Astronaut helmets have to have it all—protection, functionality, and support. A standard astronaut helmet has four main components: a neck ring, a protective shell, a feed port, and a vent pad. Made of polycarbonate, the helmets have built-in cameras to send a constant video feed and the neck ring to seal the pressure. The feed port allows for water and food probes.
Astronauts don’t have many of the luxuries people often take for granted. If they have an itch on their face, they can’t simply take off their helmet to scratch it. Instead, they have a patch of Velcro on the inside of their helmet to remedy the itch. When they want to move their heads, they have to hold onto the helmet to look in a different direction. If this all wasn’t enough, the helmet also has components to offer protection from radiation and micrometeoroids.