NASA may be the world’s leading space program, yet it has not always solely focused its efforts on what’s above us. Following the 2004 Sydney Olympics, NASA got a request for a design from an unusual customer—Speedo—one of the world’s most premier suppliers of swimming equipment. Speedo wanted to design a new type of tech-suit, one that would become a game-changer for the sport of swimming, and NASA agreed to help in its development.  

Wait, hold up! What the heck is a tech-suit? Don’t swimmers swim in briefs? Not exactly. Even though swimmers train in briefs, when it comes to high level competition they do not race in speedos or bikinis. Instead they wear high-compression suits that cost up to $500 and take up to twenty minutes to put on.  But let’s get back to NASA.

Along with a few universities known for their innovative scientific fields, NASA and Speedo began improving different aspects of Speedo’s previous model, Fast Skin II, to make the LZR Pulse (pronounced “La-zer”). Since the beginning, Speedo and other swimwear brands reducing drag on the suit has been the main focus of the industry for reducing drag.

Developers soon discovered that the materials used to make the suits created the most “removable” drag. Hence it is unsurprising that the biggest advancement was in the fabric itself. With the help of NASA scientists and their wind tunnels, over one hundred fabrics were tested for drag.

These experiments lead to a new suit  made of very fine microfibers of nylon and spandex, which reduce drag by a whopping twenty-four percent compared to its predecessor, the Fast Skin II! 

Next, Speedo and NASA changed the build of the suit. Traditional suits are made up of one layer of textile, which allows for constant compression around the body. This allows for a tightening of muscle groups to maximize the power exerted by them. However, this also can tighten muscles incorrectly, even if the suits are designed specifically for a tightening in certain areas. To work around that issue, yet keep the benefits of compression, LZR is built from using multiple layers of different material.

The LZR itself is the middle level of the techsuit and is elastic, allowing the body to have a wide range of motion. Firm polyurethane sheets cover the elastic LZR in areas that create a lot of drag, maximizing compression in important areas such as the lower abdomen and back. To complete the suit, another layer is added to the lower back to stabilize the core, an especially crucial part of swimming, creating a corset-like grip on the swimmer’s body.

This new approach allowed swimmers to keep their form in the water, yet also allowed for an extensive movement. It was now way easier to keep a long and powerful stroke throughout the race, even if a swimmer was nearing muscle failure. 

The improved compression also increased oxygen flow and lessened muscle vibration, which is a major factor for muscle fatigue. The improved compression, Speedo estimated, increased oxygen efficiency by 5%, which gave swimmers who wore this suit a major advantage in a sport where races are often won by a hundred of a second.  On the other hand, these suits being so tight and full-body could take up to 30 minutes to put on, even with a teammate or coach’s help!

Finally, Speedo and NASA took an unconventional approach to design the LZR Pulse. To further decrease the suit’s drag, NASA and Speedo changed the way the suit was sewn. While the seams on techsuits prior were sewn together, the seams on the LZR were ultrasonically welded. According to NASA, this reduced drag by another 6%.

The LZR had a tremendous impact on the sport of swimming. In the 2008 Olympics in Beijing, 25 world records were set, and 92% of these world records were set in the LZR. Along with that, an even greater 94% of race victories were made in that suit. The introduction of a full-body suit like the LZR, was a game changer in the sport, similar to the days after when swim goggles were introduced back in 1976.

Michael Phelps, who took 8 golds in Beijing, remarked about the LZR saying, “When I hit the water, I feel like a rocket… [the LZR] is going to take swimming to a new level.” Just next year the pool was already dominated by full-body polyurethane suits. These were Arena’s Powerskin X-Glide and Jaked’s 101, both improved versions of the Speedo’s LZR. By then the partial polyurethane LZR may have had the “equivalent of a jockey racing with extra weight,” yet it had set the ground for a new era of tech suits, at least for a little bit…

In 2010, the governing body of all water sports, FINA, banned these suits, on grounds that they were being used as a type of “technological doping”.  They also seemingly prioritized the privileged who had access to these expensive, almost one-time-use suits. FINA decided that these suits diminished the importance of natural ability and threatened the integrity of the sport. 

While these suits have been banned for  a decade and a half, their effects remain visible. Multiple world records, like Paul Bierdenmann’s ‘unbreakable’ 200 meter freestyle (1:42.00), or Ceaser Cielo’s 20.91 50 meter free still stand. It’s almost impossible to tell how long it will be before these remaining records are broken. And who knows, maybe one day NASA will send people into the pool once more.