Space suits in fiction are always a little sexier than those from real life. Difficult engineering problems are magically solved, allowing for the articulated suits of armor NASA still struggles to implement. Such agile costumes may get wraparound, fishbowl helmets, to permit more dramatic action. Burdensome hardware is either unnecessary, or positioned so as to look cool. In some cases, all a lady needs to do is slap on some undies and an airtight helmet, and she's good to go. Compare such svelte costumes to the real thing: a crinkly hazmat suit with a two-way mirrored visor.
Project RHO has an overview of the space suit in science fiction, referring frequently to the various sophistic speculations and rationalizations that authors cooked up in the days before they were designed and tested in real life.
SPACE SUITS [RHO via SciFi Scanner]
