person/L=FCnen=3AAlexander_von=3A=3A.html> (2010): Under the waves, above the clouds: A history of the pressure suit.Darmstadt, Technische Universität, [Ph.D. Thesis]

This publication describes the development of so-called “pressure suits” in the 1930s in Europe from a scientific, technical, cultural and political perspective. It is detailed that those suits first and foremost were devised to achieve altitude records in aviation and not for their military value, although the majority of the suits that were developed had the air forces involved. This work outlines the manifold entanglements between private sector, military and science, which was a prerequisite not only for the development of pressure suits, but also for pressure cabins, breathing equipment and other protective garment. The close relation between diving medicine and aviation medical research is exposed in this context. Please note: It is stated on page 274 of the PDF-document that the images from the Bundesarchiv (German Federal Archive) are generally licensed under the Creative Commons License scheme. This is inaccurate; all images in this publication obtained from the Bundesarchiv can be used by permission of the Bundesarchiv only (cf. http://www.bundesarchiv.de/benutzung/voraussetzungen/bild/index.html.en)