It’s officially called the gravity loading countermeasures suit (GLCS presumably). The goal is to reduce bone loss and spinal elongation during long duration space flight. It is a skin-tight suit designed to be worn inside the space station. It elastically squeezes the body and the spine:

See also: New Skintight Astronaut Suit Could Reduce Bone Loss in Space

Managing bone density in space is a weighty issue. In space, astronauts lose about 1 to 2 percent of their bone mass in a month, the same amount a postmenopausal woman loses in a year. Spacefarers are currently exercising two hours daily to lessen bone loss, but the physical activity isn’t enough. Scientists estimate that if we send humans to Mars, astronauts could experience bone fractures even with simple tasks. The body-hugging GLCS, which was developed at MIT’s Man-Vehicle Laboratory, is designed to alleviate that problem.

See also: How Space Suits Work

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