History Main / LatexSpaceSuit

* In Creator/LarryNiven's ''Literature/KnownSpace'' stories, the state of the art is "skinsuits" similar to the real-life SAS described above. The suits must be specially constructed to fit each individual, and are usually painted with distinctive personal designs. Anyone wearing a bulky and generic "bubble suit" marks himself as a newbie (or an Earthling) and is not to be trusted on his own in vacuum.

* ''Literature/TheMoteInGodsEye'' by Creator/LarryNiven and Jerry Pournelle. Lady Sandra Bright "Sally" Fowler is specifically noted to be wearing a suit like this during her zero gravity training.

** Emp's tattered bikini's worth of supersuit also qualifies.

* This is the default outfit of MM in ''Manga/KemekoDeluxe''.

* ''Anime/ScienceNinjaTeamGatchaman'': Together with ''Anime/MazingerZ'', this is one of the earliest anime examples (both shows are from 1972). The tight, differently-colored skinsuits of the Gatchaman FiveManBand are very iconic. G-3's minidress is an aversion and contrast to the guys' skin-tight suits, follwing different fanservicey tropes instead.

* ''Anime/ScienceNinjaTeamGatchaman'': Together with ''Anime/MazingerZ'', this is one of the earliest anime examples (both shows are from 1972). The tight, differently-colored skinsuits of the Gatchaman FiveManBand are very iconic.

* [[Franchise/{{Metroid}} Samus]] has the Zero suit, a form-fitting blue suit, but it isn't a space suit. The Zero suit is implied to be an interface to her normal [[PowerArmor Power Suit]] (which she DOES use in space). In ''VideoGame/MetroidZeroMission'' Samus appears wearing the Zero suit when [[BagOfSpilling unable to use her normal armor]]. The Galactic Federation troopers use something similar with their space suits/armor, although Samus' is obviously one-of-a-kind.

* n ''VideoGame/{{Baraduke}}'', the suit worn by protagonist Kissy is large and bulky, not unlike real life space suits.

Because existing spacesuit designs have so many drawbacks, and are so expensive (each custom-fitted suit costs over a ''million dollars'' and can only be constructed by subsidised industries), there are a number of (similarly subsidised) research projects trying to make skin-tight spacesuits TruthInTelevision. The proponents of such projects as the [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Space_activity_suit Space Activity Suit]] and [[http://mvl.mit.edu/EVA/biosuit/ MIT Biosuit]] ''claim'' that they could be built by wet-suit manufacturers at a cost of only a few hundred dollars. They also suggest that these flexible skintight suits would permit the occupant to regulate body temperature simply by sweating, and that while they might not be terribly protective, armor is less of an issue when it doesn't have to be pressurized -- {{Bullet Proof Vest}}s can be worn over the suits.[[note]]That does introduce a new problem, namely that anything worn over the suit will make it harder to find and patch any leaks. On the other hand, a small leak in such a suit will generally cause a frostbitten hickey, rather than rapid death.[[/note]] So far, however, practical spacesuits based on Space Activity Suit/Biosuit technology have yet to be tested in space,[[note]]although the original SAS was successfully tested in a vacuum chamber,[[/note]] so currently they remain VaporWear-- [[{{Pun}} erm, sorry]], {{Vaporware}}.

* The [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mechanical_counterpressure_suit mechanical counterpressure suits]] like [[http://mvl.mit.edu/EVA/biosuit/ the MIT Biosuit]], as mentioned above. They work on the concept of mechancial counterpressure; the idea is that you don't need a pressurised spacesuit, or even an ''airtight'' one if you can just use form fitting fabric to hold the body together against its own pressure. You don't even need heating because vacuum insulates very well. The only thing is that it needs to be form fitting all over, even in tricky areas, otherwise you will inflate to match the form of the suit. And [[TruthInTelevision naturally]] there is a [[http://www.projectrho.com/rocket/spacesuits.php#id--Design--Skin_Suits female professor]] working on them.

* The [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Space_activity_suit Space Activity Suit]] and [[http://mvl.mit.edu/EVA/biosuit/ MIT Biosuit]], as mentioned above. They work on the concept of mechancial counterpressure; the idea is that you don't need a pressurised spacesuit, or even an ''airtight'' one if you can just use form fitting fabric to hold the body together against its own pressure. You don't even need heating because vacuum insulates very well. The only thing is that it needs to be form fitting all over, even in tricky areas, otherwise you will inflate to match the form of the suit. And [[TruthInTelevision naturally]] there is a [[http://www.projectrho.com/rocket/spacesuits.php#id--Design--Skin_Suits female professor]] working on them.

