Astronaut Mae Jemison wore this garment in space to measure the way her body responded to weightlessness. She was a member of the crew of STS-47, the 50th Space Shuttle mission, which launched on September 12, 1992. The biofeedback system was developed and patented by Dr. Patricia S. Cowings, an aerospace psychophysiologist and the first American woman to be trained as a scientist astronaut (she was an alternate for space flight in 1979 but never traveled to space).

The objective of the Autogenic Feedback Training Experiment (AFTE), was to study the possibility of controlling space motion sickness and stress using biofeedback methods. Specifically, the system was designed to help reduce stress, improve focus and cognitive functions, and help astronauts increase their self-awareness. By mitigating the psychological and physiological stresses of space travel, astronauts would be able to spend longer periods of time in space, which is what they are able to do today in large part through this and other similar experiments.