Gagarin’s p*ssing tradition in danger as new Russian spacesuits lack FLY (PHOTO)

A new Russian spacesuit unveiled at the MAKS-2019 airshow might spell the end of the decades-old cosmonaut tradition of taking a leak on the wheel of the bus carrying them to their rocket, as it lacks the key implement – a fly.

The spacesuit, dubbed Sokol-M, is meant to replace an older variant of the Sokol-series garment, used during ascent, descent and docking stages of space flight. The new suit has been designed specifically to be used with the upcoming Russian spaceship Federatsiya.

According to the developers, the device boasts more comfort than its predecessors and is said to be more durable. A single one will last for at least ten uses.

It might have a little design flaw however – it doesn’t have a fly. Currently utilized suits, Sokol-KV-2, feature special lacing in that particular area of the garment.

© Sputnik / Grigoriy Sysoyev

The flaw might seem minor, given that the suit is meant to be worn only for a limited amount of time, yet it would prevent the male cosmonauts from taking part in the pre-flight p*ssing tradition.

The tradition is at least as old as the manned spaceflight, dating back to Yuri Gagarin himself. While travelling to his rocket from the space center by bus, the man-to-become the first in space requested an unscheduled stop, disembarked the vehicle and took a leak on its wheel. Unlike modern cosmonauts, who believe this action to be a lucky ritual, Gagarin is said to have simply felt the urge – and wanted to prevent any potential accidents of sorts during the flight.

Yuri Gagarin is pictured riding the bus before his flight on April 12, 1961. © Sputnik

When asked about the lack of a fly, the general director of the spacesuit development company, Zvezda, Sergey Pozdnyakov explained that no specific requests about it had been made.

Yet, it’s not the final version of the garment, he explained, and the Sokol-M might actually receive this crucial addition in the future. The suit is expected to be ready for tests in 2020.

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