US glam or Soviet grunge? Vintage spacesuits on sale

[Nipuna]

(Image: Bonhams/Bournemouth News/Rex)

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Want to channel your inner Sandra Bullock? Now you can, thanks to the shiny beauty of a spacesuit above, which is up for auction on 8 April at Bonhams in New York. It was developed for Project Mercury, and Alan Shepherd wore one like it when he became the first American in space in May 1961.

Mercury suits date back to 1959, when the best-dressed astronauts sported silver. The colour comes from an aluminium powder glued to green nylon fabric.

This suit comes complete with a fibre-glass helmet, gloves and boots. It is 160 centimetres tall and was designed to be a snug fit. Bonhams's guide price is $8000 to $12,000.

For the George Clooney in your life, Bonhams has a Soviet Strizh spacesuit dating back to 1988. It was developed for the crew of the Buran, the Soviet Union's answer to the US space shuttle, and was designed to protect cosmonauts in case they had to eject in an emergency.

The Buran made only one trip, without a crew, before the programme was cancelled in 1993. Bonhams expects the olive suit with detachable gloves to go for $15,000 to $20,000.

If neither suit strikes your fancy – or fits your figure – nearly 300 other items will be up for grabs in the sale, including rare photographs, astronauts' personal effects and flags taken to the moon.