retained although the liquid cooled undergarment of the KM and KV was discarded. Specifications Name: Sokol-KV2 Rescue Spacesuit Manufacturer: NPP Zvezda Missions: 1980 to present Function: Intra-vehicular activity (IVA) Operating Pressure: Suit Weight: Use by countries other than Russia The People's Republic of China have bought a number of space suits from the Russians for use in their space programme. The suit worn by Yang Liwei on Shenzhou 5, the first crewed Chinese spaceflight, closely resembles a Sokol-KV2 suit, but it is believed to be a Chinese-made version rather than an actual Russian suit. Pictures show that the suits worn by Fei Junlong and Nie Haisheng on Shenzhou 6 differ in detail from the earlier suit; they are also reported to be lighter. Sokol suits have been bought for uses other than spaceflight. It was planned that the crew of the British QinetiQ 1 high-altitude balloon would wear modified Sokol suits purchased from Zvezda. As the balloonists would have occupied an open platform during their twelve-hour flight, the Sokol suits, together with heavily insulated outer garments, would have protected them from the cold and low pressure of the stratosphere as the balloon ascended to a height of around . Bulgaria developed its own version of the Sokol space suit in the mid-1970s. U.S. equivalent During the flight of Gemini 7 in 1965, Frank Borman and Jim Lovell wore modified Gemini spacesuits sharing some similarities with the Sokol suits, but with significant differences. Their suits were known as the G5C by their manufacturer, the David Clark Company. Collectors' market Sokol space suits, including ones flown in space, were first sold by Sotheby's at an auction devoted to Russian space history in 1993. Subsequently, components such as gloves, communications caps, and wrist mirrors have frequently come up for sale on eBay; even complete suits have occasionally come up for sale, such as the one that Heritage Auctions sold for US$31,070 in 2009. These are usually worn out items that have been discarded after use during ground training and were never intended for use in space. As these items are nominally the property of the Russian government, the legitimacy of their sale has been questioned. See also References Citations Bibliography Isaak P. Abramov, A. Ingemar Skoog, (2003). Russian Space Suits: Springer-Praxsis. . Helen Sharman Christopher Priest, (1993). Seize the Moment, Gollancz. . Christopher S. Stuart, Sotheby's Catalogue - Russian Space History, sale 6516,