Skinsuit during weightless flight. Credit: CNES/Novespace, 2014.

A team of researchers at King’s College London in the UK has collaborated with the European Space Agency (ESA) to develop a new skinsuit, which aims to help astronauts fight back pain while they are in space.

The Mark VI is a new spandex-based skinsuit, which is designed to squeeze the body from the shoulders to the feet similar to gravity.

Its skinsuit is based on a garment conceived at the US-based Massachusetts Institute of Technology but includes various design changes to improve wearability.

“During our longer trials, we’ve seen similar increases in stature to those experienced in orbit, which suggests it is a valid representation of microgravity in terms of the effects on the spine.”

ESA astronauts Andreas Mogensen and Thomas Pesquet have already tested the improved skinsuit during their missions to the International Space Station (ISS).

The suit is expected to help astronauts in space, where they tend to become taller in weightlessness that leads to back pain and cause difficulty while fitting into spacesuits.

Astronauts could also suffer from ‘slipped discs’ after landing.

Researcher Philip Carvil said: “During our longer trials, we’ve seen similar increases in stature to those experienced in orbit, which suggests it is a valid representation of microgravity in terms of the effects on the spine.

“On Earth, your spine is compressed by gravity as you’re on your feet, then you go to bed at night and your spine unloads – it’s a normal cyclic process.

“Being supine is thought to help water and other molecules move into the discs between the bony spinal vertebrae, then in the morning you’ll be at your tallest: around 1.5cm than later in the day, when gravity squashes the discs, leading to a loss of fluid.”

According to the researchers, the Mark VI is extremely comfortable to wear for long periods of normal activity or during sleep.