Strizh

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Strizh is a space suit that was developed especially for the crew of the Buran space shuttle. Resembling the Sokol space suit worn by Soyuz crew members, the Strizh suit was modified to incoporate a parachute and heavy leather boots to protect the cosmonaut's feet, as the Buran shuttles were designed to incorporate ejection seats similar to that found on the Space Shuttles Enterprise and Columbia (the latter later having the seats removed after the STS-4 mission). The Strizh pressure suit, like its U.S. Air Force counterpart (itself based on the X-15 and Gemini spacesuit and now used as part of NASA's Advanced Crew Escape Suit), is still in use for all Russian high-altitude aircraft that lacks a pressurized cabin.