* Hazmat from ''ComicBook/AvengersAcademy'' wears a skin-tight environmental suit to protect everyone else from her toxicity. That said, her figure is relatively understated.
** Her future self, [[MostCommonSuperPower however...]]

** ''Anime/MazingerZ'': Unsurprisingly, one of the earliest examples (but not the first one, for once). Kouji began to wear a Latex Space Suit in the third episode, and Sayaka always wore one while piloting [[FemBot Aphrodite A]]. Sayaka's was one-piece and tighter than Kouji's though.
*** JustifiedTrope <=> UnbuiltTrope: Kouji did not wear one in the first chapters, and often he got badly hurt, bruised or wounded. So a skinsuit was made for him in order to protect his body.

* DC's ''ComicBook/LegionOfSuperHeroes'' takes things a step further with the transuit, a skin-tight and completely transparent environment suit which enables characters to breathe in a vacuum or otherwise hostile environment without being perceptible as anything more than a white armband (despite being full-body and skin-tight, the transuits do not so much as flatten down the characters' hair). Unlike most Latex Space Suits, the transuit's skin-tightness is ''not'' a means of providing fanservice, since it is transparent and worn over normal clothing... but since most Legionnaires both male and female wear skin-tight superhero jumpsuits anyhow, it all comes out the same.

* [[Creator/MarvelComics Kree and Skrull]] uniforms are skintight. The Kree uniform is white, with a secondary color and a planet icon on the chest indicating rank (e.g. green and a single-ringed planet for [[ComicBook/{{Captain Marvel|MarvelComics}} captain]]). Skrull uniforms are purple and black with a zigzag-edged collar piece. Shi'ar outfits are [[DependingOnTheArtist a little more varied,]] but they're still usually skin-tight -- especially the Shi'ar uniforms that take their cue from ''Franchise/StarTrek''! Actually, ''most'' Marvel aliens wear skin-tight outfits, except for the more old-school ones like Fin Fang Foom who just wear [[MonsterModesty Space Boxer Shorts]].

* Girl One of ''ComicBook/TopTen'' appears to be wearing a color-changing version of this, but it's later revealed [[AuthorAppeal that really is her skin, and she's]] been [[spoiler:bio-engineered]] with an uncontrollable nudity compulsion by the [[spoiler:fanboys that created her.]]

Any space suit or environment suit, but especially one worn by a woman, will be exceptionally tight, form fitting, and flatteringly cut. Also applies to pilot's g-suits (which admittedly ''are'' tight, but not flattering), PoweredArmor, and futuristic military uniforms. The wearer will have no difficulty putting it on quickly. Helmets will often be either clear bubbles or be motorcycle-like helmets that follow head movement, with [[InSpaceEveryoneCanSeeYourFace large transparent and nonreflective faceplates]].

Spacesuits in use today are [[BoringButPractical bulky and inflexible]], with many layers to contain pressure, protect against puncture from fast moving space junk with ballistic fibers, protect against changes in temperature, shield the wearer from the glare of a sun undimmed by atmosphere, and dispose of excess body heat, excretions and moisture. Astronauts accessorize with the extremely unsexy (for most), [[BringMyBrownPants yet practical]], adult diaper.

Because existing spacesuit designs have so many drawbacks, and are so expensive (each custom-fitted suit costs over a ''million dollars'' and can only be constructed by subsidised industries), there are a number of (similarly subsidised) research projects trying to make skin-tight spacesuits TruthInTelevision. The proponents of such projects as the [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Space_activity_suit Space Activity Suit]] and [[http://mvl.mit.edu/EVA/biosuit/ MIT Biosuit]] ''claim'' that they could be built by wet-suit manufacturers at a cost of only a few hundred dollars. They also suggest that these flexible skintight suits would permit the occupant to regulate body temperature simply by sweating, and that while they might not be terribly protective, armor is less of an issue when it doesn't have to be pressurized -- {{Bullet Proof Vest}}s can be worn over the suits.[[note]]That does introduce a new problem, namely that anything worn over the suit will make it harder to find and patch any leaks. On the other hand, a small leak in such a suit will generally cause a frostbitten hickey, rather than rapid death.[[/note]] So far however, practical spacesuits based on Space Activity Suit/Biosuit technology have yet to be tested in space,[[note]]although the original SAS was successfully tested in a vacuum chamber,[[/note]] so currently they remain VaporWear-- [[{{Pun}} erm, sorry]], {{Vaporware}}.

