Virtute 1 Mission
SFS1 on board
The mission of the Italian Air Force in collaboration with CNR took off from Spaceport America in New Mexico, the airport for space flights of Virgin Galactic, on 29 June.
The mission flew with Virgin Galactic’s Space Ship Two. The commander was Colonel Walter Villadei, Astronaut of the Italian Air Force, and he used the SFS1 for the flight.
SFS1 (Smart Flight Suit One)
The SFS1 contains textile conductors that detect some medical parameters such as the astronaut’s ECG and communicate their stability via LEDs applied to the suit.
Colonel Walter Villadei tests the SFS1.
Col. Villadei with Marcello Azzoni, R&D Chief.
Virtute 1 Italian Crew: Lt. Col. Landolfi, Col. Villadei and Eng. Carlucci from CNR.
Virtute 1 carried an all-Italian crew. In addition to Col. Villadei, also Lt. Col. Landolfi, the medical officer, and Eng. Carlucci from CNR on board.
The SFS1 has undergone a revision of its requirements to meet the safety parameters required by the FAA (Federal Aviation Administration), and some experiments will be housed in the pockets of the suit, which can withstand up to 12 Gs of acceleration.
Presentation of the Virtute 1 mission (click to watch the video).
SpaceShipTwo (central fuselage) carried under its twin fuselage mother ship, White Knight Two.
Press conference
Extract from the press conference, with an in-depth analysis on SFS1 by Col. Villadei.
