#1205: VacSack

Astronauts, especially rookies, apparently have great trouble sleeping in near-zero gravity.

They seem to miss the sensation of pressure on their bodies from a horizontal bed and covers. Strapping themselves in is a poor substitute.

Today’s invention is therefore an astronaut sleeping bag which forms a loose seal around the sleeper’s neck. The rear face of the bag is attached to a spacecraft wall surface at many locations.

The other end of the bag is connected to a small, silenced vacuum pump which sucks out the air and has the effect of holding the astronaut down onto the wall surface with a user-controlled pressure. This feels more like the experience of sleeping in his/her own, 1-g, bed at home.