The Latex Spacesuit is essentially a way to be semi-{{Stripperific}}, and display the chest without actually showing skin. A lot of the time it will be sheer enough to [[NavelOutline see the navel through]].

See also SpaceClothes, GreenSkinnedSpaceBabe, BridgeBunnies, SpyCatsuit, ChromeChampion, SpaceMask, and FutureSpandex. Compare its 19th century counterpart, the AdventurerOutfit.

* ''Anime/SpaceBattleshipYamato2199'': 40 years later, Yuki returns to the remake with her uniform unaltered with more girls dressed in a similar manner.
* ''Anime/ScienceNinjaTeamGatchaman'': Together with ''Anime/MazingerZ'' it is one of the earliest Anime examples (both shows are from 1972). The tight, differently-colored skinsuits of the Gatchaman FiveManBand are very iconic.

* [[Creator/MarvelComics Kree and Skrull]] uniforms are skintight. The Kree uniform is white, with a secondary color and a planet icon on the chest indicating rank (e.g. green and a single-ringed planet for [[ComicBook/{{Captain Marvel|MarvelComics}} captain]]). Skrull uniforms are purple and black with a zigzag-edged collar piece. Shi'ar outfits are [[DependingOnTheArtist a little more varied,]] but they're still usually skin-tight - especially the Shi'ar uniforms that take their cue from ''Franchise/StarTrek''! Actually, ''most'' Marvel aliens wear skin-tight outfits, except for the more old-school ones like Fin Fang Foom who just wear [[MonsterModesty Space Boxer Shorts]].

** In ''Fanfic/GoingAnotherWay'', the pilots frequently note the fact that the plugsuits are rather revealing and wonder who would put that onto a teenager (Ritsuko). Shinji is embarrassed at first, Toji is not too happy either and Hikari even forces the R&D department to make alterations so it's less revealing. It's telling that even Yui - years earlier - felt almost naked in a prototype. Asuka later refuses to do a test with a suit that is almost transparent.

-->Who in the world came up with the design, she seriously had a second thought about not asking from Yui. Having to wear a specialized suit for handling military hardware has been a reality for air force pilots for nearly a century now, she was aware. But these things, ''skintight and thin as a swimsuit'' without even covering the head? Literally the only reason she could see for it was keeping out the LCL so that she could move around and operate the entry plug controls unencumbered, as opposed to having her clothes pull against every move as if she was trying to swim in street clothes – or even worse, having to pilot in one of those old, goofy diving suits, except with the LCL being inside rather than outside, weighing her down non-stop.\\

** ''Literature/TheNightsDawnTrilogy'' includes space-suits that are made of programmable silicon or somesuch--they're packaged as a black blob until activated, at which point they spread over the body of the user, tightly enough to avoid decompression in hard vacuum.

* In ''Anime/CardfightVanguard'' (both the card game and its corresponding anime), this is present among the humanoid members - especially the female members - of the Link Joker clan. Examples: [[http://vignette1.wikia.nocookie.net/cardfight/images/b/be/TD11-015EN.jpg/revision/latest?cb=20140203130525]], [[http://vignette1.wikia.nocookie.net/cardfight/images/4/4d/BT15-077EN-C.png/revision/latest?cb=20140919001609]], [[http://vignette3.wikia.nocookie.net/cardfight/images/7/7e/G-TD05-018EN.png/revision/latest?cb=20150610102412]], [[http://vignette2.wikia.nocookie.net/cardfight/images/2/2b/TD17-017EN.png/revision/latest?cb=20141116164301]].

* ''Webcomic/GrrlPower'' shows not only the female captain, but the [[https://grrlpowercomic.com/archives/3070 male crew]] of a spaceship, wearing these - with essentially nothing left to the imagination. Justified because the captain is a succubus and engages in ...shenanigans with her crew.

* Many gems in ''WesternAnimation/StevenUniverse'' wear FutureSpandex that can be considered spacesuits--they don't need helmets (or even [[SleevesAreForWimps sleeves]]) because [[TheNeedless gems don't need to breathe]]. Pearl also switches to a bodysuit to go into space in [[Recap/StevenUniverseS1E28SpaceRace "Space Race"]] (and to pilot a robot in [[Recap/StevenUniverseS2E23BackToTheBarn "Back to the Barn"]]), presumably so the skirt on her usual outfit wouldn't get in the way.

