U.S.S. Voyager :
STANDARD EXTRA-VEHICULAR WORK GARMENT (SEWG)
also known as EVA suits / environment suits / environmental suits / EVA pressure suits
(EVA = extra-vehicular activity)

In situations requiring one or more members of Voyager's crew to exit the starship, a specially designed extra-vehicular activity suit is worn to protect them against airless and otherwise hostile environments. These suits are worn for activities such as visual exterior inspections, periodic maintenance, damage control and hardware modifications e.g. installing the anti-Borg armour on Voyager's hull in [#172 Endgame, Part Two]. Starfleet has several different models of the these suits including the following not seen in [Star Trek: Voyager] although it is possible that Voyager carries them in its inventory: low pressure environment garment (LPEG), used for an orbital starbase layover where the starship is in external support mode. The EPG, emergency pressure garment, is designed for long-term storage in starship emergency equipment lockers. There is the standard extra-vehicular work garment (SEWG) described below. There is also the APM, augmented personnel module which is a hybrid garment composed of both hard and flexible body segments essentially forming a small spacecraft, and it is designed to allow longer missions than with a SEWG. All garment types are available in customised versions for non-humanoid and handicapped crewmembers (source: STTNG Tech).

More information about other Star Trek EVA garments (not seen in [Voyager]) - picture and text (114Kb):

Source: DS9 Tech. Behind-the-scenes: The exact same costumes were used in [Star Trek: First Contact], [Star Trek: Voyager] and [DS9]

Voyager's crew use Starfleet's standard extra-vehicular work garment (SEWG) type-3. On [Star Trek: Voyager] the SEWG is not referred to by its Starfleet designation of "standard extra-vehicular work garment" nor by its acronym, but is called an "environmental suit" or "environment suit", though it is almost always referred to by its Starfleet designation in canon sources. Stores of SEWG are kept aboard Voyager, each shuttlecraft and escape pod. In the type-12 shuttlecraft they are kept folded up in lockers which have lift-up lids that are located in the rear section. In the Delta Flyer, they are sometimes seen hanging up, unfolded, and always in the aft compartment. The type-3 SEWG is first seen in use in [Star Trek: First Contact], in 2373, stardate unknown, and although not seen on film or tv before those events of 2373 it is not known exactly when the type-3 became standard issue, although if it was earlier than that it is unlikely to have been much earlier as an earlier model of SEWG is seen in the late 2360s of [TNG]. The type-3 SEWG is first seen in use by Voyager personnel in 2374, in [#71 Day of Honor], on an unknown stardate but shortly before stardate 51186.2 [#74 Revulsion]. On that occasion Torres and Paris were each forced to don a SEWG in order to abandon their type-12 shuttlecraft called Cochrane after being damaged by Caatati weapons fire while trying to prevent the Caatati salvaging Voyager's ejected warp core. It is possible to interplex the com systems of two suits to create a phased carrier wave and thus extend the reach of normal communications. Paris and Torres did this in [#71 Day of Honor] - Voyager read the signature and thereby knew it was from them.

The following 11 screenshots are from [#71 Day of Honor].

A	B
C	D
E	A: Paris and Torres don SEWGs in the rear section of the shuttlecraft Cochrane B: Paris in his SEWG C: Torres in her SEWG D: SEWG glove E: attaching the lifeline between the two suits

The 3 diagrams on this page labelled "Fig. number.number" are from The Starfleet Survival Guide THE STARFLEET SURVIVAL GUIDE Surviving Atmospheric Reentry in a Pressure Suit Surviving While Adrift in Deep Space

Torres and Paris, wearing EVA suits, adrift in deep space. They are joined by a lifeline. [#71 Day Of Honor]

See also the screenshots below.

using the controls to interplex the com systems of both suits in order to set up a phased carrier wave to send to Voyager

