NASA 'space' swimwear

At the next Beijing Olympics, swimmers in the world will break more records than ever. That prediction is based on the introduction of 'Speedo LZR Racer' - a 'space' swimsuit made from NASA-tested fabrics.

Space engineer Steve Wilkinson, of NASA's Langley Research Center, admits he doesn't know much about swimming or swimming, but has been involved in researching this 'space' swimsuit since the Warnaco Group came to Langley. Testing of fabric samples.

The team evaluated the surface roughness of nearly 60 fabrics. The test fabric is spread on a smooth aluminum plate in a pipe with different velocities of air blowing through. Sensors measure the resistance on the fabric surface to see which fabrics and fibers have the smallest resistance.

Air and water follow the same laws of motion, a wind-blown pipe that can simulate resistance in a fabric like water. Air testing is also cheaper, simpler than domestic.

Speedo LZR Racer (Photo: manolomen.com)

Like reducing the resistance of the body surface to help the aircraft fly faster, reducing the surface resistance of the fabric also helps athletes swim faster. Tests also showed that stickiness or skin rubbing accounted for nearly one-third of the total resistance to a swimmer.

According to Michael Phelps, champion swimmer with 6 gold medals and 2 bronze medals at the 2000 Sydney Olympics: 'When I touch the water, I feel like a rocket'. Phelps and the athletes wearing this tight-fitting 'space' swimsuit set 40 of the 44 world swimming records since the 'Speedo LZR Racer' was produced in February.