* ''Anime/FafnerInTheAzureDeadAggressor''. For one there is no actual space travel involved. Two, the suits that the pilots wear - called synergetic suits - ''are'' skin tight but serve to lessem the pain that linking with Fafner entails. This wouldn't work with a bulkier design considering how Fafner works. They also leave the parts of the body where the Fafner connects exposed, which makes them rather skimpy (but ''not'' gender specific). Kazuki has no time to put on a suit upon piloting the first time and the pain he undergoes is substantial. Another twist is that, though revealing, the suits themselves look like stretched out skin and are thus not exactly flattering. They get a coolness upgrade for the movie and ''Exodus'' but, once again, not gender specific. On the other hand, the suits that Mizoguchi and Maya wear as regular fighter pilots are much bulkier.

** In the ''Literature/XWingSeries'', the rebel pilots complain about having to change into sleek dress uniforms for a formal occasion, since they like the extra pockets in their flightsuits, as well as the baggier clothing - as fighter pilots, they can be a bit sensitive about the weight gain that can result from spending hours sitting in a cockpit.

* ''VideoGame/SuperRobotWarsOriginalGeneration: Divine Wars'' has surprisingly realistic pilot and space suits - while Personal Trooper pilots wear fairly thin ones that might match the trope, they're not made for space combat and do not have great speeds. However, Armored Module pilots wear a very bulky combination of a g-suit and a space suit as they are main for high-speed assaults and space and air combat. Fighter pilots wear a modified g-suit that's a combination of both. The Playstation 2 remake of the Original Generation game series reuses the pilot suits portrayed in Divine Wars, mainly because few were even seen in the first two Original Generation games (not to mention the Super Robot Wars series in general).

* ''VideoGame/Fallout3'''s Chinese Stealth Armor: [[http://images.wikia.com/fallout/images/6/6f/Crimson_Dragoon.png black latex, red faceplate.]] No comment. Also ''not a space suit''-- It's an InvisibilityCloak made for commandos that offers some protection from small arms fire.

* ''Anime/RocketGirls'', which ranks surprisingly highly on the MohsScaleOfSciFiHardness, features skintight spacesuits that are one of the technical advances developed by the Solomon Space Agency as part of its attempt to realize economical manned spaceflight, since such suits weigh much less then traditional spacesuits, and offer greater mobility. That being said, the show also plays the trope for laughs (several characters seem to find the suits rather scandalous) and fanservice too. One of the reporters present at a press conference sees it and asks, rather nervously, "Is it legal to show this?" Both novels lampshade this a couple of times by having characters mention that the spacesuits look "just like the ones in anime".

* When the team heads into space in Season 3 of ''WesternAnimation/TeenageMutantNinjaTurtles2012'', April's space-suit looks similar to her '87 incarnation's yellow jumpsuit. It immediately garners the attention of her potential love interests Donatello and Casey.

* Actual NASA spacesuits' fabric components, although far from skin-tight, are ''assembled'' by companies that otherwise specialize in form-fitting and, yes, sexy clothing. Because of their experience at working with elastic textiles, the Mercury and later space programs contract out such piece-work to bra-and-girdle manufacturers such as Playtex.

* [[Creator/MarvelComics Kree and Skrull]] uniforms are skintight. The Kree uniform is white, with a secondary color and a planet icon on the chest indicating rank (e.g. green and a single-ringed planet for [[ComicBook/CaptainMarVell captain]]). Skrull uniforms are purple and black with a zigzag-edged collar piece. Shi'ar outfits are [[DependingOnTheArtist a little more varied,]] but they're still usually skin-tight - especially the Shi'ar uniforms that take their cue from ''Franchise/StarTrek''! Actually, ''most'' Marvel aliens wear skin-tight outfits, except for the more old-school ones like Fin Fang Foom who just wear [[MonsterModesty Space Boxer Shorts]].

** Actually, she isn't a succubus. She's friends with one, though.

* Subverted in ''Series/{{Farscape}}'', so much so that you have no idea (unless you've seen the show's opening credits and are [[TVTropesWillRuinYourLife a fan of tropes]]) that Crichton's fellow prisoner, in a bulky black spacesuit and a smoked-glass bubble helmet, [[SamusIsAGirl is a slenderly fit and very attractive woman]]. Later seasons replaced the bulky suits with a more streamlined suit mentioned in the top half of this page.