NOTE FROM THE STARFLEET SURVIVAL GUIDE The comm system of a SEWG is extremely limited in range. It generally is intended for use only on the exterior of a starship or space station,or on an away mission to a hostile environment while a support vessel remains nearby or in orbit. In an emergency scenario in which a SEWG's short-range subspace beacon does not have adequate range to signal a nearby starship or starbase, the comm circuits of two SEWGs can be interplexed to generate a much more powerful subspace carrier wave on a variety of Starfleet frequencies. Interplexing the comm systems of two or more SEWGs can be accomplished quickly and easily by setting uplink and override protocols through the SEWGs' forearm control interfaces. The one major drawback to this technique is that overriding the signal-gain capacitor by interplexing the comm units makes modulation of the signal's content nearly impossible. The resulting signal generated by a pair of interplexed SEWG comm circuits will be powerful, but might be interpreted as random subspace noise. Another significant risk is that interplexing the comm circuits of two or more SEWGs creates a risk that all the interplexed comm systems might be damaged, compromising their ability to focus long-range transmissions. Consequently, multiple transmissions of an interplexed signal might prove difficult or impossible. If it is possible, however, a series of brief signal bursts in groupings meant to represent the prime numbers 3, 5, and 7 will maximize the likelihood that the signals will be recognized as intentional rather than random.

the connector in the righthand side of the screenshot, when plugged in, will share Torres' oxygen supply with Paris'	side and part of the rear view of the SEWG helmet
rear view of the SEWG helmet	front view of the SEWG helmet

SEWGs can be vulnerable to ion turbulence [#71 Day Of Honor].

The type-3 SEWG has modular construction designed to fit from 38 to 76 percentile humanoid personnel. Torso, leg, boot, glove, and helmet assemblies are built in fifteen different sizes to allow for a wide range of body morphologies. The life support backpack and chest plate are furnished in three different sizes to accommodate different mission requirements and allow for custom loading of atmospheric gases, cooling liquids, recycling gear, power supplies, and communication equipment. The average suit empty mass is 19.6 kilograms, and 30.1 kilograms with backpack and full consumables loading. All flexible inner pressure bladders are constructed from fifty-nine alternating microlayers of duranium hexylamide and 2,1,3 polyurmedane, with a total thickness of 0.86 centimetres. The outer thermal micrometeoroid covering consists of sixty-one layers of woven disellenide carbonitrium fibres jacketed with plasma-sprayed silica excelerine, with a total thickness of 1.2 centimetres. The helmet, backpack, and chest plate are typically moulded from aluminium borotritonide, and standard transparent aluminium is employed in the helmet faceplates. As in previous versions of the SEWG, an average consumables load of 9.6 kilograms of nitrogen-oxygen is designed to last a minimum of sixteen hours, and twenty hours in low tidal mode with maximum recycling. Suit power, provided by six sarium-krellide cells, is rated at a total of 95.6 kilowatt-hours, which exceeds by 15% the power required for three optional suites of external sensors and isolinear data recorders. The total power available for EVA missions is increased to 114.6 kilowatt-hours with the addition of a hot-gas thruster maneuvering unit. At Starfleet Academy, in the third year, there is a six-week course of actual space walks so that cadets can get used to them [#71 Day Of Honor]. (Paris took the course, but Torres had dropped out by then.)

Seven and Tuvok turn on and arm their phaser rifles as they prepare to search for a member of Species 8472 on Voyager. They are dressed in environmental suits. Likewise attired, Chakotay and Paris magnetise their boots to enable them to walk in zero-gravity as they join the search. (pop-up window) [Prey]

Seven and Tuvok in SEWGs on Voyager, armed with phaser rifles, about to enter zero-gravity conditions [#84 Prey]

Below: Seven in a SEWG for a mission aboard Ares IV in [#128 One Small Step].

In the aft compartment of the Delta Flyer, Seven gets kitted out. Part of another SEWG can be seen in the storage locker behind her.

in addition to the SEWG Seven wears a wrist-mounted torch (known in production as a Sims beacon, or SIMS beacon, after Alan Sims, the show's properties master)

[#162 Workforce, Part One]

In [Workforce], Paris and Chakotay return to Voyager wearing SEWGs as the Doctor, the only one aboard, has turned off life support since he, being a hologram, does not need it. In this screenshot they are on the bridge, at the engineering section.

[#162 Workforce, Part One]

Environmental suits are worn, at least to start with, by away team members in [#167 Friendship One]. It is likely that at the end of 2377, in [#172 Endgame, Part 2], when work teams work on Voyager's hull to install anti-Borg shielding technology brought from the future by Admiral Kathryn Janeway that SEWGs are worn.

[#167 Friendship One]

 

 

Behind-the-scenes: The Standard Extra-vehicular Work Garment (SEWG).

 

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