The spacesuit has evolved over the past few decades. It's got 11 layers of materials and takes years to produce and costs millions of dollars.

On display at the Smithsonian museum, the Suited for Space exhibit shows off suits from never seen before photos including X-ray views of them that belonged to some of the most famous astronauts. The exhibit runs through Dec. 1.

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Alan Bean Spacesuit
Astronaut Alan Bean wore this A7-LB suit on the 1973 Skylab 3 mission. Bean logged 1,671 hours and 45 minutes in space, including more than 10 hours of EVA (extra vehicular activity).
Image: Smithsonian Institution, Mark Avino


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Boot X-Ray
An x-ray of an Apollo-era "overboot" shows the adjustment strap that allowed astronauts to tighten this boot over another shoe that was attached to the spacesuit.
Image: Smithsonian Institution, Mark Avino

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Glove
Astronauts wore special gloves during lunar excursions. Made with rubber and Neoprene interior bladders, gloves covered hands completely to the wrist and were attached to the arms of the spacesuit with aluminum rings.
Image: Smithsonian Institution, Mark Avino

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Helmet X-Ray
This 1964 A4-H “Universal” helmet was designed to fit on more than one suit. The x-ray reveals ball bearings in the neck ring that allowed the helmet to move right and left without restriction.
Image: Smithsonian Institution, Mark Avino
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Phase I Apollo Helmet
X-ray of a helmet that was developed for the Phase I Apollo program.
Image: National Air and Space Museum, Smithsonian Institution, Mark Avino

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Mark V Spacesuit
The Mark V suit was relatively flexible and incorporated design elements that allowed for a fuller range of movement.
Image: Smithsonian Institution, Mark Avino

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Freedom 7 Spacesuit
Alan B. Shepard, one of the original “Mercury 7,” wore this suit on the first flight of an American astronaut in 1961.
Image: National Air and Space Museum, Smithsonian Institution, Mark Avino