* The ''Franchise/{{Gundam}}'' franchise uses both the skintight version and the bulkier version. [[HumongousMecha Mobile Suit]] pilots wear form-fitting flight suits which don't interfere with their movements but aren't meant to go out in space except in an emergency; regular space suits are worn by civilians and battleship crew. A few characters like [[Anime/MobileSuitGundam Char Aznable]] and [[Anime/MobileSuitZetaGundam Haman]] [[Anime/MobileSuitGundamZZ Karn]] eschew any kind of suit entirely as a matter of preference, though in Char's case it actually became a plot point[[note]]the first time he takes Lalah Sune's advice and actually wears a flight suit is the time that doing without would have killed him. He wears pilot suits from then on in ''[[Anime/MobileSuitZetaGundam Zeta Gundam]]'' and ''[[Anime/MobileSuitGundamCharsCounterattack Char's Counterattack]]''[[/note]]. Not to mention, a few pilots actually do wear the standard space suit while piloting, including [[Anime/MobileSuitGundamZZ Judau Ashta]] and [[Anime/MobileSuitGundamWing Heero Yuy]] (though Heero does get a pilot suit in the final arc of his show.

* The Knight Sabers in ''Anime/BubblegumCrisis'' wear skintight suits under their [[PoweredArmor Hard Suits]]. According so [[AllThereInTheManual supplemental materials]], these skintight suits are control interfaces which sense electrical impulses along the muscles just under the skin, which is why it has to be skin tight[[note]](and why underwear can't be worn underneath it)[[/note]], and it transmits that via contact points to the motive systems in the hardsuit. This allows it, with some practice, to move as though it's an extension of the wearer's body. However, it is not intended for use in space.

* n ''VideoGame/{{Baraduke}}, the suit worn by protagonist Kissy is large and bulky, not unlike real life space suits.

* [[Franchise/{{Metroid}} Samus]] has the Zero suit, a form-fitting blue suit, although it's never used in space. The Zero suit is implied to be an interface to her normal [[PowerArmor Power Suit]] (which she DOES use in space); this is backed by how, after parts of the Power Suit have to be surgically removed in ''VideoGame/MetroidFusion'', the resulting Fusion Suit has the Zero Suit's color scheme. In ''VideoGame/MetroidZeroMission'' Samus appears wearing the Zero suit when [[BagOfSpilling unable to use her normal armor.]] The Galactic Federation troopers use something similar with their space suits/armor, although Samus' is obviously one-of-a-kind.

* DC's ''ComicBook/{{Legion of Super-Heroes}}'' takes things a step further with the transuit, a skin-tight and completely transparent environment suit which enables characters to breathe in a vacuum or otherwise hostile environment without being perceptible as anything more than a white armband (despite being full-body and skin-tight, the transuits do not so much as flatten down the characters' hair). Unlike most Latex Space Suits, the transuit's skin-tightness is ''not'' a means of providing fanservice, since it is transparent and worn over normal clothing... but since most Legionnaires both male and female wear skin-tight superhero jumpsuits anyhow, it all comes out the same.

** ''Literature/TheNightsDawnTrilogy'' includes space-suits that are made of programmable silicon or somesuch- they hang around as a black blob until activated, at which point they spread over the body of the user (tightly enough to avoid decompression in hard vacuum).

* Peter F. Hamilton's ''Literature/TheNightsDawnTrilogy'' includes space-suits that are made of programmable silicon or somesuch- they hang around as a black blob until activated, at which point they spread over the body of the user (tightly enough to avoid decompression in hard vacuum).

* Mesh spacesuits are used by the specialist SAS team in ''Literature/TheAtrocityArchive'', the first novel of ''Literature/TheLaundryFiles'' by Creator/CharlesStross. The point is made that the suit compresses you by its own elasticity, which generally ensures that any gas in your body outside of your lungs is [[{{Gashole}} squeezed out of the nearest orifice]]. When they see the SAS team that crosses over into AnotherDimension wearing these, the protagonist realises they've made such journeys before.

* In the first novel of the Greg Mandel trilogy by Creator/PeterFHamilton, the protagonist is measured by laser for a custom-fitted spacesuit, and is relieved in the final novel (set over a decade later) to find that a less form-fitting outfit is now used, given that he no longer has his HeroicBuild.

* Mesh spacesuits are used by the specialist SAS team in ''Literature/TheAtrocityArchive'', the first novel of ''Literature/TheLaundryFiles'' by Creator/CharlesStross. The point is made that the suit compresses you by its own elasticity, which generally ensures that any gas in your body outside of your lungs is squeezed out of the nearest orifice. When they see the SAS team that crosses over into AnotherDimension wearing these, the protagonist realises they've made such journeys before.

* In the first novel of the Greg Mandel trilogy by Creator/PeterFHamilton, the protagonist is measured by laser for a custom-fitted LatexSpacesuit, and is relieved in the final novel (set over a decade later) to find that a less form-fitting outfit is used, given that he no longer has his HeroicBuild.